Poker Mourns Poker Hall of Famer and Tournament Director Jack McClelland
The poker community received some sad news today, when it learned that tournament director and beloved member of the poker community, Jack McClelland, had passed away.
Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014, alongside Daniel Negreanu, McClelland earned his induction as a contributor, not a player, because he meant so much to the growth of the game.
McClelland leaves behind an impressive legacy in poker, and the game is in a better place today thanks to the efforts and contributions of this iconic former tournament director.
Remembering Jack McClelland
Born in 1951, McClelland was a one-time semi-professional bowler before finding his way in the poker world.
In a 2013 interview with CardPlayer, he explained how his grandmother taught him how to play, starting with Seven Card Stud.
"[It started] with two-cent ante, nickel-limit seven-card stud. I was kept broke until I was ten years old because I couldn’t throw a hand away (laughs). But I learned a lot about math playing poker."
From playing at a young age, McClelland would ultimately start out as a dealer and eventually a shift manager. Fellow Hall of Famer Eric Drache would ultimately invite McClelland to work at the WSOP, which is where he spent most of the 1980s and 90s as World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament director, announcing the tournament from 1987 to 1999.
He would go on to serve as the Bellagio tournament director from 2002 until his retirement in 2013, as well as work on the World Poker Tour in the early 2000s at a time when televised poker was booming.
McClelland's contributions to poker were recognized the following year, when he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
“Being inducted into the Class of 2014 Poker Hall of Fame is a very exciting prospect and I am sure it will be a very humbling experience,” McClelland said at the time. “I thank everyone involved in this process and to the WSOP, WPT and all of the great people I have met and the wonderful people I have worked with throughout the years.
"Thank you for bestowing this honor upon me. I am very grateful.”
In a 2018 interview, McClelland told PokerNews that, following his retirement, he underwent a heart transplant. He said he had spent the intervening period recovering, playing and enjoying retirement.
“I was playing tournaments for years until my health problems,” he told PokerNews. “Now some days I’ll play two days a week or seven days a week depending on what’s going on.”
Three years later, McClelland enjoyed his best poker result in 2021 when he final-tabled the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, finishing fifth for $40,284.
McClelland's love of poker continued right up until 2025. So far this year, the Hall of Famer has cashed 16 times, mostly playing $200 daily tournaments Las Vegas, the city where he spent the large part of his career, and contributed so much to the game of poker as we know it today.
PokerNews would like to express its condolences to the friends and family of Jack McClelland.
