Whenever the World Series of Poker rolls around, fans across the globe start to get feverish with anticipation. You don’t have to be directly or personally involved with the action to get swept up in the rush of excitement. At no other single event are you sure to see so many poker legends, all of them duking it out for the main prize in the Texas Holdem based Main Event. Picking three WSOP champs at random, all of whom have proven themselves to be more than worthy of respect, gives a small indication of the wildly diverse personality types who are drawn to this one-of-a-kind event.

Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth Jr. is one of the most highly recognizable faces in the game. Love him or hate him (or love to hate him) it’s quite obvious the “Poker Brat” isn’t going away any time soon. And why should he? Phil’s got more than enough skill and poker strategy to back up his oversized mouth.

Few will forget the 1989 WSOP, when Phil Hellmuth bested Johnny Chan in the main event. This amazing feat made him the youngest world champion of poker - 24 years old - and did wonders for his ego.

The man Hellmuth defeated in ‘89 is truly among the luminaries of the game. Johnny Chan was born in China, but spent most of his formative years in Houston, Texas. At the age of 16, Chan made his first road trip to Las Vegas and was introduced to the world of big-time gambling. The rest is the stuff of legend.

Orient Express Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan made history when he took all the chips in the main event at the World Series of Poker two years in a row: 1987 and 1988. This accomplishment made his loss to Hellmuth the following year all the more painful, as Chan was poised to achieve what no one ever has in the history of the WSOP: three consecutive titles. Johnny Chan currently owns a staggering sum of ten World Series of Poker bracelets, a feat shared only by the great Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson and – Phil Hellmuth, who else. We can all be sure that Johnny Chan will continue to make major contributions to the poker games in the coming years.

Incredibly Qualified Berry Johnston
While not nearly as flashy as the two previously mentioned WSOP legends, Berry Johnston deserves to be included on any serious list of tournament champions. Johnston turned a lot of heads in 1986 when he won the World Series of Poker main event. Prior to that, he placed third in the 1982 competition and later placed fifth in 1990. He has been present at 26 final tables and his current lifetime finishes number well north of 40. In fact, Johnston has cashed in at the WSOP main event more than any other player in poker history.

For these and other accomplishments, he was granted the honor of permanently induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2003. He holds five WSOP bracelets and looks to add more to his collection at future events. Only a fool would underestimate the mild-mannered Berry Johnston.