Ted Kearly is an American professional poker player from Hancock, Michigan. He has been married to his wife Helen for over 57 years and they have 4 children.
After a brief stint in the Army, Ted Kearly returned home and focused mainly on his education. He went to the Michigan State University, where he graduated with a Masters in Education. After graduation he worked for fourteen years as the coach of Michigan Tech’s football team, following which he became the director of the athletic department. Ted Kearly went on to become the head of the department, a position, which he held until he retired. After retirement, he and his wife bought a winter home in Las Vegas, so that they could stay there during their trips in winter.
The main reason that tied Ted Kearly to the sports arena throughout his career is his love for competition. It was this zeal that drew him to poker, which he started playing during his army days since it gave him a sense of relaxation. Ted Kearly continued playing the game with his friends for many years and at 73, he decided to take up poker professionally. Visits to his winter home in Las Vegas brought him closer to playing Hold’em events, his favorite poker game.
In 2007, Ted Kearly competed in a satellite for the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship, and he went on to win a seat in the $25,000 buy-in main event. On April 27, 2007, he bagged $77,350 in the No-Limit Hold’em Championship event for his thirty-sixth place.
On December 2007, Ted Kearly participated in the No-Limit Hold’em event for seniors at the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic tournament. He made his presence felt in that event by reaching the final table and finishing fifth for which he pocketed $19,475 in cash. After this final-table finish, Ted Kearly played in the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic – WPT Championship - No-Limit Hold'em, where he competed in a field that included a number of top poker professionals and players. On December 18, 2007, he worked his way to the final table and finished as the runner-up, which made him richer by a staggering $1,252,640. At the Five Star World Classic Poker Classic/World Poker Tour World Championship-Season 6, Ted Kearly cashed $25,700 in the Super Satellite – No-Limit Hold’em event for his twenty-seventh place finish.
As of 2008, Ted Kearly has cashed-in at all the four tournaments he has played, and his total tournament winnings amount to $1,375,165, which is really over-whelming considering the fact that he has amassed the money in a relatively short period of time. His success at the tournaments and love for the game has made him feel that he should’ve started playing sooner than he did.
Ted Kearly has great respect for the famous poker player Dan Harrington. His love for the game took over him so much that he regrets not having started sooner. His hobbies, when he is not playing poker, are hunting, fishing, and watching sports, and he calls the south shore of Lake Superior, his favorite place. Ted Kearly loves listening to Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers and Herb Alpert and his favorite movie is Once Upon A Time In The West.