Is Johnny Moss the Most Fundamental Poker Player Ever?

Johnny Moss was born in 1907, and like all great gamblers of his time, grew up in Texas. Poker and really gambling in general was not as prominent or well established when Moss was growing up, so to grow up in an area that it’s prevalent was rare. 

He was taught at a young age by a group of con-artists how to cheat at poker, but refused to use those tactics. Instead, Moss would work in a saloon as almost a quasi pit-boss, ensuring the games were run fairly. This also gave Moss an invaluable amount of knowledge on how to strategize and be an effective card player. 

By the late 1920’s, Moss had become a rounder. Rounders are professional poker players who travel the country looking for action. As there were no established casino or legal betting operations on that day, professional poker players were required to tour the most active card playing sections of the country. Moss was generally confined to Texas, however, as that’s where the most action in the country was.

By the late 1960’s, there was a well-established group of high-stakes rounders perusing the poker scene and dominating anyone who dared challenge them. Benny Binion had a knack for creating press and knew that a high-stakes game between the best poker players in the world would do wonders for the gambling scene. 

In 1970, Binion invited seven of the best card players in the world to compete in the first WSOP. The competitors in the first main-event were Johnny Moss, “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Sailor Roberts, Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Crandell Addington, and Carl Canon. 

Today's WSOP is played in a freeze-out format. This means that the game is played until one person has all the chips. The first winner of the main-event in 1970, however, was voted on by the rest of the competitors. A highly contested rumor is that all the players voted for themselves in the first round of voting. They voted again for who they thought was the second best card player, and Moss emerged as the victor.

In 1971, the group would meet again, but changed to the freeze-out format we know today. Moss would defend his title, beating Puggy Pearson. Moss is one of four players to ever win the main-event in back-to-back years. His third main-event title in 1974 ties him all-time with Stu Ungar for the most main-event wins ever. 

Johnny Moss would go on to win nine total bracelets at the World Series of Poker, and finish in the money on 25 total occasions. He carried himself with a level of integrity that helped shape the game of poker into a fair competition that rewards the best players, not the best cheaters. Moss was truly a visionary in the poker scene and will always be a fundamental part of its history.