Puggy Pearson was one of the true greats of the early World Series of Poker, and it’s sad to learn that he’s passed away. From the LV Sun:
As the quintessential road gambler, cigar-chomping Puggy Pearson would take on anyone, anywhere, anytime and at almost any game you could wager on – providing he liked it.
He developed a fondness for poker as a teenager and came up with an idea that revolutionized the modern game. He proposed that players at the same table start with the same amount of money and play until one player had it all – “freeze-out” style, he called it.
In 1970, Horseshoe owner Benny Binion used that formula in his new World Series of Poker tournament, launching a format used in poker tournaments to this day.
Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson, the 1973 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy in, no-limit Texas hold ’em champion and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, died Wednesday in Las Vegas. He was 77.
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Pearson had been ailing for several years, but earlier this week played poker in the Bellagio card room, his favorite haunt in recent years.
Palm Mortuary on Jones Boulevard is handling the arrangements. A memorial service has been tentatively scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Bellagio, his family said.
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Pearson’s showdown with fellow Hall of Famer and three-time world poker champion Johnny Moss at the 1973 world championship game was the first World Series event recorded for TV broadcast.
On the final hand, Pearson defeated Moss to win poker’s most prestigious title and the winner-take-all prize of $130,000 from a field of 13 players.
By comparison, the winner of the same event at last year’s World Series of Poker won $7.5 million from a field of 5,619 players.
In the 1970s and ’80s, Pearson often showed up for major tournaments wearing costumes. One year he dressed as a cowboy with six-shooters; in other years he appeared in full American Indian dress or in Viking gear.
Although he won four World Series events, Pearson, in later years, declined to play in long tournaments, preferring shorter, live-action games that were his bread and butter as a road gambler.
Las Vegas SUN: Poker tournament pioneer ‘Puggy’ Pearson dies
Puggy was a very interesting guy to talk to, to say the least. He’s truly going to be missed.