Layne Flack: Biography, Career and Poker Results

October 21, 2026

Table of Contents

Layne Flack was an American professional poker player, born on May 18, 1969, in Rapid City, South Dakota, and known as “Back to Back” Flack. He won six World Series of Poker bracelets between 1999 and 2008, took a World Poker Tour title in 2003 and was one of the best-known players of the early poker boom. He died on July 19, 2021, at the age of 52, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame the following year. ^[1][2][3][4]

Layne Flack at a World Poker Tour table — Photo: World Poker Tour, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Layne Flack: key facts

Name	Layne Flack
Nickname	“Back to Back” ^[1]
Born	May 18, 1969, Rapid City, South Dakota, USA ^[1]
Died	July 19, 2021 (aged 52) ^[4]
Nationality	United States ^[1]
Known for	Back-to-back tournament wins; no-limit hold’em in the early 2000s
Poker Hall of Fame	Inducted 2022 (posthumously) ^[3]
WSOP bracelets	6 (81 cashes and 23 final tables on WSOP.com) ^[2]
World Poker Tour	1 title (WPT Invitational, 2003) ^[5][7]
Live tournament earnings	$5,095,381 as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: from dealer to player

Flack was born in Rapid City and grew up mostly in Montana. He moved back to South Dakota to graduate from high school in 1987 and began working in a casino. In 1991 he went back to college in South Dakota, and during the summers he dealt cards in Deadwood. ^[5]

In 1993 he moved to Reno, Nevada. By his own account he won about $10,000 in his first month of playing, then won a no-limit tournament at the Reno Hilton. ^[5] His daughter Hailey was born in 1995, and by then he was a full-time professional. ^[1] For a time he moved to Bozeman, Montana, to open a cardroom in a local casino. ^[5]

Beginning in poker: Las Vegas and Johnny Chan

Flack first came to Las Vegas in 1997. In August of that year he won the Hall of Fame $1,500 no-limit hold’em tournament at the Horseshoe for $67,800, and in 1998 he moved to Las Vegas for good. ^[5] PokerNews writes that he learned the game from players such as Johnny Chan and Ted Forrest. ^[1] After a losing night in a side game, Chan offered to stake him; Flack then won the Rio $500 no-limit tournament with Chan’s backing, on a 50 percent deal with make-up. ^[5]

He also played high-stakes cash games. In 1999 he played in a $2,000/$4,000 seven-card stud game and moved up to the $6,000/$12,000 game at Harrah’s. ^[5]

How he became “Back-to-Back” Flack

In August 1999, at the Legends of Poker series, Flack won the $330 7-Card Stud event for $15,600 and, the following day, the $330 Limit Hold’em Shootout for $19,320. The two wins in a row gave him his nickname. ^[1] Card Player places that series at the Bicycle Casino. ^[7] The name stuck when he won two WSOP bracelets in 2002 and two more in 2003. ^[1]

Playing style

Flack was best known as a no-limit hold’em player, although his bracelets also include Omaha Hi-Lo, limit hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. ^[2] In a 2006 Card Player profile, the World Poker Tour was quoted describing him as “poker’s party boy” and “a dynamo in action”, the Travel Channel said he “plays an ultra-aggressive brand of poker”, and Phil Hellmuth called him a “no-limit poker genius”. ^[5]

Flack described his approach as based on reading people and on pressure against the bigger stacks: “Everyone thinks you should go after the short stack, but I believe you should go after the big stacks.” He also said he did not read poker books or discuss hands with other players. ^[5] After his death, Chip Jett said: “He was the best NL hold’em player in the world back then and just had a brilliant poker mind.” ^[4]

Greatest achievements

World Series of Poker bracelets

Year	Event	Entries	Prize	Source
2008	Event #34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Rebuy)	320	$577,725	[2]
2002	Event #4: $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em	449	$303,880	[2]
2002	Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em	528	$268,020	[2]
1999	Event #12: $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em	187	$224,400	[2]
2003	Event #25: $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout	220	$120,000	[2]
2003	Event #18: $2,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo	135	$119,260	[2]

