Athletes - Jack Straus

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	Athletes - Jack Straus

Jack "Treetop" Straus (1930 - August 1988) was a professional poker player.

Straus began playing in the WSOP events in the early 1970s. He won the 1982 World Series of Poker main event, earning $520,000 and his second WSOP bracelet.

Most remarkable about Straus' 1982 win was that he came back from having just one $500 chip left at one point. Although accounts vary, some believe that Straus went all-in, was called, and lost the hand. He then discovered he had one chip left over under a napkin on the table, and the tournament directors allowed him to continue playing.

In the telecast of the event, the look on his face when he drew a 10 on the river to win the final hand was a charming one of complete astonishment.

Strauss is credited with one of the most celebrated bluffs of all time, with a 7-2!

Whilst playing in a high-stakes No Limit Texas Holdem cash game, Strauss has won several large pots in a row, and so decided that he would raise the next hand pre-flop with any two cards. When he looked down he found that he had been dealt 7-2 offsuit, the worst starting hand in poker, but he raised anyway. Strauss' raise was called by a single opponent and the flop came 7-3-3. This was a good flop for a 7-2, so Strauss bet out. However his tight opponent made a large raise, indicating a likely overpair to the board. Strauss knew he was almost certainly behind, but he decided that he might be able to beat his opponent by representing trip threes, so he called the large raise.

The turn was a 2, for a board of 7-3-3-2, which was no help to Strauss, but he made a huge bet anyway. This sent his opponent into deep thought. Strauss knew that he was desparate to avoid a call, as his chances of drawing out to win on the river were very slim. After a few minutes, Strauss came up with a genius of a proposition for his opponent. He told him that for $25, he could choose either one of Strauss' hole-cards and Strauss would show it to him. The guy considered for a while, then tossed Strauss $25 and chose a card. Strauss showed him his 2.

After another long pause, his opponent eventually figured that Strauss would only make such an offer if both his hole-cards were the same value, therefore giving him a full-house, deuces over treys. He reluctantly folded, and Jack Strauss entered poker folklore as one of the most creative bluffers of all time.

Straus was nicknamed "Treetop" because he was 6'6". He died of a heart attack in August 1988 at the age of 58 during a high stakes poker game. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame later that year.

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