A stately figure, 6’ 6” tall, ‘Treetop’ Jack Straus had a long and storied career. He played college basketball in 40s when he was at Texas A&M. He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Business Administration but preferred to be a teacher.
The manner in which he was attracted towards poker remains unclear. But he is often spoken along the same lines as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, Amarillo Slim. Equally fascinating is the fact that was showed great creativity in bluffing at the poker tables. Once he was playing a hand blind after a rush. Raising the states he glanced and found he had just 7-2. But the flop was 7-3-3 and Straus had the prospect of a raise. After his opponent made the call, the turn fell a 2 and he boisterously made a big bet. Naturally the opponent was perturbed and it is said that Straus told his opponent that he would let him see one of his hole cards for $25. The opponent obliged and saw the deuce card. The opponent put Straus on pocket deuces and eventually folded his hand. This earned him the distinction of being a great bluffer.
He is remembered for two great events in the World Series of Poker. In 1973 he won his first WSOP bracelet when he won the 2-7 Lowball bracelet with take home earnings of $16,500. The second one is significant not for the achievement as such but the way it was done.
It took place on the first day of the Main Event in 1983. Jack Straus placed moved all of his chips to the middle and was called. He in turn lost the hand. Naturally he was preparing to leave the place when one chip said to belong to him was discovered either under a chair or under a napkin. It so happened that the floor authorities allowed him to continue with the single chip. In a while he made a remarkable comeback. This is the origin of the phrase “a chip and a chair” in the poker world. His progress was phenomenal that day and on the following day he found himself at the final table. A galaxy of big names like Dewey Tomko, Doyle Bruson and Berry Johnston were there as well. Eventually it was a toss between Straus and Tomko and in the end he walked away a world champion. He went home with the bracelet, not to mention the $520,000 in prize earnings.
He was a regular in many subsequent tournaments. Although he played in a lot of tournaments, his game was much more suitable to cash game. The reason was obvious. His capacity to bluff was much more useful in cash games back in that era as tournament play was much more conservative. There were a number of small time events where he fared well but his best were in his WSOP finishes.
In November 1988 while a high stakes cash game was in progress he died suddenly due to unexpected massive heart attack. One cannot assert with authority how his game would have stood up to the modern era of poker. He likely would have continued to play cash games and endured. Whether this would have come about or not his fame as a legend in the game lives on.
Walter “Puggy” Pearson was known as one of the all time greats of the poker world. He picked up poker and other forms of gambling while serving in the United States Navy. In the early days of poker, most every poker game was a cash game. Pearson would change that in 1949 when he shared the idea of a freezeout tournament with a fellow player known as “Nick the Greek” Dandalos. Dandalos eventually approached Benny Binion of Binion’s Horseshoe and the freezeout tournament was born.
Pearson won one of the first WSOP preliminary events in 1971 when he won the Limit Seven Card Stud event. This win won him $10,000. His greatest achievement happened in the 1973 World Series of Poker Main Event. The Main Event that year drew 13 players who put up $10,000 each to try and capture the world championship. The final table of six came down to Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, Jack Straus, Bobby Brazil, Bob Hooks, and Sailor Roberts. The final table worked its way down until Pearson and Moss was heads up for the title. The final hand of the event put Johnny Moss all in with Kh-Js against Pearson’s As-7s. Pearson’s hand held up and the 1973 World Title and $130,000 in cash went his way.
Puggy Pearson won four WSOP bracelets. Three of his bracelets came in 1973. Besides his main event win, Pearson won the $1,000 no limit holdem event and the $4,000 Limit Seven Card Stud titles. He took home $17,000 for the nl holdem win and $32,000 for the stud win. After 1973, Pearson made three other final tables. Two were in 1981 and one in 1982. Two of the final tables were in razz and the other in seven card stud. Stud was considered Pearson’s best game. In addition to his final tables, Pearson cashed in the 1987 and 1989 Main Event.
Pearson is the only player to play in every World Series of Poker from 1970 to 2005. One reason is that for a few years, several of the top poker players considered tournament poker a waste of their time and focused on cash games. Later in life, Pearson bought a tour bus with “Puggy Pearson – Roving Gambler” painted on the side. Up until the time of his death in 2006, Pearson traveled around the country playing poker. Pearson was also remembered by many people to be a man that gave a lot back to people. It was said that if someone was ill or had a death in the family, Pearson would be one of the first people to help them.
Puggy Pearson started out as a high stakes gambler, but over time became a legend of the game. His idea of the freezeout tournament was a contribution to poker that will likely be remembered as long as tournament poker is played. While his heyday in poker may have been in the early years of the World Series of Poker, his legend will continue for many years to come.
Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston is known as much for his gambling and prop betting as he is for his prowess in poker. Throughout the years, Slim has bet on everything from playing pool with a broom to betting on presidential elections. In fact, this year at the 2008 WSOP, I personally witnessed him prop bet one of my coworkers as to who could make more free throws in basketball. My coworker is over 6’4” tall and Slim is 79.
Amarillo Slim was one of the first seven original players that started the World Series of Poker in 1970. However, it wasn’t until 1972 that Slim took down his first title. The 1972 World Series of Poker Main Even had eight entrants that year. $5,000 per player was added to the prize pool. This was done as a publicity stunt to try and draw spectators into the Horseshoe.
Puggy Pearson, Doyle Brunson, Crandall Addington, Jack Straus, Johnny Moss, Roger Van Ausdall, Jimmy Casella, and Preston battled it out for the $80,000 top prize. Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Slim were the last three remaining in the event when Brunson struck a deal to “cash out” his chips for $20,000. Then Puggy Pearson and Amarillo Slim battled it out for the adjusted top prize of $60,000. Pearson held a 2 to 1 chip lead, but Slim was able to battle back and win his first Main Event title.
According to Barry Greenstein, the Main Event went down slightly differently than history portrays it. Apparently Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, and Amarillo Slim struck a deal to where they would throw the event and let Slim have the win. In exchange for the win, Slim agreed to let them have the prize money.
After winning the Main Event, Amarillo Slim went on various talk shows to talk about his win at the World Series of Poker. He garnered a lot of fame and even picked up a part in a Robert Altman movie entitled California Split. If Greenstein’s story about the 1972 Series being thrown is true, then Slim made a very wise business decision. Giving up $80,000 was well worth the publicity he received as a result of his win.
In all, Amarillo Slim won 4 bracelets at the World Series of Poker. Two were in Pot Limit Omaha and two were in No Limit Holdem. Even at 79, Slim is still playing at a high level. He has cashed in the Seniors event at the 2007 and 2008 World Series of Poker. He also plays in a few selected events. Whenever he is at the table, players take note. It is still a big thrill for a player to be able to say that they took a pot of Amarillo Slim.
Amarillo Slim is a classic example of an old school gambler. He bets on anything that you can wager on and likes the thrill of chasing the dollar. If the story of how he won the 1972 World Series of Poker is true, than that just adds one more legend to the man that has so many legendary tales.
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A stately figure, 6’ 6” tall, ‘Treetop’ Jack Straus had a long and storied career. He played college basketball in 40s when he was at Texas A&M. He graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Business Administration but preferred to be a teacher.
