The World Series of Poker's third decade would begin without the man most responsible for its origin, as Benny Binion passed away on Christmas Day, 1989. Benny's son, Jack, would oversee things going forward as the relatively small Binion's Horseshoe Casino faced the challenge of managing the continuing growth of what had become the most important tournament series on the poker calendar.
Eric Drache had served as the WSOP's tourney director for the better part of those first two decades, with that service, his introduction of tourney satellites, and other contributions eventually leading to his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame.