“The Elder Statesman of Poker” is today’s guest on Big Girl Poker Chat. You might also know him as Oklahoma Johnny Hale, and at 85 years old, he’s got a lot of stories, information and poker tips to share from a lifetime of playing.
In this podcast, you’ll hear a few stories:

- How Johnny’s engineering background helped him become a good poker player
- A story about Johnny winning big play payday poker in the Navy
- How Johnny met Benny Binion in the Denver Airport
- How Johnny has been the only person ever to play the final of two large events at the same time
- …and a few more.
Johnny also provides some tips for poker players:
- When you sit down at a table, rate your table
- What kind of players to avoid
- How to play against today’s hyper-aggressive players
- …and he reminds you to learn pot odds
A successful businessman before turning to poker, Oklahoma Johnny Hale met Benny Binion in the Denver airport, and they went on to help form the World Series of Poker in 1970.
Johnny Hale is known for being a true gentleman gambler, and even wrote the book on it. The book, Gentleman Gambler is a chronicle of Johnny’s life. Johnny is always willing to autograph his books, signing with his favorite saying “Stay Lucky.”
More Links to Oklahoma Johnny Hale’s material online:
To get access to Donna’s Free Pot Odds Course visit BigGirlPoker.com.
Until next time, remember Donna’s motto…
“If you can’t raise, don’t call.”
Donna Blevins
Poker MindSet Coach