Benny Binion: Biography, Career and Poker Results

October 6, 2026

Table of Contents

Benny Binion was an American casino owner, born Lester Ben Binion in Pilot Grove, Texas, in 1904. After running illegal gambling in Dallas, he moved to Las Vegas, opened Binion’s Horseshoe in 1951 and in 1970 hosted the first World Series of Poker there. He established the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979 and was inducted into it in 1990. He died on December 25, 1989, at the age of 85. ^[2][8][10] His record also includes a guilty plea in a 1931 killing in Dallas and a federal prison sentence for tax evasion in the 1950s. ^[8]

Benny Binion, interviewed at the 1979 World Series of Poker — “BennyBinion” by University of Nevada, Las Vegas Special Collections, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Benny Binion: key facts

Full name	Lester Ben Binion ^[8]
Born	1904, Pilot Grove, Texas, USA ^[7][8]
Died	December 25, 1989 (aged 85) ^[10]
Nationality	United States ^[1]
Known for	Owner of Binion’s Horseshoe, Las Vegas; host of the first World Series of Poker (1970) ^[3][4]
Poker Hall of Fame	Founded it in 1979; inducted 1990 ^[2]
Criminal record	Pleaded guilty in a 1931 killing (suspended sentence); pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1953 and was sentenced to five years ^[8]
Live tournament earnings	None listed as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: horse trading in Texas

Binion was born in Pilot Grove, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas. ^[7] He left school after the second grade to travel around Texas with his father, a horse trader, and later said of that upbringing: “There’s more than one kind of education, and maybe I prefer the one I got.” ^[8] PBS’s American Experience describes how, at his father’s side, he watched the traders play poker and other card games in their camps. ^[9]

Dallas: gambling, violence and the law

During Prohibition Binion smuggled liquor from Mexico into El Paso and, after an arrest, moved to Dallas. ^[8] By 1928, at the age of 24, he was running a lottery (then called “policy”) and a bootlegging operation there. ^[9] According to Card Player, he and his younger brother started their numbers game with $56 and took in $800 in the first week; he later moved on to no-limit craps games in the city. ^[7]

Binion’s criminal record from this period is documented. In 1931 he pleaded guilty to killing a Black bootlegger and received a suspended sentence. In 1936 he shot and killed a rival operator in Dallas, surrendered to police and claimed self-defense; the district attorney declined to prosecute. Asked years later whether he had bribed the district attorney, Binion answered: “Well, I don’t know. Maybe I had.” ^[8] PBS reports that many killings in Dallas in the 1930s and 1940s were attributed to him. ^[9]

In 1946 Dallas voters elected a reform sheriff, and Binion left Texas for Las Vegas with his wife and five children. ^[8] He summed it up later: “My sheriff got beat in the election.” ^[7]

Binion’s Horseshoe

In Las Vegas he first became a partner in the Las Vegas Club with J. Kell Houssels. In 1951 he took over the El Dorado on Fremont Street and renamed it Binion’s Horseshoe Club. ^[7] The Horseshoe became known for free drinks and for accepting any bet a player put on the table, and in the 1960s it displayed $1 million in $10,000 bills in a horseshoe-shaped case for tourists to be photographed with. ^[9]

In 1953 Binion was indicted for failing to pay $862,000 in taxes. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. ^[8] He was released in 1957 after serving three and a half years. ^[10] To pay for his legal fight he sold his controlling interest in the Horseshoe; the family later regained control, but Binion was never again issued a gambling license. His sons Jack and Ted and his wife Teddy Jane ran the casino, while he was paid as a “consultant”. ^[9]

In his book Blood Aces, author Doug J. Swanson reported FBI memos showing that the bureau reclassified Binion as a criminal informant on March 2, 1960. Swanson said he was not sure Binion gave much useful information, and lawyer Oscar Goodman told him the claim was “an absolute lie”. ^[10]

Founding the World Series of Poker

The idea grew out of the “Texas Gamblers Reunion”, held by Tom Moore at his Holiday Hotel in Reno in 1969. Benny and his son Jack attended. When Moore said he did not plan to repeat the event, Benny asked whether he would mind the Horseshoe hosting a similar annual gathering, and Moore agreed. ^[4] PokerNews notes that while many accounts credit Binion with the idea, it was Moore who “really got the ball rolling”. ^[5] Card Player quotes Binion telling Amarillo Slim: “That was a good thing up there in Reno. It sure brought a lot of people, and I’m sure there will be even more next year. The more I think about it, that might be a good thing to have here.” ^[6]

