If any guy fit the tag, “He lived life large,” it was Jack “Treetop” Straus. Big wins, big losses, big game hunter.

He adopted Hemingway’s motto: “Better one day as a lion than one hundred years as a lamb.”

Jack was a Texas-teller of tall tales. He reveled his friends, opponents, journalists, and anyone else who would listen with his colorful stories, usually beginning with, “Did I ever tell you about the time I . . . .” Some of his yarns may even have been true.

For example, as the story goes (told by Jack, of course), he was waiting in an IRS office in his home town of San Antonio because he had been hauled in for owing a million dollars in back taxes. He overheard a poor soul begging with an agent: “Please, don’t assess me $50,000. I’ll lose my business. My wife will leave me. I’ll be ruined.”

Jack got up, went over to the agent, and said, “Oh, hell, just put it on my tab. I owe so much it won’t make any difference to me.”

His World Series of Poker win in 1982 put a classic line of Jack’s (he had so many) into the literature. He had made a big bet and thought he lost all his chips. He overlooked one $500 chip up against the rail. He parlayed that chip into many more and eventually won the top prize in poker. His line: “All you need to win is a chip and a chair.”

In the early days of the World Series of Poker, there was one winner and one winner only: 100% of the money went to Numero Uno. Later, the first place finisher got the bulk of the money, second place got something, third place got somewhat less, etc.

Jack thought that was a terrible system. His way: winner take all. Nada to everyone else.

Dubbed “Treetop” because he was 6’, 6” tall and a basketball star at Texas A&M, he often sat hunched up (or down) at a table to diminish his height. He played in high stakes games, against the best players in the world. The only way Jack knew how to play was, win it all or lose it all. Another of Jack’s lines: “If you were supposed to hold on to money, they would have put handles on it.”

And another, “When I lose, I don’t mind losing money. It’s the embarrassment of being beaten.”

While covering the World Series of Poker in 1983, this journalist sat with Jack over a cup of coffee at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in Vegas, and asked: “When’s the last time you bet the rent money, Jack?” He laughed, looked at his watch, and said, “About fifteen minutes ago.”

Jack “Treetop” Straus came to the end of his days in a manner befitting a poker warrior: he had a heart attack at a poker table in California in 1988.

It’s a shame he couldn’t add this experience to his long list of unlikely stories, beginning with, “Did I ever tell you about the time I . . . .”

(c) 2006 Murphy James

Murphy James is a freelance journalist specializing in the gaming industry. He has been published in men’s magazines, gaming publications, business journals, and newspapers.

His website is http://www.murphyjames.com

Email: murphyjames@murphyjames.com