Berry Johnston

Berry Johnston, also known as “The Numbers”, is one of the oldest and wisest players on the poker circuit. His first World Series of Poker bracelet was won at the 14th annual tournament playing Heads Up No Limit Hold ‘em. This win came before the likes of Jeff Madsen and Eric Froehlich, players who are now also bracelet owners, were born.

To date he has won five bracelets in all, his first in 1983 was followed by wins in No Limit Hold ‘em and Limit Hold ‘em before success in Limit Omaha and Limit Razz came his way. His 1986 (No Limit Hold ‘em) and 1990 (Limit Hold ‘em) wins remain the highest payouts of his career at $570,000 and $250,000. Records of the hands in 1986 final are thought to have been lost and all that is know is that Johnston beat Mike Harthcock with high card A-10 over A-8.

Johnston, who is a deeply religious man, began playing poker back in the 70s in his home state of Oklahoma before moving to Nevada to make a mark in the casinos of glitzy Las Vegas. He entered his first major tournament in 1982 at the ripe age of 45.

He has cashed out a staggering 67 times and has earned over $2,000,000 in winnings – an even more impressive feat considering a lot of his poker was played before the huge explosion in money and popularity of the game. He also holds the record for highest number of cash finishes in WSOP main events – having taken money on 33 different occasions.

With over 24 years of professional play, Johnston has made many friends in the game with his gentlemanly behaviour – on and off the table – and very few, if any, enemies. Folklore has it that after a disappointing defeat in the WSOP in 1985, Johnston simply shook the hands of his competitors before nonchalantly walking into the crowd and taking his hungry wife out to dinner.

After 20 years in the game, Johnston was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2003. The criteria for inclusion in this list state that the player must have played against top competition, they must have played for high stakes and they must have played consistently well. They must also have gained the respect of their peers and they must have stood the test of time. Johnston passed all off these with ease and now rightly sits in history as one of the top players of the game.

Johnston has started to unwind and plays fewer tournaments these days, with a wife and two grown up children to spend time with, no one can really blame him for that decision.