Updated on 22 Feb 26 by
Barry Carter
Poker Expert

Kenny Rogers passes away

Legendary country music singer and poker icon Kenny Rogers has passed away aged 81, peacefully from natural causes.





He sold over 100 million records and is one of the biggest selling recording artists of all time, but poker players know him best for his iconic 1978 song 'The Gambler'. A song about a travelling poker player who gives his best poker advice to the song's narrator. 

The chorus in particular has become synonymous with the game we love:

You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away, know when to run.

You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table,

There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

It may be too early to suggest, but it feels like if the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame can include Wild Bill Hickok in its ranks, maybe Kenny Rogers could be considered to be an inductee this year too? The Gambler is perhaps the most iconic poker song ever written and is usually the song to accompany a poker scene or reference in popular culture

What is your favourite poker song? Let us know in the comments:


Poker Expert

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO. In 2025, he won the Global Poker Awards for Best Book and Twitter Personality of the Year.