| Competition: | 1981 World Series of Poker |
| Location: | Binion's Horseshoe, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dates: | May 7 – May 24 |
| Champion: |  Stu Ungar |
| Prev: | 1980 |
| Next: | 1982 |
The 1981 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe in May 1981.[1]
There were 12 preliminary events at the 1981 WSOP. Johnny Moss became the first player in WSOP history to reach eight career bracelets.
| Event | Winner | Prize | Runner-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000 Draw High | Ed Barmach (1/1) | $18,000 | Jackie Mills | [2] | |
| 2 | $600 Mixed Doubles | Frank Cardone (1/1) & Juanda Matthews (1/1) | $7,800 | Frank Geraci & Katie Ulanski | [3] | |
| 3 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | Fred David (1/1) | $96,000 | Doug Johnson | [4] | |
| 4 | $1,000 Seven-card stud | Sid Gamerman (1/1) | $52,000 | Mark Speert | [5] | |
| 5 | $400 Ladies' Seven-card stud | Ruth Godfrey (1/1) | $17,600 | Jackie Jean | [6] | |
| 6 | $1,000 Razz | Bruce Hershenson (1/1) | $34,500 | Bob Ross | [7] | |
| 7 | $1,000 Seven-card stud split | Johnny Moss (1/8) | $33,500 | Ralph Bidwell | [8] | |
| 8 | $5,000 Seven-card stud | A. J. Myers (1/2) | $67,500 | Eric Drache | [9] | |
| 9 | $2,500 Ace to Five Draw | Mickey Perry (1/1) | $46,250 | Jack Straus (0/1) | [10] | |
| 10 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em | Dody Roach (1/1) | $81,000 | Unknown | [11] | |
| 11 | $1,000 Ace to Five Draw | Glen Rodgers (1/1) | $44,000 | Rick Morella | [12] | |
| 12 | $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw | Stu Ungar (1/2) | $95,000 | Bobby Baldwin (0/4) | [13] |
There were 75 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.[14] This main event was notable as the first one to have all final table players to receive a share of the prize pool, with the top 9 players finishing in the money.[15] The 1981 Main Event was Stu Ungar's second consecutive World Championship.[16] [17]
| Place | Name | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stu Ungar (2/3) | $375,000 | |
| 2nd | Perry Green (0/3) | $150,000 | |
| 3rd | Gene Fisher (0/1) | $75,000 | |
| 4th | Ken Smith | $37,500 | |
| 5th | Bill Smith | $37,500 | |
| 6th | Jay Heimowitz (0/1) | $30,000 | |
| 7th | Bobby Baldwin (0/4) | $15,000 | |
| 8th | Sam Petrillo | $15,000 | |
| 9th | Sam Moon | $15,000 |