Page 34 - Southern California Gaming Guide • December 2021

The public loved it and Binion got the idea to hold a yearly tournament that he called the World Series of Poker.
Satellites
In the early years, only professional poker players or those that were financially well off could participate in the WSOP because of hefty $10,000 entry fee. This changed in the late 1970’s when WSOP tournament director Eric Drache
created the “Satellite Tournament.” This was because there was no way
A player can enter a satellite tournament for a small entry fee and win a seat into a larger tournament. For example if 10 players paid $1,000 to play a single table satellite, the winner would receive a $10,000 entry into the WSOP. Super Satellite
Tournaments are multi-table events or mini tournaments. Because it involves more players, there is usually a lower entry fee or there are multiple winners gaining entry to the main tournament. Satellite tournaments are now held for
most major poker tournaments allowing a greater number of players to participate
in the events.
The Invention that Ignited the Poker Explosion
As cable television spread across the country, more channels were added and these new networks were looking for more shows to fill their broadcast schedules. The Discovery Channel was the first to film the World Series of Poker. The
you could see the hands unless there was a showdown. The show’s appeal was limited to those who played poker or to those viewers curious to see how the pros played. This would change when one man’s idea lead to an invention that rocked the poker world.
Few people know Henry Orenstein by name. Henry is a Holocaust survivor who beat the odds in the Nazi death camps during World
War II. He is an inventor, writer, TV producer and an excellent poker player. Most kids who grew up in the 80’s are familiar with one of his most popular creations. Henry invented Transformer toys, and he also holds over 100 patents for different inventions. A few years ago, Henry had an idea for another invention that he hoped would make watching poker on television more exciting. Henry invented the poker table with the “hole card camera” and his invention would be the spark that ignited the poker
explosion.
World Poker Tour
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE DECEMBER 2021
complete WSOP was narrowed The World Poker Tour (WPT) was down to a one- or two-hour show. created by casino mogul Lyle Berman