Puggy Pearson Passes Away
April 28, 2006 -
The poker world is still grieving the loss on April 12, 2006 of Walter Clyde "Puggy" Pearson. He lived to be the ripe old age of 77. Puggy Pearson won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker in 1973, including the Main Event. His winning hand that year was the Ace-Seven of spades. He won the Main Event a total of four times throughout the 70s and 80s and was inducted into the Poker Hall of fame in 1987.
Puggy is often credited with coming up with the idea of freezeout tournaments, which have been made popular by the World Series. In a freezeout tournament, all players start with the same amount of chips. They play until one player is left with holding them all.
Puggy was born in Adairville, Kentucky on January 29, 1929. He grew up dirt poor in the hills of Tennessee and was one of ten children. Sources say Pearson had to leave school in the fifth grade to help support the family. Puggy was a natural thrill-seeker and gambler. He joined the Navy at the age of 17. By the time he left, he had become quite an accomplished poker and pool player. He was also known to be play a mean game of golf!
Puggy was certainly an outrageous character. For one thing, he had no qualms about sharing his opinions on the green felt - and off. He's been known to show up at the WSOP in costume. One year he was a Viking; another an American Indian, complete with war paint and headdress. At ther 2005 WSOP, Puggy, who often held his trademark cigar between his teeth, broke into song, his own composition entitled "I'm a Rovin' Gambler".
Puggy, who left behind his long-time companion Simin Habibian, a daughter, son and grandson, was memorialized in a service at the Bellagio on April 17th.
Good-bye, Puggy. We'll miss you; but, we won't forget you!
| Quick Links | ||
|
|
|
