Herb Kelso

Herb Kelso was born on January 5, 1944, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a quarterback for Rule High School's football team and later attended the University of Tennessee but left to pursue other ventures. He owned a construction company and did demolition work before moving to Mississippi in the early 1970s. There, he operated businesses involving golf course construction and became the Club Car distributor in Mississippi. An avid golfer, he played for high limits and frequently bet with friends. He also loved Elvis Presley, seeing him live over 200 times, and would fly to Las Vegas weekly to catch Elvis's shows.

Kelso played in many poker tournaments, with his most notable results coming at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. He cashed in four WSOP events between 1993 and 2003:

• 1993 WSOP Event #3: $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo – 7th place, $8,225
• 1994 WSOP Event #8: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha – 17th place, $2,016
• 1995 WSOP Event #3: $1,500 Limit Omaha – 11th place, $2,736
• 2003 WSOP Event #12: $2,500 Limit Hold'em – 3rd place, $42,400

These cashes represent total WSOP earnings of $55,377. In addition to tournament play, Kelso was a regular in high-stakes cash games in Mississippi, often playing with friends in private games.

In the late 1980s or early 1990s, Kelso was involved in a high-stakes poker game in Indianola, Mississippi, held in the home of a wealthy catfish farmer. The game had no rake, and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi brought a strike force to the game. Kelso was charged under the RICO Act for allegedly funneling his poker winnings through his businesses. The government confiscated and sold his business assets before trial. After a lengthy delay, the trial was held in Oxford, and the jury acquitted him unanimously. The government never returned his belongings, and Kelso refused to sign a statement acknowledging probable cause.

Herb Kelso passed away on May 3, 2022, after a hospitalization for Myasthenia Gravis. He is remembered as a colorful character who loved to bet on anything and lived life on his own terms. His poker career, while not extensive in tournaments, showcases a player who achieved success in limit games and faced extraordinary legal challenges arising from his hobby.