Jack "Treetop" Straus was one imposing character. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he earned his nickname "Treetop." He attended Texas A&M in the 40's where he was rumored to play basketball. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Strauss took a job as a teacher.
Not much is know about how Straus got his start in playing Poker, but he was one of the original road gamblers with the likes of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, and Amarillo Slim. Straus was known as a very creative player that liked to bluff a lot. In fact, one of the most popular stories about him involves him playing a hand blind after going on a rush. After raising, he looked down to see 7-2. The flop came with 7-3-3 and Straus bet out and faced a big raise. Straus figured that his hand was beat at the time but he made the call. On the turn of a 2, Straus made big bet. His opponent started to think and Straus offered him the opportunity to see one of his cards in exchange for $25. He even offered to let the opponent pick His opponent paid him and picked the card that turned out to be the deuce. His opponent eventually put Straus on pocket 2's to give him a full house and so he folded. After the hand he became known as one of the best bluffers ever.
Jack Straus' two greatest Poker accomplishments came at the World Series of Poker. First, he won the 2-7 Lowball bracelet in 1973 to take home $16,500. The next accomplishment went down in poker legend not just because of what he accomplished, but how he accomplished it.
On the first day of the 1983 Main Event, Jack Straus moved all of his chips into the middle and was called. He subsequently lost the hand. As he went to leave, a chip was discovered that belonged to Straus but was not put in the pot. Some legends say it was under a napkin, while others say it was under his chair. Either event, the floor staff let him continue playing with that single chip and after a while made a comeback to take the chip lead. This is where the phrase "a chip and a chair" came from. The next day Straus made the final table that included Dewey Tomko, Doyle Brunson, and Berry Johnston. Straus made it head-up with Tomko and in the end Straus emerged victorious and took home the bracelet and the $520,000 prize.
Straus would continue to play in tournaments but his style was really more suited to cash game play due to his tendency to bluff a lot. He did well in several smaller events, but nothing compared to his WSOP finishes. Straus died unexpectedly in November 1988 while playing in a high stakes cash game. A heart attack was the cause of death. It is unknown how Straus would have fared in the current poker climate. Chances are that he would have stuck to cash games and thrived. Of course we will never know but the legend of Jack Straus will live on.
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