Five Years After Infamous WSOP Incident, 'Naked Bandit' Talks Mental Health

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May 27, 2024 8 min read Last updated Jun 02, 2024

Five years ago, one of the most infamous incidents in World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event history took place. It happened on Day 1c at Table #317 in the Rio's Pavilion Yellow section in Level 2. That is when the poker world was first introduced to “The Naked Bandit,” who was disqualified after throwing his shoes at the dealer and pulling down his pants.

Between July 24-27, the then-45-year-old Ken Strauss, the man behind the nickname, had similar incidents at multiple other Las Vegas casinos including ARIA, Venetian, Red Rock, and Trump International Hotel, where he was ultimately arrested and subsequently led to him being charged with terroristic threats.

Strauss, who experienced a psychotic break of sorts, was deemed incompetent to stand trial, and after treatment, managed to avoid jail time in a deal with prosecutors that sentenced him to probation. Under the ruling from District Judge Mary Kay Holthus, Strauss had to undergo mental health treatment, not visit Clark County, or have any contact with Las Vegas casinos for two years.

That was the end of the Naked Bandit, but it was the start of the long road to recovery for Strauss, who recently sat down with PokerNews for an in-depth chat for Mental Health Awareness Month.

Taking Responsibility

Strauss is from Pennsylvania, which is where he was when he spoke with PokerNews’ Chad Holloway.

“You know, 2019 was certainly a challenging year as a terrible event happened to me in Las Vegas at the Rio. First off, before we get into talking about all that I just want to apologize to the WSOP, the hotels, the casinos in Las Vegas, and to the non-poker people that were affected by my actions. I take full responsibility and accountability for what happened and ultimately accept the consequences, not just legally but socially for what happened as well. I just truly am sorry and I'm doing much better right now.”

So, what exactly happened on that fateful day five years ago?

“I would definitely say three things attributed to what had happened,” Strauss explained. “One was I wasn't really taking good care of my health. I was going to a lot of sporting events, poker tournaments, not eating healthy, and certainly, through all that, it caused a lot of health issues and mental health issues ultimately.

“Secondly, because of the sporting events I went to in Pittsburgh, I kind of became a known [person] in this area. Like all the media, sports media, news media got to know me and from that, I kind of got addicted to that lifestyle and I just kept wanting to do more and more and more and, you know, ultimately I got burnt out from doing all the games and traveling.”

Read the DQ hand as reported in the PokerNews Live Updates here.

To put it in perspective, Strauss claimed to attend either sporting events, poker tournaments, or entertainment events at least 300 days a year. What’s more, between 2015-2019, the Penguins, the NHL team that plays in Pittsburgh, played 69 postseason games. Strauss attended 68 of those games, missing only one because of a friend's wedding. However, that was far from the only contributing factor.

Strauss continued: “I would say the one big thing that happened was in 2018 when my childhood synagogue had a mass shooting. It was a big story and I didn't really take that too well because even though I'm not really religious, it was still my childhood synagogue and I got really angry from it, and talking to some people after, it just kind of made me angrier as time went on.

“In the middle of June 2019, I was just a hot mess and I shouldn't have ever gone to Vegas to begin with, but I still went and unfortunately a psychotic episode happened. That kind of ties in with the third thing being that I was just kind of getting burnt out of what I was doing day to day and I just ultimately lost my marbles at the wrong time on the grandest stage of poker.”

The Fallout

While the Naked Bandit was on full display across social media, what they didn’t get to see was the immediate aftermath.

“After I got brought in, I was in the booking room and I saw cameras in there, like video cameras, people were like recording a TV show,” said Strauss. “So, I didn't even realize it was jail, I thought I was at a reality TV studio and I went into the whole process thinking I was on a reality TV show and again, my head wasn't fully there.

"I wasn't allowed in any of the casinos. I wasn't allowed in Clark County for two years and I had to seek mental health treatment, which I did and that was pretty much it.”

“I was in Clark County Detention Center for a little while. I got interviewed by some doctors and whatnot and, you know, they declared that I was incompetent. I think I'm on a reality TV show and they said, listen to yourself, you're going with us to the hospital. So, I got out of the detention center and went to a state hospital treatment center. I was in there for quite a while, about three to three-and-a-half months.

