Remembering Those Poker Players and Personalities Who Passed Away in 2024

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The New Year is not only an opportunity for poker players to look ahead, perhaps setting new resolutions and goals, but also a chance to look back at the year gone by.

In 2024, that entails remembering those poker players, industry members, and personalities who unfortunately passed on.

Here’s a look at some of those we lost over the past year.

Founding Tiltboy Member Perry Friedman Passes Away

Perry Friedman, one of the most colorful characters during the “Poker Boom,” passed away in January from pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. Friedman was known as an aggressive jester at the table, often sporting multi-colored hairstyles, chattering nonstop, and generally being the life of the party.

Born May 15, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York, Friedman was a well-known World Series of Poker (WSOP) grinder and bracelet winner, as well as a founding member of the“Tiltboys” alongside Phil Gordon and Dave “Diceboy” Lambert.

Friedman graduated from Long Island’s Sachem High School in 1986 and then attended Stanford University where he was a member of the cycling team. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematical and Computational Science in the Fall of 1990 and his Masters in Computer Science in 1991. He went on to work for IBM before returning to the Bay Area and getting a job with Oracle. He would eventually start a company called Pick’em Sports, which was acquired by Internet Sports Network before collapsing when the Internet bubble burst.

In 2003, he was the first employee hired at Tiltware, the software company used by Full Tilt Poker in the rapidly expanding online poker market.

Back in 2002, Perry became a WSOP gold bracelet winner when he took down Event #3: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo for $176,860. He also had three third-place finishes in WSOP tournament, most recently in 2017 in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $104,416. All told, Perry had $1,055,953 in WSOP earnings, which accounted for nearly all his documented cashes dating back to 2000 totaling $1,135,178 according to the Hendon Mob.

Click here to read more on Friedman’s passing.

Two-Time WSOPC Ring Winner Justin Brown Passes Away at 38

Poker pro and two-time World Series of Circuit (WSOP) ring winner Justin Brown passed away on February 2 from what his family says was a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer.

Brown was just shy of $400,000 in career earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. He was regularly seen on stops of the Mid-States Poker Tour, Heartland Poker Tour, and WSOP Circuit events throughout the Midwest — where he won rings in Tunica and at Horseshoe Hammond in Indiana. Brown’s career-high score was a win for $83,302 in the Hollywood Fall Classic outside Cincinnati in 2011.

A graduate of Indiana University, Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History before his passion for statistics led him to a career in professional poker. Outside of poker, he enjoyed travel, sports, and even mushroom hunting. He is survived by his Mother, Teresa; his father, Gregory; and siblings James, Jeremy, and Katelyn.

The poker world expressed their condolences including his friend Ari Engel, who told PokerNews: “Justin loved his family and he and his brother Jeremy were as close as I’ve ever seen brothers be. He was also an amazing and loyal friend- both to human friends and his beloved dog Clyde. I will always have fond memories of the summers we stayed together in Vegas and hanging out at various minor league stops throughout the years. While I’m devastated at losing my friend, I feel so honored to have known such a wonderful person. You are and will be missed Jbrown.”

Click here to read more about Brown’s passing.

Malaysian High-Stakes Poker Player Kok Weng Beh Passes Away at 42

In February, Malaysia’s Kok Weng Beh, a high-stakes poker player who amassed hundreds of thousands in tournament earnings, passed away at the age of 42.

On the morning of Feb. 16, Triton Poker shared the news of Beh’s death on social media, noting that his “legacy lives on in the cards and community (he) helped shape.” In light of Beh’s death, Triton offered a tribute to the Malaysian poker player’s “profound impact on our poker community.”

“Wayne’s legacy, deeply woven into the essence of poker today, inspires us to continue his spirit of camaraderie and excellence,” Triton wrote on X. “Our thoughts are with his family during this challenging time.”

Beh’s first poker tournament cash came in November 2010 from a deep run at the Macau Poker Cup Championship, a series he would continue grinding in the following years, according to The Hendon Mob.

By the late 2010s, Beh had moved up stakes and mainly played high roller events, including at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series.

Click here to learn more about Beh’s passing.

Florida Poker Player Ryan Estrada Passes Away

In March, the poker community recently received the sad news that Florida poker player and World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Ring winner Ryan Estrada passed away unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident.

Estrada was a grinder from Sunrise, FL who was active in the Florida poker community and earned $316,969 in live earnings since his first cash in February 2021 according to the Hendon Mob.

Fellow Florida poker player Matthew Sonzogi shared news of Estrada’s death on X, writing that he was “absolutely sick to my stomach” and calling Estrada “one of the nicest kids I met in Florida.”

Estrada’s first poker cash game in the form of a victory as he took down a $100 Survivor event at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek for $500.

It was a sign of things to come for Estrada as he went on to win tournaments throughout Florida, including a Seminole New Years Series $200 event ($23,000), a WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $400 event ($6,080) and a Pompano Isle Casino $250 event ($6,000).

Another career highlight came in October 2023 when he took down a $400 Big 30k event at WSOPC Pompano Beach for $15,514 and a Circuit ring. The same month, he earned his largest cash from a runner-up finish in the SHR Hollywood Anniversary Big Slick Special for $30,935.

Read more on Estrada here.

Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington Passes Away at 85

In April, Crandell Addington, a legendary Texas poker pro, passed away at age 85.

The Poker Hall of Famer cashed four times in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event — three times in the 1970s — including runner-up finishes to Johnny Moss (1974), Doyle Brunson (1976), and Bobby Baldwin (1978).

