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1986 Super Bowl of Poker

The Super Bowl of Poker (also known as Amarillo Slim's Super Bowl of Poker or SBOP) was the second most prestigious poker tournament in the world during the 1980s. While the World Series of Poker was already drawing larger crowds as more and more amateurs sought it out, the SBOP "was an affair limited almost exclusively to pros and hard-core amateurs."

Prior to 1979, the only high dollar tournament a person could enter was the WSOP. 1972 WSOP Main Event Champion and outspoken ambassador for poker Amarillo Slim saw this as an opportunity. "The World Series of Poker was so successful that everybody wanted more than one tournament," he said. Slim called upon his connections and friendships with poker's elite to start a new tournament in the February 1979. Before the SBOP had developed a reputation of its own, many of the most respected names in poker attended the tournament "more to support Slim and take advantage of the very fat cash games the event would obviously inspire." Slim modelled his SBOP after the WSOP with several events and a $10,000 Texas Hold'em Main Event.

One of the principal differences between the WSOP and the SBOP was the prize structure. The WSOP's prize structure was flat ensuring more people received smaller pieces of the prize pool. The SBOP typically used a 60-30-10 payout structure. In other words, only the first three places received money and generally in the ratio of 60% to first place, 30% to second place, and 10% to third. This payment schedule predominated the SBOP for the first 5 years of the event, but as the event grew the number of payouts increased while keeping the payout schedule top heavy.

1986 Tournament

Jack Keller, a member of Poker Hall of Famers, won the Pot Limit Omaha in the 1986 SBOP. But it was the Deuce-to-Seven Lowball event that may have had the toughest final three competitors ever. Doyle Brunson, a Poker Hall of Famer, has won ten WSOP bracelets and won this event. In order to win, he had to defeat two other Poker Hall Famers. Billy Baxter, who own 7 bracelets, came in second place while Johnny Chan, the third place finisher, is tied with Doyle for the second most bracelets at 10. T.J. Cloutier, another member of the Hall, and Jack Keller both won separate $500 Limit Hold'em events.

Key

* Elected to the Poker Hall of Fame.
Place The place in which people finish.
Name The name of the player
Prize (US$) Event prize money

Event 1: $500 Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Jack Keller* $41,000
2nd Eddie Schwettman $16,400
3rd Ralph Morton $8,200
4th John Esposito $4,100
5th Ronnie Willis $4,100
6th Charles Wright $4,100
7th Mike Catherwood $4,100

Event 2: $1,000 Ace-to-Five Lowball

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Dale Conway $23,000
2nd Brad Martin $9,200

Event 3: 7 Card Stud

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st John Yarmosh $21,500
2nd Eugene Lang $8,600

Event 4: $500 Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st T.J. Cloutier* $24,250
2nd AJ Jackson $9,700

Event 5: $500 Omaha

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Jay Heimowitz $13,500
2nd Bernie Salter $5,400

Event 6: Seven-Card Stud

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Don Williams $14,400
2nd Norman Jay $7,200

Event 7: Deuce-to-Seven Lowball

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Doyle Brunson* $43,500
2nd Billy Baxter* $21,750
3rd Johnny Chan* $7,250

Event 8: $200 No Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Bill Smith $51,200
2nd Jesse Alto $20,400
2nd Jack Lindsay $10,240

Event 9: $2,500 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Bob Massie $24,000
2nd Chuck Sharp $12,000

Event 10: Pot Limit Omaha

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Bob Massie $24,000
2nd unknown unknown
3rd unknown unknown
4th unknown unknown
5th Betty Carey $7,750

Event 11: $1,000 Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Mickey Appelbaum $77,500
2nd Bill Stewart $18,200

Event 12: $10,000 No Limit Hold'em

Final table
Place Name Prize
1st Billy Walter $175,000
2nd Richard Klamian $70,000
3rd Dale Conway $35,000
4th Al Ethier $17,500
5th Jay Heimowitz $17,500
6th Louis Hunsucker $17,500
7th Junior Prejean $17,500
8th Roger Can Ausdall $17,500
9th Chip Reese* $17,500
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