Walter Pearson (poker player)

Walter Pearson
Walter Pearson (1974)
Personal information
Date of birth	January 29, 1929
place of birth	Adairville
date of death	April 12, 2006
Place of death	Las Vegas
Nickname	Puggy
Live Poker Tournament Achievements
Highest prize money	$ 130,000
Total prize money	$ 473,680
World Series of Poker
Bracelets	4th
Cashes	12
Best main event	Victory ( 1973 )

Walter Clyde "Puggy" Pearson (born January 29, 1929 in Adairville , Kentucky , † April 12, 2006 in Las Vegas , Nevada ) was an American professional poker player . He won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in 1973 and secured a total of four bracelets in this tournament series. As part of the 50th edition of the World Series of Poker , Pearson was named as one of the 50 best players in poker history in June 2019 .

Poker career

Career

Pearson grew up in a family of nine siblings in Tennessee. He got his nickname “Puggy” from a childhood accident at the age of 12 that gave him a misshapen nose. Pearson dropped out of school in fifth grade and joined the United States Navy at the age of 17 , where he served for three years. Already known as one of the best pool players in the world, he became more interested in poker and gambling during his service.

Prior to 1949, all poker games were cash games , so a player could always exchange their chips for cash and leave. Pearson led the idea of a Freezeout - Poker Tournament and shared them with the player "Nick the Greek" Dandolos . He later told the famous casino owner Benny Binion about this idea, who then founded the World Series of Poker (WSOP). That's why Pearson can also be called the father of poker tournaments.

Pearson won the Main Event of the WSOP in 1973 , when his A ♠ 7 ♠ hand K ♥ J ♠ from Johnny Moss had defeated. In total, Pearson won four bracelets at the WSOP, two of them in the Seven Card Stud variant . In 1987, Pearson was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame at the age of 58 .

Bracelets

year	Buy-in (in $ )	competition	Attendees	Prize money (in $)
1971	0.1000	Limit 7 Card Stud	10	010,000
1973	0.4000	Limit 7 Card Stud	08th	032,000
	0.1000	No Limit Hold'em	17th	017,000
	10,000	No Limit Hold'em World Championship	13	130,000

Famous stories

• Pearson once threw cards at a dealer who responded by kicking him in the head with her high heels while another dealer held it down. On another occasion, Pearson urinated on a dealer, which was confirmed by Mike Caro on Usenet. However, other poker players described his demeanor as relaxed and easy-going. Thomas Preston said Pearson was "softer than butter on a hot stove".
• Pearson bought a coach that said Puggy Pearson - Traveling Gambler . Among them was the challenge I will play every game they can name against every person from every country for every amount they can count . Below, in small print, it read Provided I want it too .

Trivia

• Pearson was an avid golfer who also played handicapped . Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson thought he was a better putter when under pressure than Jack Nicklaus , Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson .
• Pearson regularly smoked cigars while playing.
• Pearson was the only poker player to attend all of the WSOP from 1970 to 2005 .

Web links

Commons : Walter Pearson  - Collection of Images

• Puggy Pearson in the Hendon Mob Poker Database (English)
• Puggy Pearson in the database of the World Series of Poker (English)
• Article in the Guardian by Victoria Coren Mitchell

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Puggy Pearson: Father of 'freeze-out' poker on independent.co.uk on April 27, 2006, accessed on March 25, 2016.
2. ↑ WSOP Reveals List of 50 Greatest Players in Poker History , pokernews.com, accessed August 4, 2019.
3. ↑ To Mike Caro on groups.google.com, accessed on February 24, 2020 (English).