Name Terry Rogers Died 1999, Gran Canaria, Spain | Role Bookmaker | |
Terry "Red Menace" Rogers was an Irish bookmaker, credited with introducing hold'em poker to Europe, alongside "Gentleman" Liam Flood. He earned his nickname from his bright red hair.
Rogers was born into a family of bookmakers. As a teenager, he was laying odds at dog races. He went on to become a pivotal person behind Irish horseracing in the 1960s.
Rogers regularly attended the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the 1980 WSOP, Rogers was the only bookmaker not to write off Stu "The Kid" Ungar from winning the main event. Whilst other bookmakers put Ungar at 100-1; Rogers offered just 20-1, and instead bet on Ungar to win with other bookmakers. Ungar went on to defeat Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson to win the main event.
Back in Ireland, he formed The Eccentrics Club in Dublin, and arranged the inaugural Irish Poker Open tournament through which "Collect" Colette Doherty became the first European to play in the WSOP. Another Eccentrics Club player, Noel Furlong went on to win the 1999 WSOP main event. Rogers passed responsibility for the Irish Poker Open on to Liam Flood shortly before his death.
The family bookmaking business is now run by Rogers' nephew, Terry Rogers Jr.