Born in 1950, Bobby Baldwin was, at one point, the youngest World Series of Poker Main Event champion. After winning the 1978 WSOP for $210K, Baldwin’s mark was bested by Stu Ungar in 1980, Phil Hellmuth in 1989, Peter Eastgate in 2008, and Joe Cada in 2009. He has three other bracelets: $5K Seven-card Stud and $10K Deuce to Seven Draw in 1977, and $10K Deuce to Seven Draw again in 1979. His second biggest cash came at the 1984 Grand Prix of Poker where he finished second for $128K. All told, Baldwin has more than $830K in live tournament winnings.
Never fully committed to being a full time professional, Baldwin entered the business side of the industry and has been firmly entrenched in the development of Las Vegas ever since. In 1984, he was named president of the Golden Nugget casino. In 1987, he was selected to helm The Mirage and in 1998, he was given the reins to the Bellagio. When the Mirage resorts merged into MGM Grand, he became the Chief Executive Officer of the Mirage Resorts subsidiary of MGM Mirage. Currently, he manages projects for Mirage Resorts, as well as properties in the Mandalay Bay and Wynn groups.
Away from poker, Baldwin is known as a skilled billiards player and an avid off-road racer. Alongside his son BJ, Bobby has competed in such races as the Score International Baja 1000 and the Baja 500, which are held in the Baja California peninsula.
Additionally, Baldwin authored a book called Tales Our of Tulsa, which was published in 1985. Mike Caro also featured Baldwin and his aggressive style in his book Bobby Baldwin’s Winning Poker Secrets.
In 2003, Bobby Baldwin was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, marking his great accomplishments on the felt and his ample contributions as in industry architect.
