Tom Jacobs was a veteran professional poker player who passed away on March 11, 2007 at the age of 61. With 12 World Series of Poker cashes to his name, including one WSOP bracelet win and one main event runner-up finish, not to mention a total career earnings of over $1.3 million, Jacobs was known and respected for his positive attitude and sense of humor.
A regular at the World Series of Poker, Tom Jacobs’s illustrious career spanned two decades with a dozen WSOP event appearances. One of his more memorable outings came at the 21st World Series of Poker in 1992. While he finished 14th in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event, it was in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em World Championship event that he impressed. Competing against 200 others, Jacobs made the final table and finished runner-up to Hamid Dastmalchi. Although he narrowly missed winning his first WSOP bracelet, he took home $353,500 for his efforts.
Jacobs put in another 2nd place performance at the 26th World Series of Poker in 1995, this time in the $2,500 Hold'em Pot Limit event. In a field of 163 entries and with $407,500 to play for, Tom Jacobs worked his way to the final table where he finished second only to Hilbert Shirey, earning $81,500 in the process.
Tom Jacobs recorded his first major event win in January 1999 at the Carnivale of Poker II in Las Vegas. Participating in the $1,000 buy-in Omaha 8 or Better event, Jacobs got the better of the 151 other entrants to take home $60,800 of the $152,000 prize pool. At the same tournament the following year, Tom Jacobs registered his second event win, this time in the $500 No Limit Hold'em event win. Jacobs climbed his way up through the field of 434 to finish on top and earn himself $79,205 out of the $217,000 pool.
Tom Jacobs got close to his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2002, but victory eluded him when he finished 2nd in the $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event. The runner-up performance helped Jacob pocket a fine $156,160 out of the $844,120 prize pool. The thirst for a WSOP bracelet brought Jacobs back to Binion’s in 2003 for the 34th World Series of Poker. After making the final table and finishing 6th in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em event, Jacobs finally got his first World Series of Poker event win in the $3,000 Limit Hold'em event. Fighting his way through a field of 153 other entrants, Jacob’s 1st place finish earned him $163,000 and with it his first and only WSOP bracelet.
