Sailor Roberts Real Name: Bryan W. Roberts, 1975 WSOP Champ He/Him

Quick answer

Sailor Roberts' real name was Bryan W. Roberts (March 7, 1931 – June 23, 1995). Some poker outlets spell it "Brian." He got the nickname "Sailor" from his U.S. Navy service during the Korean War. A Texas road gambler and longtime partner of Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim, he won the 1975 WSOP Main Event and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012.

Real name and nickname origin

Social Security records list him as Bryan W. Roberts. PokerNews and Card Player often use "Brian," so mention both spellings for search. The nickname comes from his time in the Navy during the Korean War.

On the Texas Circuit

Roberts was the third member of the road-gambling trio with Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim Preston. Based in Odessa, the three shared one bankroll, split wins and losses, and traveled together for protection on the Texas Circuit. Brunson later put Roberts on his personal "Mount Rushmore" of poker players, alongside Johnny Moss, Puggy Pearson and Chip Reese (The Godfather of Poker). He was also known as a strong contract bridge player (UNLV Center for Gaming Research).

Anecdote: Accounts of the trio say they bet on golf and "just about everything" as well as poker (Brunson, Super System 2). The individual wagers aren't documented.

Career highlights

• One of the seven players at the first WSOP in 1970
• 1974 WSOP bracelet: $5,000 Deuce-to-Seven Draw ($35,850)
• 1975 WSOP Main Event champion: $210,000 (UPI report, May 1975)
• 2 WSOP bracelets in total
• Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2012 (posthumously, alongside Eric Drache)

Roberts died on June 23, 1995, of cirrhosis caused by hepatitis.

More Texas road gamblers

This profile is part of Texas Road Gamblers, our guide to the rounders of the old Texas Circuit. Only Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim and Sailor Roberts traveled together as one bankroll partnership; the others played the same circuit separately.

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