Biography

Jack "Treetop" Straus was an American poker player who won the 1982 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event.

Nicknamed "Treetop" as a result of him being 6'6", Straus died of an aortic aneurysm on August 17, 1988 while playing high-stakes poker at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.

Later that year, Straus was posthumously inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1988. He holds the dubious honour of being one of three Poker Hall of Famers to die whilst playing cards, joining Tom Abdo and Wild Bill Hickok.

Biography

Straus was born in Travis, Texas in on June 16, 1930. He attended Texas A&M before embarking on a career as a Texas road gambler, traveling across Texas and Oklahoma to play in the biggest games around.

"I think Texans just got a lot more guts has a lot to do with it, most other folks just don't take the heat when you start playin' real poker. In Texas you grow up playin' poker, it's a Texas game." -Jack "Treetop" Straus

He played in his first WSOP Main Event in 1971, the first year the tournament adopted its usual freezeout format. He final-tabled the Main Event in 1972 and 1973, finishing fifth and third respectively.

In 1973, he won his first bracelet in the $3,000 Deuce to Seven Draw event.

1982 WSOP Main Event

1982 was the first time the WSOP Main Event surpassed 100 entries. Straus was the first player to take away more than half a million dollars, earning $520,000 for his win.

He defeated Dewey Tomko heads-up.

"A Chip and a Chair"

In one of poker's most famous stories, during the 1982 WSOP Main Event Straus lost a pot and was left with one chip left. According to legend, Straus pushed all in, got called and lost the pot. Thinking he was eliminated from the tounrmanet, he got to his feet only to discover a single chip under a napkin.

"If they had wanted you to hold onto money they would have made it with handles on." -Jack "Treetop" Straus

Because he did not declare himself all-in when pushing in his chips, Straus was not eliminated. He would recover to win the tournament, spawning the poker phrase: "All you need is a chip and a chair."

Jack Straus WSOP Bracelets

Year	Event	Payout (USD)
1973	Event #4: $3,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw	$16,500
1982	Event #14: $10,000 NLHE WSOP Main Event	$520,000

WSOP Main Event Winners 1973-82

YEAR	ENTRIES	CHAMPION	COUNTRY	PRIZE
1982	104	Jack Straus	United States	$520,000
1981	75	Stu Ungar	United States	$375,000
1980	73	Stu Ungar	United States	$385,000
1979	54	Hal Fowler	United States	$270,000
1978	42	Bobby Baldwin	United States	$210,000
1977	34	Doyle Brunson	United States	$340,000
1976	22	Doyle Brunson	United States	$220,000
1975	21	Brian Roberts	United States	$210,000
1974	16	Johnny Moss	United States	$160,000
1973	13	Walter Pearson	United States	$130,000