Allen Kessler

Aiien Kessler ls an American professional poker player now residing ln Las Vegas, Nevada. He is ranked 10th in All Time Total Cashes with 363 tournament cashes as recorded in the Global Poker Index. These include 69 WSOP cashes, 12 WSOP Europe cashes and 91 WSOP Circuit cashes including 3 rings and 9 cashes in the 2010 World Series of Poker, the most cashes of any player at the 2010 WSOP. Those 9 cashes include a 2nd-place finish. Kessler is also the Heartland Poker Tour Player of the Year for 2013. His career earnings exceed $3.87 million with an excess of $1.97 million in earnings at the WSOP and WSOP Circuit combined.[1]

Allen Kessler
Nickname(s)Chainsaw
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)None
Final table(s)7
Money finish(es)62
World Poker Tour
Title(s)None
Final table(s)5
Money finish(es)23
European Poker Tour
Money finish(es)2

Poker career

Kessler started playing poker in college and in the 1980s he spent time in Atlantic City playing slot machines. When the casinos offered poker in the 1990s, Kessler played high-stakes games with players like John Hennigan, Cyndy Violette, Nick Frangos, and Phil Ivey.[2]

After years of experience at the cash tables he started playing tournament poker and in 2001 finished 16th in the 2001 WSOP 5K Omaha Hi-Lo Split 8 or Better.[3] His first final table at the WSOP came in 2005 where he finished 2nd to Todd Brunson in the $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo.[4]

At the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Kessler had a total of 9 cashes, setting the record for most cashes in that year's series. This included his biggest career cash of $276,485 when he finished 2nd to Frank Kassela in the $10K Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 Championship. At the 2014 World Series of Poker he had 5 cashes including a final table appearance in the prestigious 50K Poker Players Championship.[1]

Highlighted among his 15 documented live tournament wins are; Main Event Champion - 2009 Winter Bayou Poker Challenge and Main Event Champion - 2014 WSOPC at Foxwoods Casino.[1]

In the 2006 L.A. Poker Classic he appeared in his first televised final table finishing 3rd in the WPT Invitiational - No Limit Hold'em event.[5]

Kessler is the Heartland Poker Tour Player of the Year 2013. He earned this title without winning a single HPT event that year but cashing in 12 of 20 events for over $85,000, and making four final tables.[6]

As of January 2020, his total live tournament winnings are $3,875,189.[1]

Nickname and other activities

Kessler was given the nickname "The Chainsaw" at a 2007 WPT Foxwoods Casino event because of his intimidating playing style. The badge is quite the contradiction considering that Allen is generally considered one of the biggest nits in the game of poker and is always looking to increase his equity as a tournament grinder.[7]

He is a fan of playing penny slots and video poker often tweeting out photos of his notable wins. Rumor has it that he once played penny slots for 37 hours straight. [8]

The Mid-State Poker Tour's Main Event tournament structure was designed by Allen Kessler and is identified as "Chainsaw Approved".[9]

The term "Chainsaw Approved" is now commonly used in the tournament poker community to refer to an event whose blind structure and fees are a good value for the player.[10]

Kessler's complaints, along with other players, actually effected a change in the blind structure for some of the 2015 WSOP events according to an interview with Tournament Director Jack Effel.[11]

Notes
  1. "Allen Kessler - Stats". Global Poker Index.
  2. "A Poker Life -- Allen Kessler, Veteran Poker Pro Talks About a Life of Gambling". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  3. "TheHendonMob.com". TheHendonMob.com. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  4. "TheHendonMob.com". TheHendonMob.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  5. "2006 LA Poker Classic". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  6. "HPTPoker.com". HPTPoker.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  7. "The Ten: Biggest Nits in Poker". Card Player.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  8. "Poker Pro Allen Kessler Wins Nearly 655K Pennies On Penny Slot Machine". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  9. "MSPT Structure". MSPTpoker.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  10. "Poker Tournament Fees: Solving the Problem". PokerUpdate.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  11. "Jack Effel Credits Kessler, Describes Process of Fixing Limit Structures". Bluff.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
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