Sailor Roberts
Many of the highlights (and lowlights) of Sailor Roberts’ life came during the time he traveled the country playing poker and gambling with his two friends, Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim. But the 1975 World Series of Poker Main Event title has to rank right near the top of his life experiences. This was his second WSOP bracelet. He also won the $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw event in 1974.
The man born Bryan W. Roberts in 1931 is better known among poker players as Sailor Roberts. He became a professional poker player after a period of time as a “rounder” with Brunson and Amarillo Slim. (People who know about Roberts’ poker skill may not know that he was also a world-class player of contract bridge.)
Roberts got his nickname after serving four years in the United States Navy during the Korean War (early 1950s). He played a lot of poker and shot craps in his youth and during his military service. He made the transition to full-time professional poker player upon leaving the Navy. He heard about big-money games and soon sought out bigger action outside of his home area. Roberts and Brunson established an informal business partnership, splitting their gambling income and expenses.
This was during a time quite different from today, when thousands of players are seeking gambling websites that accept MasterCard.
In one interesting session, Roberts and Brunson were cleaned out by Slim, who loaned them a couple of thousand dollars to get them to the next game. This was just one example of the honor among professional gamblers identified by Brunson, who called Sailor Roberts one of the most honorable men he knew.
Roberts focused on organized tournament poker, winning the main event and finishing in the top 10 in 1982. Professional players remember Sailor Roberts as well-liked, one of the better-known players in the poker-pro world. He died in 1995 from cirrhosis caused by hepatitis at the age of 64.
While it may take some time for you to reach the level of gambling expertise achieved by Sailor Roberts you can learn a lot about the game of professional poker and online gaming in general at http://www.winner.com/
This just might take you into the world of Roberts, Nick the Greek and Benny Binion (who started the World Series of Poker in 1970). Who knows, you may be a winner.
Leave a Reply
