December 10, 1940 – May 13, 2022
Ciaffone was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. He spent many years traveling the world playing games before settling down in Saginaw, Michigan.
He became an expert in poker home game statutes, and even presented a paper of his findings at the London International Gaming Conference. He later established FLOP, otherwise known as Fair Laws on Poker, to push for state laws that are friendlier to poker players.
As a poker player, Ciaffone came close to winning a WSOP gold bracelet on a few occasions, and even finished third in the 1987 main event that was ultimately won by Johnny Chan.
Ciaffone was also a standout chess, backgammon, and bridge player. Not only was he the former president of the Michigan Chess Association, but he was also awarded the title of Life Master by the U.S. Chess Federation. It was an honor he would also receive from the American Contract Bridge League.
Artist/Author: Bob Ciaffone May 15, 2022 |
