Last week I was saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Ciaffone, who was the first person I ever took a poker lesson from. When I told my friend that I wanted to learn about poker, one of the books he gave me was “Middle Limit Holdem Poker,” the book Bob wrote with Jim Brier. I’m a poker coach myself these days, but Bob was the first coach I ever heard of. World’s first poker coach?
I had no idea that poker coaching was a thing until I heard about Bob and, when I called him, he was friendly, charming, and helpful. When I told him that my goal was to play poker for a living, he assured me that it could be done, and that he thought I could do it.
I only took two lessons from Bob, but I talked to him on the phone a few other times over the years, as well. He called to tell me that he enjoyed my book , which was a real high point for me. The guy whose book I read at the beginning of my career had called me to tell me that he liked my book. A book that I wrote with my pal Adam Stemple, who was the person who loaned me Bob’s book in the first place.
I continued to read Bob’s columns in “CardPlayer,” and when we talked, he always invited me to come visit him at his home. We bonded because we were both originally from Michigan, and Bob lived in Saginaw for the last 20 years or so of his life. I wish I had made the time to take him up on his offer.
Players who are newer to the game may never have heard of Bob, the man people called “The Coach,” but to the old school, he was a beloved figure. I was right on the cusp of that — much younger than Bob — but part of the last generation that started learning about the game from reading books.
I’ve read the other things being written about him online: obituaries […]
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