Crandell Addington (June 2, 1938 – April 14, 2024) was an American businessman and poker player who is best known as one of the founders of the

World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Eldorado Resorts, Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best ...

, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.

Poker

Known as "Dandy" because he was always well-dressed, Addington was a regular player in the Texas poker circuit in the 1960s. In 1969, he won the Texas Gamblers Convention in Reno,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

; it was there that the idea for the World Series of Poker was conceived. At the time, Addington was already a self-made millionaire who played poker primarily for fun; for him, the game was more about personal challenge. Addington participated in the first

in 1970 along with

Amarillo Slim Thomas Austin Preston Jr. (December 31, 1928 – April 29, 2012), known as Amarillo Slim, was an American professional gambler known for his poker skills and proposition bets. He won the 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and was indu ...

Doyle Brunson Doyle Frank Brunson (August 10, 1933 – May 14, 2023) was an American poker player who played professionally for over 60 years. He was a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) List of World Series of Poker Main Event champions, Main Event champi ...

, Sailor Roberts, Puggy Pearson, and Carl Cannon. Addington made the final table of the WSOP Main Event almost every year from 1972 to 1979, and still holds the record for most final table appearances (seven). He finished second on two occasions, losing to Johnny Moss in 1974 and

Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin (born c. 1950)MGM Mirage's 2006 proxy statement, filed on April 30, 2006, recorded Baldwin's age as 55 is a professional poker player and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the winner of the 1978 World S ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. However, since the WSOP Main Event was winner-take-all until 1978, most of these appearances were not in the money finishes. Although he was no longer an active player and had not had a tournament cash from 1990, fellow Hall of Famer

described him as a "No Limit Hold'em Legend". In 2005, Addington took another shot at a WSOP win when he returned to Vegas to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, but did not fare as well as he had in the 1970s. His total live tournament winnings exceeded $160,000.

Business

Addington graduated from

Southwestern University Southwestern University (Southwestern or SU) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Georgetown, Texas. Formed in 1873 from a revival of collegiate charters granted in 1840, Southwester ...

with majors in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

. He left his professional poker career in the 1980s to put his business degree to work. Over the course of his 40 years as an entrepreneur, he founded successful businesses ranging from chemical manufacturing to oil and gas exploration. Addington was the CEO, Chairman, and Director of Phoenix Biotechnology, a company that focuses on cancer treatment research.

Death

Addington died on April 14, 2024, at the age of 85.

References

External links

Card Player profileHendon Mob profilePokerNews profileWPT profileWSOP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Addington, Crandell 1938 births 2024 deaths American poker players American casino industry businesspeople Businesspeople from San Antonio People from Graham, Texas Poker Hall of Fame inductees