Champion of Poker

Some poker players achieve greatness and other suckout. To the opinion of many, this is what happened in the case of Hal Fowler. Hal Fowler is one of the strangest cases in WSOP History. He was a rank amateur that played mostly lower and middle limit poker but somehow found his way to the final table of the largest tournament on the planet. It is rumored that Benny Binion loaned the money to Fowler to play in the Main Event in 1979. Fowler then proceeded to win the event.

According to Doyle Brunson, Fowler took so many Valium and amphetamines that he could barely sit at the table but he somehow managed to play his way into the money into the event. Play got down to heads-up between Fowler and Bobby Hoff. Then on the final hand of the tournament, Fowler’s 7-6 offsuit caught a gutshot straight against Hoff’s pocket aces to win the title and $270,000.

At the time, this was considered one of the biggest upsets in World Series of Poker history. After his win, Fowler did not return to defend his title. In fact, Fowler disappeared entirely from the poker scene. It is said that complications due to diabetes ruined his eyesight and cost him the use of his legs. After so many years, an investigation was done by a private detective and it was discovered that Fowler had died in a nursing home around 2000.

Not much is known about Fowler. Apparently he left home at an early age and was never heard from his family afterwards. He went into the military and when he got out he insisted that noone know his whereabouts. Other than his stint in Vegas and his WSOP victory, not much is known about him.

Some people are destined to do one great thing in their life and for Fowler that seemed to be the 1979 World Series of Poker. What prompted this man to live such a private life is unknown, but at least for that one moment in 1979, he was a poker champion.