Veteran poker and gaming columnist and author Bob Ciaffone has passed away at the age of 81. Ciaffone died on Friday of undisclosed causes, and his passing was announced on social media by his friend, chess grandmaster, Ben Finegold, with whom Ciaffone had once co-authored a chess book.
Ciaffone, who was nicknamed "The Coach", may have been best known in poker for his long-time role as a card columnist for Card Player Magazine. He also authored or co-authored five poker rules and strategy books, including Omaha Poker: The Action, Middle Limit Poker, Pot-Limit and No-Limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Robert's Rules of Poker. Ciaffone's "Coach" nickname came neither from his poker or chess experiences, but rather from his younger days or organizing and teaching an area bridge club.
Ciaffone did plenty of coaching in poker as well, and his Robert's Rules of Poker served as guidelines for various public and private organizations years before such entities as the Tournament Directors Association came into being. Roberts also created the group Fair Laws on Poker (FLOP), which sought to help states create and enforce standardized guidelines for the governance of poker games in their jurisdictions.
A Brooklyn, New York native, and a resident of Saginaw, Michigan since infancy, Ciaffone also excelled at chess, bridge, and backgammon. Ciaffone co-authored two other strategy books on chess, including the one with Finegold. Both the United States Chess Federation and the American Contract Bridge League awarded Ciaffone the title of Life Master.
