1991 – Brad Daugherty is the first player to win a $1,000,000 prize at the WSOP. Daugherty is probably better known for being the coauthor, with fellow WSOP Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy, of Championship Satellite Strategy and No-Limit Texas Hold' Em for New Players.



1994 – This is more of a lowlight considering what Russ Hamilton has done to the poker world since winning the Main Event in 1994. Since winning his World Series Bracelet, Hamilton served as a consultant for the online poker card-room Ultimate Bet where he was involved in recruiting some prominent poker players, including Phil Hellmuth, to promote the site. On September 29, 2008, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission stated it had found clear and convincing evidence to support a conclusion that between the approximate dates of May 2004 to January 2008, Russ Hamilton was the main person responsible for, and benefitting from, multiple cheating incidents at Ultimate Bet.



1995 – The anti Russ Hamilton, Dan Harrington captures the Main Event title. Harrington would go on to final table the event in back to back years -2003 & 2004- considered one of the greatest accomplishments in WSOP history, considering the impressive size of the fields. Harrington has also authored THE tournament poker trilogy: Harrington on Hold’ Em.



1997 – Stu “The Kid” Ungar makes a triumphant return to tournament by capturing his 3rd Main Event title (Stu entered 30 $10,000 tournaments in his life and won 10 of them!). A visibly aged and worn down Ungar worked his way through the 312 person field and earned the new nick-name “The Comeback Kid”. Ungar, who was deeply in debt at this time in his life, had just received the buy-in from Baxter moments before the tournament started and was the last person added to the roster, just mere seconds before the signup closed.



1998 – “You call and it’s gonna be all over baby.” And when Kevin McBride did indeed make that call, it was all over, and Scotty Ngyuen won the 1998 WSOP Main Event. The win launched Scotty –and his personality- into the mainstream of poker. Scotty has amassed 5 WSOP bracelets, and numerous other titles, and has to be considered one of the greatest tournament poker players of all time. Scotty did run afoul of the poker community with his antics at the final table of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event (which he won), and has apologized for his behavior.