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Billy Baxter,
one of the most tenacious players I have ever dealt to, won his
first WSOP bracelet in the initial event (Kansas City or 2 -7
low) he entered in 1975. Billy went on to become one of only
three players
to win a coveted bracelet in four different decades,
also accomplished by Texas Dolly and Jay Heimowitz. That feat
proves the fact that senility doesn’t affect us all.
To this
day, Doyle, Jay and Billy are feared advocates in both money and
tournament games. Baxter however plies his trade in another game
going by way of the dinosaur like 7 Card Stud (although there
were 478 entries in the recent $1,500 buy-in Stud tournament)
and that game is 2 – 7 Low Draw. It is Billy’s favorite game,
but he's been known to show you a “Bike” when Kansas City can’t be
found. |
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Billy
started playing poker in Augusta Georgia in 1958 (I guess they
spread a game in the boy’s lavatory during recess). He went on
to Vegas in 1975 and between WSOP appearances (in which he has
been a seven time winner with four or five runner ups.) he's bumped
heads with great success, I might add, with past and current
legends like Sarge Ferris, Perry Green, Stu Unger, Dickie
Carson, Doyle, Bobby Baldwin and Chip Reese. He survived that
line-up and still battles on today.
Billy was
inactive, poker-wise, for about 15 years, but was drawn back by
the money and fact that they don’t allow smoking in almost all
the card rooms around the country now (they still do in some,
that this reporter plays in though). I’ll lay 3 to 1 that there
are many players today that wish they still allowed smoking at
the table!
Billy is also
a successful sports better, has been for years....
When asked to
list the six players he would NOT like to see at a final
$10,000 buy-in final table, Billy listed, Doyle, Sarge, Chip,
Johnny Moss (stipulating Johnny in his prime, it is the belief
of many old time players that Moss was a shell of himself after
reaching 70 years old), the "Owl" Baldwin and Barry Greenstein.
With that,
Baxter was off to another tourney and maybe an 8th
bracelet.
I would
nickname (if some poker player doesn't already have it) this
senior poker legend “BULLDOG”!
Thank You
Billy! |
