AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker
TITLE: Poker Pro Tom Jacobs Passes Away
DATE: 4:10 AM
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BODY:
Tom Jacobs, who cashed in more than a dozen World Series of Poker events,<br>died March 11, 2007. He was 61. Jacobs is survived by his wife, Theresa;<br>children Kenny and Amie (Michael) Berman; sisters Pam Begal and Charlene<br>Henslin; grandchildren David, Cindy, Steven, Zachary, Ari, Benjamin and<br>Marjorie; as well as many nieces and nephews. Jacobs, who lived in<br>Scottsdale, Ariz., won his one and only WSOP bracelet in the $3,000 limit<br>hold&#39;em event during the 2003 WSOP. He came as close as possible to becoming<br>a WSOP main event champion in 1992 when he finished second to Hamid<br>Dastamalchi. Jacobs won more than $1 million in poker tournaments. Russ<br>Hamilton, the 1994 WSOP main event champion, wrote this about Jacobs on an<br>online guest book created to remember him.<br>&quot;Tommy was so much fun just to be around. Never a bad word to say about<br>anyone. He was always trying to help his friends and family. I played many<br>hours of poker with Tommy and we had many great conversations about life,&quot;<br>Hamilton wrote. &quot;He was instrumental in changing my life from the poker<br>tables to going out in the business world and being successful. I will<br>always remember Tommy and that great smile he had at the poker table as he<br>raked my money in. I speak for everyone in the poker world when I say Tommy,<br>you will be missed.&quot; Tournament veteran Marsha Waggoner also knew Jacobs,<br>and wrote this about him: &quot;It is a sad day for the poker world to lose Tommy<br>Jacobs. I have played poker with Tom for 20-plus years. He was one of the<br>rare souls who brought positive words with him wherever he went. My sincere<br>condolences to his family.&quot; Poker player David Gump also chimed in about<br>Jacobs. He wrote: &quot;I started playing poker with Tom about 4 years ago and<br>I&#39;ve hardly met anyone with a better attitude. He always brought laughter<br>and smiles to everyone&#39;s faces over and over. Tom is a big winner in life<br>with his positive outlook, sense of humor, and compassion towards others.&quot;<br>He was laid to rest in Emanuel Cemetery in his hometown of Denver Wednesday,<br>March 14. Instead of flowers, the family asked friends and family to send<br>donations in Jacobs&#39; name to the Tourettes Syndrome Association, 4240 Bell<br>Blvd., Suite 205, Bayside, NY 11361-2820.
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