Jack Keller
Jack Keller was born in 1942 and before becoming a professional poker player, he served in the U.S. Air Force. He was considered to be one of the true gentlemen of the game both at and away from the poker table although he was also known for his aggressive play sometimes.
Keller’s first win at the World Series of Poker came in 1984 when he picked up a gold bracelet and $137,500 in prize money for the $5000 Seven Card Stud event. Not only did he pick up his first WSOP gold bracelet in 1984 but he also went on to pick up his second in the same tournament. Only this time he managed to win the top prize by coming first in the $10,000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship Main Event which saw him pocket $660,000 in tournament winnings.
He cashed again at the WSOP in 1985 and the following year he cashed in four events at the tournament picking up total tournament winnings at the 1986 WSOP of $113,270. He had three further cashes in the World Series of Poker Main Event in 1987, 1988 and 1992 before picking up his third gold bracelet in 1993. Finishing 1st in the $1500 Limit Omaha event saw him earn prize money of $61,800.
Although Keller did not win another gold bracelet at the WSOP, he continued to cash and had another two Main Event cashes under his belt. His total number of WSOP cashes was 26 and these cashes earned him prize money of over $1,600,000. This was from total tournament earnings of just over $3,900,000.
Keller had three children, one of who is professional poker player Kathy Kolberg. In 1994 he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame and was still playing tournament poker up until the year of his death in 2003 when he was just sixty years of age.
