| 1980 WSOP Main Event Winner | Stu Ungar |
|---|---|
| Runner Up | Doyle Brunson |
| Winning Hand | 5 4 |
| Losing Hand | A 7 |
| 1st Place Prize | $385,000 |
| Number of Main Event Entrants | 73 |
The 1980 WSOP Main Event ended in a matchup for the ages, Doyle Brunson vs. Stu “The Kid” Ungar. Stuey Ungar was only 26 years old at the time, but he already had a reputation, due to his years spent cleaning out the gin rummy players in New York until they refused to play him.
Another poker star made it to the final table, three-time winner Johnny Moss. However, Stuey Ungar would take care of him when Stu’s 8-6 flopped a pair of eights to defeat Moss’s pocket sixes.
In the final hand between Doyle Brunson and Stuey Ungar, Doyle held A-7 and flopped two pair on the flop of A-7-2. Doyle made a critical mistake when he soft-played his two pair, making a small bet which Stu called with 5-4. A three fell on the turn, giving Stuey a straight, and he immediately bet out. Doyle raised all-in and saw the bad news. After a 2 fell on the river the tournament was over, and Stu Ungar won the first of his three world championships.