“I had a friend, who lives in Boston, come out and get me in Las Vegas. He had to explain to me what happened as I really didn’t remember much of it. [The district attorney and I] agreed on a two-year informal probation. I wasn't allowed in any of the casinos. I wasn't allowed in Clark County for two years and I had to seek mental health treatment, which I did and that was pretty much it.”

The last time Strauss was in Las Vegas was for his final court appearance in March 2020.

“The night I was flying home from Vegas, that's when the whole Tom Hanks getting COVID happened and it's probably one of the last flights that happened for a while. I was lucky to get out of there. So that's the last time I was in Vegas.”

Like so many others, the pandemic had a negative effect on Strauss’ mental state, and from March 2020 until April 2021 he was hospitalized three times.

“Nothing as bad as what happened in Vegas, but just, you know, people that were watching out for me were kind of concerned and said maybe going in for a checkup just to make sure you're all right. Then I got probation and went through that process and had a great therapist through that.”

As for a possible return and whether or not he’s even allowed at some venues, Strauss said: “As far as I know, I am still banned from the WSOP and from Caesars and MGM properties, maybe Station properties … if there's a way to get reinstated, I'm all for it.”

Where's He at Today?

In 2021, Strauss moved into a new condo in Pittsburgh and slowly passed his probation time. A year later, he received a call that his brother had passed away. The news came less than a decade after Strauss lost his mother and father in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the former to cancer and the latter to complications with pneumonia and multiple sclerosis.

“My family of four became just me, myself, and I. Going into 2023, I was starting to realize that I gotta get out of this funk. I don't have a whole lot of friends right now. I haven't really contacted a whole lot of people and I needed to find some inspiration and went online.”

It was online that Strauss came across a pair of public figures that he credits with inspiring him to better his life. The first was Pam Rose Martinez, better known to WWE fans, of which Strauss is a big one, as Bayley.

“She is just very, very positive on social media and she's a big sports fan. She's great at her job, and during the holidays she's giving back and helping less fortunate people out and just seems like a real wonderful person.”

Strauss, who had met Bailey in passing a couple of years prior, actually had the chance to thank her in person for being an inspiration to him as this year’s Wrestlemania was in nearby Philadelphia.

“I got a chance to see her and thank her for being such a positive influence for me I told her briefly about my parents, my brother, and that I had some struggles myself and she just really appreciated it. I'll tell you there's no better feeling than thanking someone who really helped and inspired you.”

The other person Strauss credits is American broadcaster Kaylee Hartung, perhaps best known for being the NFL sideline journalist for Amazon Prime.

“She did an interview probably about 18 months ago. When I was kind of down in a funk, I did a Google search for mental health sports stories and this interview came up of her, and her interview was incredible. She lost her dad at age 10, lost her best friend at age 13, and somehow she overcame all that at such a young age to become who she is right now … At the end of the interview, she said something that really hit home with me when she said, ‘You just got to bet on yourself.’ I'm watching the interview and I go, ‘You know what? She's absolutely right.’”

The interview inspired Strauss to reach out to people he had fallen out of touch with.

“Some people responded, some people didn't respond. I get it, you know, everybody handled that news in their own way. I'm very fortunate and blessed for the people that are on my side and those are my real friends. I'm very thankful for that.”

Not only did Strauss reconnect with people, he found the motivation to start traveling again including to a wrestling convention in North Carolina and a holiday trip to Florida, where he played in his first live poker tournament in years.

“I didn't win but I kept all my clothes on,” joked Strauss, who also went to Seattle for a Penguins game, his first in five years. “This is the happiest I've been in a long, long time and I'm just very thankful for the people that have been by my side.”

Final Words

Strauss seems to be on the right track making mental health his number one priority. Still, it’s not easy.

“I still wake up every day and think about where my mental health is at. I haven't had a sip of alcohol in five years. I haven't really played much poker in the last five years, so I had to find new hobbies, and that came along through.”

He continued: “I just want to say I'm doing 100x better. I know the internet really didn't paint a good picture of me back in 2019. I never watched back the video of what I did back then and really never read any of the articles either because I knew that wasn't me and I just knew I had to focus on myself and get better. You're getting to see that today.”

_{*Images courtesy of Ken Strauss.}

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.

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