This summer, hundreds of thousands of players will pass through the doors of the newly-renovated Horseshoe Las Vegas, formerly known as Bally’s. For the second year in a row, the venue will play host to the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP).
As players pack the casino for the 54th annual WSOP, many of them will saunter by a lavish steakhouse. For some, it’ll be just another restaurant, maybe one they’ll attend to celebrate a bracelet win, but for others, they’ll recognize the name on the sign, the man responsible for poker’s premier event – Jack Binion.
Now 86 years old, Binion is a titan of the gaming industry and the son of casino magnate Benny Binion. Together, they launched the WSOP back in 1970 at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. Over the next four decades, Jack Binion would go on to change not only the poker landscape but also the casino industry throughout the United States. Along the way, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and became an icon of the game.
Binion doesn’t relish the spotlight, so interviews with the born-and-raised Texan are few and far between. However, late last year he sat down with PokerNews for an intimate and in-depth conversation about his life in poker.
