| Competition: | 1989 World Series of Poker |
| Location: | Binion's Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dates: | May 1 – May 19 |
| Champion: |  Phil Hellmuth |
| Prev: | 1988 |
| Next: | 1990 |
The 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe. The 1989 Main Event was won by 24-year-old Phil Hellmuth, defeating defending champion Johnny Chan, and also breaking the record for being the youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event (a record previously set by Stu Ungar in 1980). Had Chan won, he would have tied Johnny Moss's record of three Main Event wins. This year also marked the first year in which Moss did not finish any WSOP tournaments inside the payout positions.
There were 13 preliminary events at the 1989 World Series of Poker.[1]
| Event | Winner | Prize | Runner-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 Limit Omaha | Lyle Berman (1/1) | $108,600 | MacDonald Kempe | [2] | |
| 2 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | Barry Blackburn (1/1) | $108,000 | T. J. Cloutier (0/1) | [3] | |
| 3 | $1,000 Limit Hold'em | George Allen Shaw (1/1) | $179,600 | Lee Southard | [4] | |
| 4 | $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha | Frank Henderson (1/1) | $184,000 | Kevin Redican | [5] | |
| 5 | $5,000 Seven Card Stud | Don Holt (1/1) | $154,000 | David Sklansky (0/3) | [6] | |
| 6 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | Mel Judah (1/1) | $130,800 | Jerry Buhr | [7] | |
| 7 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | Norman Keyser (1/1) | $244,000 | Tommy Grimes | [8] | |
| 8 | $1,500 Seven Card Razz | John Laudon (1/1) | $95,400 | Said Barjesteh | [9] | |
| 9 | $1,500 Ace to Five Draw | Harry Madoff (1/1) | $119,400 | Billy Baxter (0/5) | [10] | |
| 10 | $500 Ladies' Seven Card Stud | Alma McClelland (1/1) | $18,600 | Adrienne Zoia | [11] | |
| 11 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Split | Mike Sexton (1/1) | $104,400 | Sid Herald | [12] | |
| 12 | $2,000 Limit Hold'em | Thomas Chung (1/1) | $212,000 | Carl McKelvey | [13] | |
| 13 | $5,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | Bob Stupak (1/1) | $139,500 | Billy Baxter (0/5) | [14] |
There were 178 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament, with the top 36 players finishing in the money. Johnny Chan was denied a third consecutive Main Event crown when he was defeated heads-up by Phil Hellmuth.[15] [16]
| Place | Name | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Phil Hellmuth (1/1) | $755,000 | |
| 2nd | Johnny Chan (0/3) | $302,000 | |
| 3rd | Don Zewin | $151,000 | |
| 4th | Steve Lott | $83,050 | |
| 5th | Lyle Berman (0/1) | $67,950 | |
| 6th | Noel Furlong | $52,850 |
NB: This list is restricted to In The Money finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.
| Place | Name | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11th | John Esposito | $12,500 | |
| 14th | Jay Heimowitz (0/2) | $12,500 | |
| 16th | John Bonetti | $12,500 | |
| 22nd | Mickey Appleman (0/1) | $10,000 | |
| 23rd | Chip Reese (0/2) | $10,000 | |
| 24th | An Tran | $10,000 | |
| 25th | Hilbert Shirey (0/1) | $10,000 | |
| 28th | Yoshio Nakano | $7,500 | |
| 29th | Berry Johnston (0/2) | $7,500 | |
| 31st | Jim Bechtel | $7,500 | |
| 35th | Puggy Pearson (0/4) | $7,500 | |
| 36th | Crandell Addington | $7,500 |