The history of poker is full of great endearing characters. From those travelers who founded the first major tournaments to the players who have left records and historical marks that made the game popular. One of them was Jack “Treetop” Straus
Born on June 16, 1930, Straus grew up surrounded by gambling games, in an environment where poker was part of everyday life. He learned to play at a very young age and later graduated with a degree in Business Administration. However, the orderly life of academia was never his thing.
From a young age he knew that his destiny was at the card tables. He wasn’t chasing fortune, as he considered money to be mere fuel for his next games. What he wanted was to be a legendary card player. And at the 1982 World Series Of Poker, he finally achieved it.
Jack Straus Was Almost Two Meters Tall And His Mere Presence Was Imposing Anywhere
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The series started in the worst way for Straus. Bad reads, bad runs, and bad decisions had led him to arrive at Day 2 with very few chips. However, the man didn’t know what surrender was. With all his frustration, he attempted a somewhat extreme bluff in which he bet everything he had left with absolutely nothing in his hand. An opponent called his bet and Straus was ready to leave the venue when another player realized that a forgotten chip had been left in his seat. Straus, surprisingly, was still alive in the tournament.
As Jack had never said “All-In”, that chip had not been included in his previous bet, so he ended up keeping it. Incredibly, Jack started winning subsequent pots. Almost as if he had been enlightened by a deity, Jack’s game completely changed and, by the time he realized it, he was at the final table of the World Series Of Poker.
Jack Straus managed to defeat Dewey Tomko
Jack Straus Went From Being Practically Out of the Tournament to Becoming Champion
Since then, the phrase “A chip and a chair” has become a mantra used by poker players worldwide to refer to the fact that there are always chances to win as long as you are still in the game.
