Bill Boyd (poker player)

William Walter Boyd was born on January 27, 1906, in McNeil, Arkansas. At the age of 16, he left home and traveled across America by train. During his journey, he entered a Montana saloon with just $13 and left with $1,300 after a poker game. After serving in the National Guard, Boyd managed card rooms in San Francisco before moving to Las Vegas. In 1946, he became the manager of the Golden Nugget card room, a position he held until the room closed in 1988. He was dealt the ceremonial first hand at the Golden Nugget's opening in 1946 and again at the Mirage in 1989.

Boyd was voted "most respected poker player" by his peers at the inaugural World Series of Poker in 1970. He then won four WSOP bracelets in consecutive years, all in no-limit five-card stud:

• 1971: $1,000 No-Limit Five-Card Stud (10 entrants) – $10,000
• 1972: $10,000 No-Limit Five-Card Stud (2 entrants) – $20,000
• 1973: $10,000 No-Limit Five-Card Stud (1 entrant) – $10,000
• 1974: $5,000 No-Limit Five-Card Stud (8 entrants) – $40,000

His 1973 victory, in which he was the only entrant, is likely the only one-player WSOP bracelet event in history. Boyd, Doyle Brunson, and Loren Klein are the only players to have won bracelets in four consecutive years. Due to Boyd's dominance, five-card stud was removed from the WSOP schedule after 1974. Poker legend Amarillo Slim once said, "I'd rather catch frost on my winter peaches than play stud with Bill Boyd."

Boyd is credited with popularizing Omaha hold 'em. In 1983, Robert "Chip Burner" Turner approached Boyd, then director of operations at the Golden Nugget, with a new game. Boyd introduced it to the card room, where it was initially called "Nugget hold 'em" before later being renamed Omaha.

Boyd was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame in 1981. He retired from poker in 1982 but remained a respected figure. His total WSOP earnings were $80,000. Boyd died in Las Vegas on November 21, 1997, at age 91, due to complications from a stroke. His famous quote: "I'd rather have a gambler's word than a preacher's note."