Poker book author Percy dies

Friday, July 18, 1997 | 9:35 a.m.

George F. Percy, who wrote one of the first and most highly regarded books on low-limit 7-card stud, which taught thousands how to play poker, has died in Las Vegas. He was 67.

The author of the 1979 definitive poker primer "7-Card Stud, The Waiting Game," died Thursday at his home.

Services for Percy, who came to Las Vegas 43 years ago because of health problems that required a drier climate, will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Palm Mortuary-Eastern.

"He was a very easy-going, low-key guy who taught that being patient was the key to success at 7-card stud," said Howard Schwartz, operator of the Gambler's Book Shop in downtown Las Vegas, which published Percy's book.

"His was one of the first books on the subject and, for more than 17 years, has remained one of the best. He was a low-limit player who wrote poker for the low-limit players.

"If you learned to play poker in the 1980s, you probably first learned to play stud, and you may have learned it from reading George's book," Schwartz said.

Born March 16, 1930, in Butler, Pa., Schwartz grew up on a farm. With his father, young George attended farm co-op meetings. After the meetings, he would watch the men play penny poker.

At age 11, he got into his first game with money he earned from collecting and turning in refundable soda pop bottles. As a teenager, he played in the poker parlor of a local bordello, winning as much as $100 a night.

In an interview published in the Sept. 22, 1989, issue of Card Player magazine, Percy credited his early success to a 1940s poker hand probabilities book written by legendary bridge player Oswald Jacoby.

At age 18, Percy boxed in the Golden Gloves as a light heavyweight. In 1950, he married his high school sweetheart, Velora, who survives him.

Percy continued honing his poker skills at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied electronics.

After moving to Las Vegas in 1954, he played poker at the Flamingo and Pioneer Club, among others. But, like many gamblers, Percy went broke.

Undaunted by that setback, Percy, who for many years worked as an electronics engineer at the Nevada Test Site to raise his family and pay the bills, continued to study and play stud. He compiled many notes on poker.

In the late 1970s, Percy got together with John Luckman, founder of the Gamblers Book Shop, who encouraged him to put his data into book form. After Luckman's death, Schwartz convinced Percy to keep his book in print.

Despite the passing of the years and the availability of many other books on the subject, "The Waiting Game" remains a popular seller that has withstood the test of time, Schwartz said.

Percy was a former member of the Paradise Valley Improvement Association and was a member of the Woodmen of the World.

In addition to his wife, Percy is survived by two sons, David Percy of North Las Vegas and Tom Smith of Indian Springs; three daughters, Dawn Percy of Henderson, Cherryll Pritchett of Pahrump and Darlene Smith of Indian Springs; a brother and two sisters; and seven grandchildren.