Champion of Poker

Jim Bechtel knows a thing or two about taking gambles in life. He is an cotton farmer and as any farmer knows, you are always taking a gamble with your livelihood depending on the whether and other natural conditions. Much like in poker, hard work can pay off over times. The same holds true to Bechtel and his poker career.

Bechtel started making a splash in the poker world in 1979 when he was runner-up in the $1,500 NL Event at the World Series of Poker, where he took $38,250. He made final tables in the same even in 1983 and 1984, finishing 4th and 9th respectively. In 1986, 1988, and 1989 he made the money of the Main Event. He finished 6th in the 1988 Main Event.

He didn’t record his next cash in tournament poker until 1992 but it was an impressive one. He took first in the Hall of Fame poker classic, which netted him $214,000. The next year saw Bechtel record his greatest poker accomplishment. The 1993 World Series of Poker saw 220 players put up $10,000 each to take their shot at the Main Event. The event became three handed between Jim Bechtel, Glenn Cozen, and John Bonetti. Glenn Cozen was severely short stacked and looked headed to a strong 3rd place finish until a huge hand between Bechtel and Bonetti. On a flop of 6-K-8 both players check. Bonetti had A-K and Bechtel 6-6. Each likely thought they were trapping the other. On the turn of a 5, all of the money went into the middle and when the cards were flipped the river card 10 was meaningless and Bechtel had nearly a 100 to 1 chip lead over Cozen. It didn’t take long and Jim Bechtel won the 1993 World Series of Poker Main Event and the top prize of $1 Million.

Bechtel would have numerous cashes after the 1993 WSOP but never came close to repeating that same success until 2006. In 2006, Jim Bechtel made the final table of the first ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Event at the World Series of Poker. That table is considered the strongest final table in the history of the WSOP including legends such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Dewey Tomko, and the eventual winner, the late Chip Reese. Bechtel finished a strong 4th in the event for $549,120. The 50k H.O.R.S.E. event was the highlight of his 2006 WSOP, where he had 6 WSOP cashes.

For his career, Bechtel has over $2.5 Million in earnings. For the most part, Bechtel only plays larger tournaments, staying away from the grind of the regular circuit. He also keeps to him, not putting himself on public display like many past champions have. He prefers to quietly go about his business. His hard work has paid off for him as a farmer and as a poker player. He may not be flashy like many past champions, but his quiet workman like ethic has paid off and has made him a poker champion.