Bobby Baldwin first made a name for himself in the casino industry, when he became the youngest person to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1978. Since that time, he has primarily been a professional poker player and unarguably one of the greatest poker players of all time.
This is a slightly re-worked version of Mr. Baldwin's book of the same title published shortly after he won the wold series of poker main event in '78. The forward indicates there was a big demand for an updated reprint, although I wonder why (see below). Coming into Day 3 of the first Bobby Baldwin Classic, there was the potential for plenty of World Poker Tour history to be made. While some of that potential history fizzled out, including Phil Hellmuth bubbling the official final table, history beckons. Four members of the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic final table are already part. Read 'Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker Secrets' by Mike Caro available from Rakuten Kobo. This is the fascinating account of former world champion Bobby Baldwin's early career playing poker in roadhouses and ag. Baldwin also is known as a world-class poker player, having won the 1978 World Series of Poker main event. At that time, he was the youngest champion to win the title at 28.
Bobby’s resilience and great sportsmanship has earned him the top position in poker several times and made him likable amongst his peers. In 2003, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker Secrets Game
Early Life and Education
Bobby Baldwin was born Robert H. Baldwin in 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to an upper-class middle family. He tried his hands at poker for the first time in 1962, when he was twelve years old and lost. This didn’t deter him, it instead piqued his interest in the game. He continued to play throughout high school and became a pro among his peers. While at the Oklahoma State University, his passion for poker grew.
Early Poker Career
In 1970, Bobby and few of his gambling friends took $5,000 which they earned while playing poker on campus and went to Las Vegas. Long story short, they ended up losing all the money within a few hours after arriving.
After losing the $5,000, Bobby didn’t back down, but instead begged the casino for a $500 credit. He lost $425 out of the money given to him by the casino but still wanted to go on playing. His resilience was rewarded, as he turned the game around and won $38,000 over the next six hours. By the time he was returning home, he had won a total of $180,000.
With his new earnings, Bobby spent the majority of his college career investing most of his time and money in sports betting, with a particular interest in the NFL. He also played in different poker games, winning some and losing some, until his breakthrough came in 1978.
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelets
In 1977, Bobby’s poker career took off when he won his first two bracelets at the World Series of Poker, first winning the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event, then winning the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event which took him to $124,000 total winnings that year.
Bobby won the largest tournament prize in 1978, when he won the WSOP Main Event, earning the title and the grand prize of $210,000. Professional poker players that he defeated at the final table included Ken Smith, Jesse Alto, WSOP bracelet winner Louis Hunsucker, Buck Buchanan, and businessman Crandall Addington. Bobby’s 1978 WSOP Main Event victory at the age of twenty-eight made him the youngest winner in history, a record that was eventually broken by Stu Ungar in 1980, Phil Hellmuth in 1989, Peter Eastgate in 2008, and Joe Cada in 2009.
Bobby won the $10,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event again in 1979, which earned him his fourth and most recent bracelet at the World Series of Poker. He did not stop here, as he went ahead to compete in the Super Bowl of Poker tournaments (SBOP), organized by 1972 champion, Amarillo Slim. Bobby cashed in several SBOP and won the $5,000 Seven Card Stud event in 1979.
Bobby won four bracelets three consecutive years in a row, from 1977 to 1979, which has only been accomplished by a select few people over the course of WSOP history. In addition to his 1978 WSOP Main Event victory, other WSOP Main Event cashes were; 1981 (7th), 1986 (16th), 1987 (21st), 1991 (29th), 1992 (15th), 1994 (24th), and 2009 (352nd).
The Corporate World
Bobby became a consultant for the Golden Nugget Casino in 1982, and two years after, in 1984, he was named its president. In 1987, he was selected to head The Mirage. Moving up the corporate ladder, Bobby also became president of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in 1998.
Between 1999-2000, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Mirage Resorts under Steve Wynn. In 2000 when Mirage Resorts and MGM Grand were merged, Bobby became the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mirage Resorts subsidiary of MGM Mirage.
Five years later, in 2005, after the acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group by MGM Mirage, Bobby became President and CEO of the announced Project City Center, while he continued his responsibilities as the CEO of the Mirage Resorts subsidiary. He currently supervises several other resorts and properties.
In 2007, the Bellagio Casino opened “Bobby’s Room”, which is a signature high stakes only poker room established in Bobby’s honor. There is a $20,000 minimum buy-in for this room.
Other Ventures
Bobby is not only poker player but also a world-class billiards player and an avid off-road racer. The book, Bobby Baldwin’s Winning Poker Secrets, was written by Mike Caro. Bobby has contributed to many columns on poker and he authored a section for Doyle Brunson’s Super/System. His book, Tales Out of Tulsa, a poker guide for novices, was published in 1985. In 2012, his total live tournament winnings exceeded $2,300,000. His 20 cashes at the WSOP account for $2,100,311 of those winnings.
Personal Life
Bobby married Audra Hendley on August 2, 2012, at their home in Southern Highland, where they presently stay.
Bobby Baldwin's Winning Poker Secrets 2019
Bobby was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2003, and he is one of the greatest poker players of all time.
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It’s missing something
For decades, the very best high rollers in the world of live poker have played in the famed “Bobby’s Room” at the Bellagio. It’s the type of place where a single big blind would destroy me, where the gravity of the star power is enough to pull moons into its orbit. But don’t call it Bobby’s Room anymore. Recently, the Bellagio changed the name of the high stakes poker area, now calling it the Legends Room.
I know, I know. It’s no good. Most poker players who have made their feelings known don’t like it. But then again, it’s just the name of a poker room. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. Some continuity, some history, though, is nice, and the only reason the name changed is because Bobby Baldwin, the Poker Hall of Famer for whom the room was named, doesn’t work for MGM anymore. A little petty? Perhaps.
Vegas mainstay for four decades
Bobby Baldwin won the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event at the age of 28. At the time, he was the youngest Main Event champ ever, though 28 seems ancient now compared to some of the young men who have won the tournament in the post-poker boom era. Baldwin has four WSOP bracelets in all, though mainly just plays cash games now, rather than tournaments.
An Oklahoma native, Baldwin stuck around Las Vegas after his win and became one of the most important people in the poker world. He started as a consultant to the Golden Nugget in 1982 and then became the casino’s president a short two years later. Baldwin moved to the Mirage in 1987 and became president of the Bellagio in 1998, the year it opened. He continued to move up the corporate ladder, becoming CFO of Mirage Resorts in 1999 and CEO in 2000.
In October 2018, Bobby Baldwin left MGM Resorts International and his position as Chief Customer Development Officer of MGM Resorts and CEO and President of CityCenter to little fanfare. The company barely said anything in a statement; rumor was that he was forced out, that he did not leave on his own accord.
Then, about a year ago, Baldwin was named the CEO of Drew Las Vegas, a casino still under construction. Witkoff and New Valley teamed up to buy the abandoned Fontainebleu Las Vegas project for a whopping $600 million in 2017.
Name change remains a mystery
At the time Baldwin left (or was let go from) MGM, there were rumors that the Bellagio would change the name of Bobby’s Room. That didn’t happen and as is the case with most non-events, people forgot about it, especially now that we have been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic most of the year. There are just more important things to consider.
But now there is a new plaque by the door, reading “Legends Room.” So obviously someone thought that since Baldwin no longer worked at the company, his name shouldn’t adorn the most famous poker room in the country.