What we know about poker pro Fred Sarge Ferris

When you think of all-time greats in the poker world, Fred “Sarge” Ferris has to be at the top of your list. Ferris played poker and did it well. Realizing that some people play poker for fun and others as a hobby, few of them had what it took to earn a living. Fred “Sarge” Ferris knew so.

Fred “Sarge” Ferris grew up in the Great Depression, and his father did everything he could to put food on the table. Living in poverty, his brother enlisted in the Navy and later became a well-known watchmaker and jeweler. He wanted to choose a different path. So he got into the game. He didn’t call it gambling. He was the consummate professional, never showing his cards or giving away information.

Although not much for publicity, Mr. Ferris also began to attract the attention of the other players and the media. He began winning big jackpots and high stakes cash games, earning the respect of his peers. His first big win came in a 2-7 draw in 1980 winning $10,000. He then won $150,000 and a gold bracelet in the World Series of Poker. After collecting the winnings from him, Fred Ferris was approached by a man named Stu Ungar.

Ungar did everything he could to convince Ferris that he could win the World Series of Poker, but he needed Fred’s help with the down payment. At first, Fred was not convinced to help him, after Ungar told him that he had never played in a tournament before. Yet here was a man so convinced that he could do it that Fred gave him a chance. Fred approached him as if he was no different from playing cards; to him it was just another bet. Ungar played masterfully, outdueling Fred’s archrival Doyle Brunson to win the World Series of Poker.

On April 22, 1983, IRS agents approached Ferris in the arcade and seized $46,000 in chips. He made headlines on the news circuits while he was sitting at Binion’s Horseshoe in high stakes games. The money was reportedly seized due to back taxes that Ferris owed to the federal government. One of the agents told Ferris to use the remaining money and buy a taco.

Fred “Sarge” Ferris and his scandal outrage local Hispanic communities. Protesting that one of the officers mocked Ferris’s ethnicity. His parents were born in Lebanon, but somehow they mistook him for a Mexican. This was all a misunderstanding. Ferris said the agent was trying to be nice. The incident was eventually extinguished.

For most of his life, he spent all of his time at the poker table. He seems appropriate to make his headstone at a poker table, he died there. On March 12, 1989, after playing a high-stakes cash game, he suffered a massive heart attack. His funeral was held in Las Vegas. Many people attended his funeral. People came to show condolences to him, some were happy that he had died.

However, after all that Ferris brought to the game, he became the 18th inductee into the poker hall of fame. Later that year, after a lengthy investigation by the Las Vegas casinos and the Indian gaming commission, Ferris would be linked as one of five men who were in debt to the mob. To Fred’s credit, the mob would never see his money.

He will be remembered for his accolades and achievements in the poker world. His intelligence for the game and his techniques have earned him the respect of future poker players. Fred “Sarge” Ferris was called a “consummated professional” for a reason.