Jack Keller: 1984 WSOP Main Event Champion and Poker Hall of Famer
POKER HALL OF FAME
Inducted 1993
Jack Keller was a three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, the 1984 WSOP Main Event champion and a member of the Poker Hall of Fame. Known as “Gentleman Jack,” he built a reputation as an accomplished tournament and cash-game player across several poker variants during the years before the modern poker boom.
Keller’s defining tournament performance came at the 1984 World Series of Poker, where he won both the $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud event and the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. His Main Event victory earned him $660,000 after he defeated a field of 132 entries.
His tournament success extended well beyond that championship. Keller eventually won three WSOP bracelets, captured Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker Main Event twice and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1993.
⠀
Who Is Jack Keller?
Jack Keller was an American professional poker player whose career included major success in both tournaments and high-stakes cash games. He was born in December 1942 and served in the United States Air Force before establishing himself in professional poker.
Keller also worked in the financial markets, and Card Player writer Bob Ciaffone later explained that the “Gentleman Jack” nickname originated during Keller’s time working in the Chicago options market.
By the early 1980s, Keller was recognized as a formidable player in seven-card stud and lowball. He later became particularly associated with pot-limit Omaha as that game gained popularity.
⠀
Jack Keller’s 1984 WSOP Main Event Victory
The 1984 World Series of Poker became the defining series of Keller’s tournament career.
He first won Event #7, the $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud tournament, for $137,500. That victory gave Keller his first WSOP bracelet and demonstrated the stud-game ability for which he was already respected.
Later in the same series, Keller entered the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship. The Main Event attracted 132 entries, the largest field in the event’s history at that point.
Keller reached the final stages alongside Byron “Cowboy” Wolford and Jesse Alto before ultimately defeating Wolford heads-up. The victory was worth $660,000 and made Keller the 1984 poker world champion.
Winning two bracelets during the same WSOP, including the Main Event, established Keller as one of the major tournament players of his era.
⠀
Jack Keller’s Three WSOP Bracelets
Keller won three World Series of Poker bracelets during his career:
1984 $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud — $137,500
1984 $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event — $660,000
1993 $1,500 Limit Omaha — $61,800
His third bracelet arrived nine years after his Main Event championship, when he won the $1,500 Limit Omaha event at the 1993 WSOP.
The official WSOP Jack Keller player profile lists three bracelets, 25 WSOP cashes and 19 final tables.
⠀
Success at Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker
Keller also succeeded in one of the most important tournament series outside the WSOP during the 1980s and early 1990s.
He won the Main Event at Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker in 1987 for $220,000 and captured the event again in 1991 for $52,250.
The Super Bowl of Poker was an important tournament series during the period before televised tours and the modern international tournament calendar transformed professional poker.
Readers interested in the series’ founder can also explore the Amarillo Slim Poker Player Profile.
⠀
Jack Keller’s Playing Style
Keller’s tournament results only tell part of his poker story. Contemporary accounts describe him as a versatile cash-game player who was comfortable across numerous forms of poker.
Bob Ciaffone, who played extensively against Keller, wrote in a Card Player profile of Jack Keller that Keller excelled in both tournament and cash-game poker.
Seven-card stud was one of Keller’s strongest games before pot-limit Omaha became widely established. He was also regarded as an accomplished lowball player.
Keller later embraced pot-limit Omaha and developed a notably forceful approach to the game. Ciaffone recalled Keller frequently making maximum-sized bets rather than using smaller probing bets, giving his play an unusually committed and aggressive character.
That versatility is important to Keller’s legacy. His championship in no-limit hold’em was his most famous result, but his bracelet victories in seven-card stud and limit Omaha reflected a broader mixed-game skill set.
⠀
Jack Keller’s Career Earnings
As of September 2, 2026, The Hendon Mob’s Jack Keller database lists $3,900,424 in live tournament earnings.
His largest recorded live cash remains the $660,000 prize from his 1984 WSOP Main Event victory.
The WSOP database separately lists $1,593,645 in World Series of Poker earnings. The difference reflects the fact that Hendon Mob’s career total includes qualifying tournament results from events outside the WSOP.
Historical poker databases can be updated as older tournament records are added or corrected, so career totals should be understood as database figures current to the stated date.
⠀
Poker Hall of Fame Induction
Keller was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1993.
The World Series of Poker’s official Hall of Fame records identify Keller as the 1993 inductee and describe him as a consistent winner who had established himself in Las Vegas during the early 1980s before capturing the 1984 Main Event.
His induction recognized more than one tournament victory. Keller competed successfully across cash games and tournaments, played multiple variants at a high level and remained a respected figure among elite professionals of his generation.
⠀
Jack Keller’s Later Years and Legacy
Keller remained involved in poker after his championship years and continued recording tournament results into the early 2000s.
His last result currently listed by Hendon Mob came in August 2003 at the Mid-America Poker Classic in Tunica, Mississippi, where he finished fourth in a limit hold’em event.
Keller died on December 5, 2003, at age 60.
For modern poker fans, Keller’s career provides a window into an era when elite professionals were expected to compete across numerous variants rather than specialize exclusively in no-limit hold’em. His three WSOP bracelets came in three distinct events — seven-card stud, no-limit hold’em and limit Omaha — while his cash-game reputation further established his all-around credentials.
The 1984 Main Event championship remains his most recognizable achievement, but his Hall of Fame membership, mixed-game success and victories away from the WSOP give Keller a broader place in poker history.
⠀
Frequently Asked Questions
How many WSOP bracelets did Jack Keller win?
Jack Keller won three World Series of Poker bracelets. He captured two in 1984 and added his third in the $1,500 Limit Omaha event in 1993.
⠀
Did Jack Keller win the WSOP Main Event?
Yes. Keller won the 1984 WSOP Main Event, defeating a field of 132 entries and earning $660,000.
⠀
Who did Jack Keller beat heads-up in the 1984 WSOP Main Event?
Jack Keller defeated Byron “Cowboy” Wolford heads-up to win the 1984 WSOP Main Event.
⠀
How much did Jack Keller earn in live poker tournaments?
As of September 2, 2026, Hendon Mob lists Jack Keller with $3,900,424 in live tournament earnings. Historical database totals can change when older results are added or corrected.
⠀
Was Jack Keller in the Poker Hall of Fame?
Yes. The World Series of Poker lists Jack Keller as a member of the Poker Hall of Fame, inducted in 1993.
⠀
What poker games was Jack Keller known for?
Keller was an accomplished all-around player. He won WSOP bracelets in seven-card stud, no-limit hold’em and limit Omaha, while contemporary accounts also describe him as highly skilled in lowball and pot-limit Omaha.
⠀
Why was Jack Keller called “Gentleman Jack”?
According to fellow professional Bob Ciaffone, Keller acquired the “Gentleman Jack” nickname from the press while working in the Chicago options market.
⠀
When did Jack Keller die?
Jack Keller died on December 5, 2003, at age 60.