Tom McEvoy

Thomas K. McEvoy (born November 14, 1944) is an American professional poker player, author and member of the Poker Hall of Fame, 2013 inductee. He is best known for winning the 1983 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Early life McEvoy was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He worked as an accountant, but after being laid off, he began playing poker full-time in 1978. He first learned the game at the age of five and often got in trouble for playing it during grade school.

Poker career McEvoy's first cash in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) came in 1982 when he finished sixth in the $1,000 Razz event. He won his first WSOP bracelets the following year winning the $1,000 Limit Hold'em event, defeating Irish professional poker player Donnacha O'Dea heads-up to win the tournament, and later winning the 1983 WSOP Main Event. He was the first Main Event winner to earn his buy-in through a single table satellite tournament. His 7 1/2 hour long heads-up matchup with Rod Peate was the longest heads-up battle in WSOP history before being surpassed at the 2006 WSOP during the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. by Chip Reese and Andy Bloch.

Since his two bracelet wins in 1983, McEvoy has gone on to win two additional WSOP bracelets. He won the Razz tournament in 1986, defeating Alma McClelland, and a Limit Omaha tournament in 1992, defeating 1986 WSOP Main Event champion Berry Johnston. Having played in 36 WSOP Main Events, he has cashed in the Main Event three additional times since 1983 finishing 371st for $34,636 in the 2006 WSOP, 644th for $18,714 in the 2016 WSOP and 430th for $29,625 in the 2018 WSOP.

In March 2005, McEvoy won the third ever Professional Poker Tour event beating a field of pros-only at the Bay 101 casino. He defeated a final table that included fellow WSOP bracelet winners, Toto Leonidas and Hoyt Corkins.

McEvoy is staunchly opposed to smoking, and in 1998, he helped organize the first smoke-free poker tournament. Despite initial reluctance, the event drew a large number of players, confirming the viability of non-smoking tournaments. In 2002, McEvoy persuaded Becky Binion Behnen to make the WSOP a non-smoking event in exchange for giving her son, Benny Behnen, poker lessons.

McEvoy has authored or co-authored over a dozen books on poker with other players such as T. J. Cloutier, Brad Daugherty, Don Vines, Linda Johnson, Dag Palovic and Max Stern. He is a former columnist for CardPlayer Magazine and was a Team Pro representative at PokerStars.com from 2003-2011.

On May 31, 2009, McEvoy won the WSOP's first and only Champions Invitational, outlasting 19 other former Main Event champions. He defeated 2002 world champion, Robert Varkonyi in heads-up play to win the tournament. First prize was a classic 1970 Corvette and the inaugural Binion Cup, presented by Jack Binion, in honour of his father, Benny Binion, the founder of the WSOP and Binion's Horseshoe Casino, the original home of the World Series of Poker.

McEvoy resides in Las Vegas and has three children.

World Series of Poker Bracelets YearTournamentPrize (US$)1983$1,000 Limit Hold'em$117,0001983$10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship$540,0001986$1,000 Razz$52,4001992$1,500 Limit Omaha$79,200