"Oklahoma" Johnny Hale Dies Aged 92
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Poker legend "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale has died, aged 92, according to CardPlayer.
Hale, who was born in Pittsburgh, Oklahoma on September 30, 1927, was a regular at the World Series of Poker. Despite never winning a bracelet he, alongside Benny Binion, helped popularize the WSOP Senior's Event which this year attracted 5,916 entries. Hale would often make a speech prior to the start of play in this event, and in 2013 he told PokerNews that senior players are the "lifeblood of poker."
"These players are the lifeblood of poker," he said. "They're the ones that come to the casino early and start the games, and it's their extra money that starts the whole thing going."
A founding member of the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame, Hale was a member of the United States Navy during the Korean War, before turning to poker, and in 1999 he released a biography of his life entitled "The Life and Times of a Gentleman Gambler: "Oklahoma Johnny" Hale on Poker & Las Vegas."
A True World Series of Poker Legend
Hale is widely seen as the first "unofficial" World Series of Poker Player of the Year. In 1980, he was awarded a special bracelet as the "best all-around player" at the Series, after three top-three finishes in a single year.
Surely one of the best to have never won a bracelet, seven of Hale's 13 WSOP cashes were final tables, with none of them coming in a No-Limit Hold'em Event.
Johnny Hale WSOP Final Table Finishes
| Year | Event | Entrants | Place | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Event #8: $1,000 Limit A-5 Lowball Draw | 61 | 2nd | $18,300 |
| 1980 | Event #10: $1,000 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo | 51 | 3rd | $5,100 |
| 1980 | Event #11: $1,000 Limit Razz | 56 | 3rd | $5,600 |
| 1982 | Event #3: $1,000 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo | 88 | 3rd | $8,800 |
| 1984 | Event #3: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (Rebuy) | 108 | 7th | $3,360 |
| 1985 | Event #13: $1,000 Limit Razz | 127 | 3rd | $12,700 |
| 1989 | Event #8: $1,500 Limit Razz | 159 | 3rd | $23,850 |