The two 2002 bracelets came in the first two no-limit hold’em events of that year’s Series and were worth more than $570,000 in two weeks. ^[5] His last bracelet, in the 2008 Pot-Limit Omaha event, was also the largest cash of his career. ^[1] In total his WSOP.com profile lists 81 cashes, 23 final tables and $3,573,316 in WSOP earnings, a total that includes WSOP Online results. ^[2]

Other tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2004	WPT Aruba (UltimateBet.com Poker Classic)	2nd	$500,000	[1]
2016	WinStar River Poker Series Main Event	4th	$225,190	[1]
2002	WPT World Poker Finals	2nd	$186,900	[1]
2003	WPT Invitational	1st	$125,000	[5]
2000	Legends of Poker $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em championship event	1st	$114,000	[5]
2003	Bellagio Five-Diamond World Poker Classic $2,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better	1st	$92,150	[5]
1997	Horseshoe Hall of Fame $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em	1st	$67,800	[5]

At the 2002 World Poker Finals he finished second to Howard Lederer, and in Aruba in 2004 he was runner-up to Eric Brenes. ^[1] Flack later said that one of the highlights of his life was having his nine-year-old daughter watch him at the Aruba final table. ^[5][6] His last reported cashes came in the 2020 WSOP Online bracelet events, where he finished in the money nine times. ^[4]

World Poker Tour title, 2003

In February 2003, in the first season of the World Poker Tour, Flack won the WPT Invitational for $125,000. He finished heads-up against Jerry Buss, whom he had met in the high-stakes games, in a final watched on television. ^[5][7]

Poker Hall of Fame, 2022

Flack died unexpectedly on July 19, 2021, at the age of 52. PokerNews reported that he was found at his home. ^[4] On July 10, 2022, he was announced as the only inductee of the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2022, during the Hall of Fame bounty event at the WSOP. He was chosen from 10 nominees by the 30 living members of the Hall and became its 61st member. ^[3] Matt Savage, a fellow nominee that year, told PokerNews: “In the early 2000’s there was not a better player in the game, not Hellmuth, Negreanu, or Ivey.” ^[3]

Notable TV appearances

His 2003 WPT Invitational heads-up match against Jerry Buss was broadcast on television. ^[5] In September 2007 he made his debut on Poker After Dark in the season two opener, a $20,000 buy-in game with $120,000 to the winner. He arrived with five bracelets, at a table with Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson and T.J. Cloutier that held 45 WSOP bracelets between them. ^[8]

In his own words

“I was always a great people reader.” Card Player, 2006. ^[5]
“In poker, there are 100 things to do and you have to do 98 of them right.” Card Player, 2006. ^[5]
“Not everything can be taught or written down. That’s how I feel about my no-limit game.” Card Player, 2006. ^[5]

When he died, Daniel Negreanu wrote: “RIP Layne Flack… We go way, way back and I’ll cherish all the crazy memories.” ^[4]

Iconic hands and moments

Layne Flack and Tony Ma at the WPT Celebrity Invitational

Layne Flack and David Chiu all in at a WPT final table

FAQ about Layne Flack

How old was Layne Flack when he died?

He was 52. Flack was born on May 18, 1969, and died on July 19, 2021. ^[1][4]

Where was Layne Flack from?

He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and grew up mostly in Montana. ^[1][5]

Why was Layne Flack called “Back to Back”?

He won two Legends of Poker events on consecutive days in August 1999, and later won two WSOP bracelets in 2002 and two in 2003. ^[1]

How many WSOP bracelets did Layne Flack win?

Six, between 1999 and 2008. The last was the 2008 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, for $577,725. ^[2]

What was Layne Flack’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $5,095,381 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews. Cash game results are not published. ^[1]

Is Layne Flack in the Poker Hall of Fame?

Yes. He was inducted posthumously in 2022 as the only member of that year’s class, and became the Hall’s 61st member. ^[3]

What was Layne Flack’s biggest tournament win?

His sixth WSOP bracelet, in the 2008 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, worth $577,725. ^[1][2]

Related Poker Legends

Read more about Johnny Chan, who backed Flack early in his career, Daniel Negreanu, and T.J. Cloutier, who shared Flack’s first Poker After Dark table.