# 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.

## Events

There were 20 preliminary bracelet events at the 1997 World Series of Poker.
| # | Date | Event | Entries | Winner | Prize | Runner-up | Results |
| 1 | April 19, 1997 | $2,000 Limit Hold'em | 544 | Kevin Song (1/1) | $397,120 | Yuan Lanvin | Results |
| 2 | April 20, 1997 | $1,500 Razz | 160 | Linda Johnson (1/1) | $96,000 | Peter Brownstein | Results |
| 3 | April 21, 1997 | $1,500 Limit Omaha | 184 | Claude Cohen (1/1) | $110,400 | Frankie Havard | Results |
| 4 | April 22, 1997 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 257 | Maria Stern (1/1) | $140,708 | Adam Roberts | Results |
| 5 | April 23, 1997 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | 140 | Chris Bjorin (1/1) | $169,200 | Michael Davis | Results |
| 6 | April 24, 1997 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | 238 | Doug Saab (1/1) | $130,305 | Bernie Rosenthal | Results |
| 7 | April 25, 1997 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | 355 | John Cernuto (1/2) | $259,150 | Thomas Sparks | Results |
| 8 | April 26, 1997 | $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | 215 | Scotty Nguyen (1/1) | $156,950 | Mike Matusow | Results |
| 9 | April 27, 1997 | $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | 247 | Dave Ulliott (1/1) | $180,310 | Chris Truby | Results |
| 10 | April 28, 1997 | $2,500 Seven Card Stud | 169 | Vasilis Lazarou (1/2) | $169,000 | Caesar Como | Results |
| 11 | April 29, 1997 | $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys | 87 | Matthias Rohnacher (1/1) | $183,000 | Surinder Sunar | Results |
| 12 | April 30, 1997 | $2,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split | 117 | Max Stern (1/2) | $117,000 | Artie Cobb (0/3) | Results |
| 13 | May 1, 1997 | $3,000 Limit Hold'em | 193 | Louis Asmo (1/1) | $231,600 | Jim Meehan | Results |
| 14 | May 2, 1997 | $3,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Split | 121 | Dean Stonier (1/1) | $145,200 | John Hom | Results |
| 15 | May 3, 1997 | $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | 170 | Phil Hellmuth (1/6) | $204,000 | Tom McEvoy (0/4) | Results |
| 16 | May 4, 1997 | $5,000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw w/Rebuys | 32 | Johnny Chan (1/5) | $164,250 | Lyle Berman (0/3) | Results |
| 17 | May 5, 1997 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | 217 | Max Stern (2/3) | $237,615 | Kathy Liebert | Results |
| 18 | May 6, 1997 | $5,000 Seven Card Stud | 88 | Mel Judah (1/2) | $176,000 | Vasilis Lazarou (0/2) | Results |
| 19 | May 7, 1997 | $5,000 Limit Hold'em | 112 | Bob Veltri (1/1) | $224,000 | Ed Stevens | Results |
| 20 | May 8, 1997 | $1,000 Ladies' Seven Card Stud | 95 | Susie Isaacs (1/2) | $38,000 | Karen Wolfson (0/1) | Results |
| 21 | May 10, 1997 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | 312 | Stu Ungar (1/5) | $1,000,000 | John Strzemp | Results |

## Main Event

There were 312 entrants to the main event. Each entrant paid $10,000 to enter the tournament, with the top 27 players finishing in the money. 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 |

### In The Money Finishes

NB: This list is restricted to In The Money finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.
| Place | Name | Prize |
| 9th | Chris Björin | $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 |