The first WSOP ran for about a week and a half in May 1970. It was a series of cash games, including Seven Card Stud, Razz, deuce-to-seven and No-Limit Hold’em, and at the end the players voted Johnny Moss the best all-around player. ^[4] WSOP.com lists the seven invited players as Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim Preston, Sailor Roberts, Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Crandell Addington and Carl Cannon. ^[3]

The early Main Events

Year	Format	Field	Winner	Source
1970	Cash games; champion chosen by vote	7 invited players	Johnny Moss	[3][4]
1971	$5,000 freezeout	6 players	Johnny Moss ($30,000)	[4]
1972	$10,000 buy-in, half paid by Binion	8 players	Amarillo Slim Preston	[3][4]
1973	$10,000 buy-in	13 entrants	Puggy Pearson	[4]

PokerNews credits Binion with switching to the freezeout format in 1971, though Amarillo Slim has also been credited with the idea. ^[5] In 1972, when the buy-in was raised to $10,000, Binion covered the extra $5,000 for each player. ^[4] At the 1973 Series he told historian Mary Ellen Glass that the field of thirteen might grow to more than twenty and “is even liable to get up to be fifty”. The Main Event passed 50 players in 1979. ^[4]

Was Benny Binion a poker player?

Binion is remembered as a casino owner and promoter rather than as a player. “I was never a real good poker player,” he told an interviewer, contrasting himself with friends who made a living at the game. ^[7] His PokerNews profile lists no live tournament earnings. ^[1] He is also linked to one of poker’s best-known stories: a heads-up marathon between Johnny Moss and Nick “The Greek” Dandolos that he is widely believed to have hosted sometime between January 1949 and the spring of 1951. Card Player notes that many details of the match, including the year, are still debated. ^[7]

Poker Hall of Fame

In 1979, nine years after the first WSOP, Binion established the Poker Hall of Fame, originally housed at the Horseshoe on Fremont Street. Its first class included Nick “The Greek” Dandolos, Wild Bill Hickok and Johnny Moss. Binion himself was inducted in 1990. ^[2]

Later years and legacy

In the 1970s Binion also helped bring the National Finals Rodeo to Las Vegas. ^[9] In 1987 his family rented a basketball arena for his 83rd birthday, where Willie Nelson performed for 18,000 guests. ^[8] He died of heart failure on Christmas Day 1989, and the WSOP passed into the hands of his son Jack. ^[5][8] A bronze statue of Binion on horseback stands near the casino. ^[9]

In his own words

“If you wanna get rich, make little people feel like big people… good food cheap, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble. That’s all there is to it, son.” On his business. ^[9]
“You know, Doyle, someday we may have a hundred people in this tournament.” To Doyle Brunson, in the early years of the WSOP. ^[3]
“We got awful good coverage on it this year.” On the 1973 WSOP, to Mary Ellen Glass. ^[4]
“My sheriff got beat in the election.” On leaving Dallas. ^[7]

FAQ about Benny Binion

Who was Benny Binion?

An American casino owner who opened Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas in 1951 and hosted the first World Series of Poker there in 1970. ^[4][7]

When did Benny Binion die, and how old was he?

He died on December 25, 1989, at the age of 85. He was born in 1904. ^[8][10]

Did Benny Binion start the World Series of Poker?

He hosted the first WSOP at his Horseshoe casino in 1970, after attending Tom Moore’s “Texas Gamblers Reunion” in Reno in 1969 and asking Moore whether he could hold a similar event. ^[4]

When was Benny Binion inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame?

In 1990. He had established the Hall of Fame himself in 1979. ^[2]

Did Benny Binion go to prison?

Yes. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1953, was sentenced to five years at Leavenworth and was released in 1957. ^[8][10]

Was Benny Binion convicted of murder?

In 1931 he pleaded guilty to killing a man in Dallas and received a suspended sentence. A second killing, in 1936, was not prosecuted after he claimed self-defense. ^[8]

What was Benny Binion’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. He was a casino owner, not a tournament professional, and his PokerNews profile lists no live tournament earnings as of October 5, 2026. ^[1]

Who ran the WSOP after Benny Binion died?

His son Jack Binion. ^[5]