Jack “Tree-Top” Straus became the winner of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event, the 13th Main Event in 1982. He began playing in the WSOP events in the early 1970’s finishing fourth in the 1972 Main Event. He won his first bracelet in 1973 in the $3,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event and also finished in third place in the Main Event that year.
Straus won $520,000 and a gold bracelet in 1982 and also coined the well-known poker phrase, “a chip and a chair”. Although accounts vary, on the second day of the tournament, Straus was down and pushed all his chips into the pot, was called and lost the hand. Getting up from the table he discovered he had one $500 chip left under a napkin on the table. Because he didn’t declare himself “all-in”, the tournament directors allowed him to continue playing. Credited with one of the biggest comebacks of all time, he carried on and ended up winning the tournament.
Straus is also famous for having come up with one of the most celebrated bluffs of all time. While playing in a high-stakes no limit Texas Hold’em cash game, Straus had won several large pots in a row. He decided that he would raise the next hand pre-flop with whatever cards were dealt to him. When he looked down, he saw that he had been dealt 7-2 off-suit, and realized he was holding the worst starting hand in Texas Hold’em. He raised anyway and was called by a single opponent. The flop came 7-3-3 and a pretty good flop for 7-2, so Straus bet out. The tight opponent raised large, indicating a likely over-pair, but Straus decided that he might be able to beat his opponent by bluffing with a set of threes, so he called. The turn card was a 2, for a board of 7-3-3-2 which was no help, but Straus bet huge anyway. He knew he was behind with very little chance of catching anything on the river. He offered his opponent a proposition. He told him that for $25 he could choose either one of Straus’s hole cards to look at. The opponent considered, and then tossed him a $25 chip. He chose the card and Straus showed him the deuce. His opponent eventually decided that Straus would only make the offer if he were holding a pair of deuces, therefore giving him a full house. He reluctantly folded and Jack Straus went down in poker history as one of the most creative bluffers of all time.
Jack “Tree-Top” Straus died in 1988 of a heart attack while playing the game he loved. He was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame later that year.
Great Players in Poker History 