Berry Johnston

Berry Johnston is a top-notch professional poker player. He is a former world champion and the all-time leader in "number of cashes" at the World Series of Poker. He is also the 2004 inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Every poker player I know respects and admires Berry not only for how well he plays, but for how he conducts himself at and away from the table. Berry said he had two dreams when he started playing poker. One was to be able to play poker well enough to make a living at it, and the other was to become a world champion. There very well could have been a third dream (making it to the Hall of Fame), but Berry's too humble and quiet to admit it.

The way to get into the Poker Hall of Fame is to "perform at the highest levels against top competition and do it consistently over time." Berry has done that. (How's this for consistency over time? He has cashed at the WSOP every year since 1982.) Two-time World Champion and Hall of Famer Doyle Brunson spoke at the 2004 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He said, "What I admire most about Berry is not Berry the great poker player, but Berry the man. He is a deeply religious and devoted family man, who has always been a gentleman at all times." Well said, Doyle.

Allow me to share my favorite Berry Johnston story with you. I moved to Las Vegas in 1985, and had the opportunity to witness my first championship final table at the WSOP. I sat right in the front row (on the edge of my seat). I wasn't five feet from the table and was mesmerized by the entire scenario. The final three players were Bill Smith, T.J. Cloutier, and Berry Johnston. Bill had more than a 2-1 chip lead over both T.J. and Berry.

Shortly after they started playing threehanded, a hand came up between T.J. and Berry in which they got all the money in before the flop. (T.J. had just enough chips to cover him.) They turned their cards faceup. Berry had A-K. T.J. had A-J. The flop came A-X-X. On fourth street, up popped a jack! Wow! Berry didn't say a word. With no help at the river, Berry Johnston's dream of capturing the world title was over. It was a brutal beat at a crucial time.

After that hand, Berry shook the hands of both players and wished them good luck. Then, he walked over to his wife, who was sitting right next to me. She said to him, "Honey, I'm hungry. Can we go get something to eat now?" After that beat, you know Berry wanted to throw up rather than go eat, but he said, "OK, honey, we'll go eat if that's what you want to do."

Bill Smith won the title, but I'll never forget the impression Berry Johnston made on me that day. What class he displayed. I thought to myself, "If ever a guy deserves to be a world champion, it's this guy."

Here's the best part of the story: The very next year (1986), he came back to the WSOP and won the tournament! Sometimes, there is justice in the world. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Congratulations, Berry, for being inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It is a well-deserved honor.

Mike Sexton is the host of PartyPoker.com and a commentator on the World Poker Tour (which can be seen on the Travel Channel every Wednesday).