Johnny Chan: First Player to Reach 10 WSOP Bracelets!

With time, the sports world has evolved tremendously growing a lot tougher over the past years. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of players in the poker industry as well and so far several legends have left a significant mark in the industry till date, and we expect plenty more in the time to come.

‘The Orient Express’ is what Johnny Chan, an American Chinese poker pro is popularly regarded as. Running over tournament players with immense ease, once winning back-to-back World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event titles. Chan captured another remarkable tournament, the Hall of Fame Classic in 1988 and 1989. He was battling for third Main Event title but unfortunately Phil Hellmuth inked his name in the books.

To win and tie a WSOP coveted gold bracelet around your wrist is a dream come true. Poker players have lived their life dreaming of completing this goal. Sadly, most enthusiasts and great ones have never owned one, let alone 10 of them. Johnny Chan is hands down one of the most storied players in the history of WSOP with a career spanning more than a decade. Chan is a true icon and first ever player to grab 10 WSOP bracelets! Let’s take a walk through his massive victory starting from the year 1985.

As young as 21 years old, Chan dropped out of the University and moved to Las Vegas to play professionally. The first Asian breakout poker player and self-proclaimed role model for Asians on the current poker circuit entered the world of live poker in 1982 only to take down the event. Over a period of few years, fans could also spot him easily taking orange at the poker table.

His first bracelet came in 1985 in $1,000 Limit Hold’em poker tournament held at Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas for $171K, two years later, he triumphed the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship. The very next year Chan made history by winning back-to-back in $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championships at Binions – two world championships in a row! Chan’s victories in the event became a habit until 2005 when he claimed his 10th bracelet at the new home of the WSOP, The Rio.

All of Chan’s bracelet wins are as follows:

1985, $1,000 limit hold’em
1987, $10,000 main event
1988, $10,000 main event
1994, $1,500 stud
1997, $5,000 deuce-to-seven draw
2000, $1,500 pot-limit Omaha
2002, $2,500 no-limit hold’em
2003, $5,000 no-limit hold’em
2003, $5,000 pot-limit Omaha
2005, $2,500 pot-limit hold’em

Chan’s aggressive style and tremendous ability to play the player, not the cards, kept him steps ahead of the competition. However, it is unlikely that Chan would find his way back to the WSOP winner’s list as he simply doesn’t play that much anymore. He only cashed once in 2019 in WSOP Main Event. Right now, the man with power sits 9th in the California list with over $8 million in total live earnings.

“Not too many players try to bluff me. If there’s going to be bluffing or stealing going on, I’m going to be the one doing to it.” – Johnny Chan. For more updates on poker news around the world, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com and stay tuned!