1997 World Series of Poker
# 1997 World Series of Poker

The 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the Main Event final table took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside Binions.

## Preliminary events

| Event | Winner | Prize | Runner-up |
| - | - | - | - |
| $2,000 Limit Hold'em | Kevin Song | $397,120 | Yuan Lanvin |
| $1,500 Razz | Linda Johnson | $96,000 | Peter Brownstein |
| $1,500 Limit Omaha | Claude Cohen | $110,400 | Frankie Havard |
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud | Maria Stern | $140,708 | Adam Roberts |
| $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | Chris Bjorin | $169,200 | Michael Davis |
| $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | Doug Saab | $130,305 | Bernie Rosenthal |
| $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | John Cernuto | $259,150 | Thomas Sparks |
| $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | Scotty Nguyen | $156,950 | Mike Matusow |
| $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | Dave Ulliott | $180,310 | Chris Truby |
| $2,500 Seven Card Stud | Vasilis Lazarou | $169,000 | Caesar Como |
| $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | Matthias Rohnacher | $183,000 | Surinder Sunar |
| $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | Max Stern | $117,000 | Artie Cobb |
| $3,000 Limit Hold'em | Louis Asmo | $231,600 | Jim Meehan |
| $3,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | Dean Stonier | $145,200 | John Hom |
| $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | Phil Hellmuth | $204,000 | Tom McEvoy |
| $5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw w/Rebuys | Johnny Chan | $164,250 | Lyle Berman |
| $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | Max Stern | $237,615 | Kathy Liebert |
| $5,000 Seven Card Stud | Mel Judah | $176,000 | Vasilis Lazarou |
| $5,000 Limit Hold'em | Bob Veltri | $224,000 | Ed Stevens |
| $1,000 Ladies' Seven Card Stud | Susie Isaacs | $38,000 | Karen Wolfson |

## Main Event

There were 312 entrants to the main event. Each entrant paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Stu Ungar won the Main Event for a record-tying third time.

### Final table

| Name | Number of chips (percentage of total) | WSOP Bracelets* | WSOP Cashes* | WSOP Earnings* |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Stu Ungar | 1,066,000 (34.1%) | 4 | 15 | $1,081,478 |
| Ron Stanley | 694,000 (22.2%) | 1 | 10 | $321,886 |
| Bob Walker | 612,000 (19.6%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mel Judah | 301,000 (9.6%) | 2 | 13 | $544,026 |
| John Strzemp | 245,000 (7.8%) | 0 | 1 | $4,632 |
| Peter Bao | 204,000 (6.5%) | 0 | 0 | 0 |

*Career statistics prior to the beginning of the 1997 Main Event.

### Final table results

| Place | Name | Prize |
| - | - | - |
| 1st | Stu Ungar | $1,000,000 |
| 2nd | John Strzemp | $583,000 |
| 3rd | Mel Judah | $371,000 |
| 4th | Ron Stanley | $212,000 |
| 5th | Bob Walker | $161,120 |
| 6th | Peter Bao | $127,200 |

### Other High Finishes

NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.

| Place | Name | Prize |
| - | - | - |
| 9th | Chris Bjorin | $48,760 |
| 12th | Marsha Waggoner | $33,920 |
| 13th | Jay Heimowitz | $29,680 |
| 14th | Andrew Black | $29,680 |
| 15th | Rod Peate | $29,680 |
| 16th | Doyle Brunson | $25,440 |
| 18th | Ken Flaton | $25,440 |
| 19th | Paul Clark | $21,200 |
| 21st | Phil Hellmuth | $21,200 |
| 22nd | Billy Baxter | $21,200 |
