Late last month, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) announced that they would be playing host to an event that would be honoring the top 50 poker players as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations. The event that the poker operator would be hosting would be referred as the WSOP First Fifty Honors Gala and the first one went down on June 29 at 8.00 p.m. and it included dinner as well as an award presentation.
This WSOP First Fifty Honors celebration included a total of seven categories with both the public and the poker players themselves being given the opportunity to submit their votes. Participating in the voting process, as it turns out, was also a rewarding experience as whoever voted was automatically entered into a drawing that awards some very lucrative prizes. These prizes included:
- $1,000 Mini Main Event Seat for the 2019 World Series of Poker
- $500 Summer Saver Online Seat for the 2019 World Series of Poker
- (2) VIP tickets to the WSOP First Fifty Honors Gala on June 29
- WSOP Merchandise
“It is important we take time out to honor the WSOP’s first 50 years and pay tribute to those that paved the way for where we are today. We look forward to getting the poker community together on Saturday and commemorating 50 years of the World Series of Poker,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.
The Event
The Saturday night event was every bit as successful as expected. It was attended by several bracelet winners, poker legends, popular poker personalities, VIPs as well as other notable personalities from the World Series of Poker’s esteemed 50-year history. The venue was the Rio Las Vegas and it was hosted by Norman Chad and Lon McEachern, both of whom are very popular voices in the world of poker.
By the time the night came to an end, a total of seven awards for seven different categories were handed out. The recipients are listed below.
The WSOP First Fifty Honors Awards
| Award Category | Recipients |
| Most Memorable WSOP TV Hand | Sammy Farha vs. Chris Moneymaker “Bluff of the Century” 2003 WSOP |
| Best Overall WSOP Performance (Single Year) | Daniel Negreanu (2013: 2 bracelets and 4 final tables) |
| Most Likely to Succeed (Player currently 35 or Under to Win the Most Gold Bracelets between 2020-2070) 4. Fan Favorite Player | Justin Bonomo |
| Fan Favorite | Daniel Negreanu |
| WSOP’s Favorite Bad Boy | Phil Hellmuth |
| Most Impressive WSOP Main Event Win | Chris Moneymaker (2003 WSOP Main Event) |
| Four Most Important Players in WSOP History | Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth Chris Moneymaker, and Daniel Negreanu |