Addington, born June 2, 1938, in Graham, Texas, passed awayon April 14, 2024. He competed in the first-ever World Series of Poker in 1970 against Brunson, Moss, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Sailor Roberts, and Carl Cannon. Back then, poker’s world championship event was tiny and in its infancy, and the winner — Moss — was determined by a vote.

The late poker legend still holds the record for most WSOP Main Event final table appearances with seven. His last WSOP cash came in the 1989 Main Event, a 36th-place finish for $7,500.

Addington was one of the lone remaining Texas road gamblers from the 1960s and 1970s. He came up in poker competing against the likes of Brunson, Moss, and Amarillo Slim, all Texans, and fellow Poker Hall of Famers. In 2005, Addington joined the crew in the HOF, and was inducted alongside Jack Binion.

Click here to learn more about one of the true legends of poker.

Music Icon, Two-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner Steve Albini Passes at 61

In early May, Steve Albini, a legendary music figure and a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, passed away of a heart attack on Tuesday at 61.

A self-described audio engineer, Albini helped pioneer noise rock in the 1980s with his band Big Black and later produced some of the most important albums in alternative rock history. Music outlets including Pitchfork and Rolling Stone first reported his death, which was confirmed by Albini’s Electrical Audio Recording in Chicago.

Albini is best known for producing Nirvana’s final 1993 album In Utero and also worked with alternative artists including the Pixies, PJ Harvey, Slint, Low and The Breeders. Later in his career, he worked with mainstream giants like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.

Albini was also a passionate poker enthusiast — particularly shining in mixed games — and regularly played at the WSOP in Las Vegas.

In 2018, he took down a $1,500 Stud event for $105,629 and his first bracelet, a feat he followed up on four years later with a $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. victory worth $196,089.

Northern California Poker Legend Phil Hawkins Passes Away

In May, PokerNews learned that Phil Hawkins, a longtime poker player and former cardroom owner from Northern California, has passed away.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the late NorCal poker legend owned the Dealers Choice Cardroom in Auburn, California. He also had success as both a tournament and cash game player and left a lasting impression on the community.

Years ago, Hawkins sold his poker room, and the new owner changed the name to Deuces Wild. The sale didn’t go well for either party as the Deuces Wild owner had his license revoked and bthe usiness closed.

Hawkins would go on to co-own the Atwood Liquor & Deli. But his true passion was poker, a game he began playing long before the Chris Moneymaker boom era. In 2004, he earned his biggest live tournament score — $100,102 — for taking down a $1,570 buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo event during the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

He racked up over $200,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. The NorCal poker player was most recently known to have played at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA, a town near Sacramento.

Click here to learn more about Phil Hawkins.

The Hendon Mob Poker Legend Casey Kastle Passes Away

The poker world is mourning the loss of Global Poker Awards winner Casey Kastle who passed away on Monday.

Kastle played poker for decades, appearing in major tournaments such as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and Aussie Millions. The Slovenian poker pro, born in 1960, left a lasting impression on the poker community.

For years, Kastle held one of the most impressive records in poker — being the first to collect 50 flags on The Hendon Mob. What that means is he had cashed in poker tournaments across 50 countries. That’s a mark few have ever or will ever achieve.

Kastle had great success as a poker player — $2.2 million in live tournament cashes — but he was equally respected among his peers beyond the felt. The late poker pro’s first recorded cash came in January 1998, a third-place finish for $22,800 in a $540 buy-in no-limit hold’em event in Las Vegas.

Since then, he’s played thousands of tournaments and cash games across the world, winning tournaments in 13 different countries, another rare feat. Kastle’s largest cash occurred in 2008 — $137,985 — when he took second place in a $1,500 buy-in pot-limit Omaha event at the World Series of Poker, the closest he came to winning a bracelet.

Kastle has long been known for his The Hendon Mob record, and it became part of who he was within the poker community. The accomplishment was finally recognized internationally in 2024 when he received the Hendon Mob Award at the Global Poker Awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

Learn more about Casey Kastle here.

Friends, Family Mourn Loss of Longtime Poker Player Esther Rossi

Friends and family members of Esther Rossi, who passed away from cancer April 1, gathered on Saturday in Las Vegas to celebrate her life.

The young generation of poker players might not be familiar with Rossi, but those who followed the game in the pre-Chris Moneymaker boom era will certainly recognize the name. She was an accomplished player and beloved member of the poker community for years, and had many friends in the game.

Rossi took a step away from the poker world at one point in the 2010s, but she recorded 13 cashes for over $200,000 at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), her first being a runner-up finish in the 1998 $500 Ladies Limit 7-Card Stud event for $10,625. According to The Hendon Mob, she had $339,000 in live tournament cashes.

The late poker player is the former girlfriend of David “Chip” Reese, considered by many one of the greatest poker players of all time. Reese, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, passed away in 2007 at age 56.

Rossi grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and learned to play cards as a child thanks in no small part to her father, Armando “Spare” Rossi, who played cards all his life. In 1987, she moved to Las Vegas.

Read more about Rossi and her career here.

WSOP Bracelet Winner Matthew Parry Unexpectedly Passes Away

The poker world received shocking news in June that World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Matthew Parry, who was a week removed from winning a Wynn Summer Classic title, passed away unexpectedly. The news was shared by Parry’s family via the following message on his Facebook account:

It’s with crushing sadness that we’re letting friends of Matt’s and our family know that Matt passed away on Saturday, June 15. As many of you are aware, he had 2 true passions - chess and poker. Happily, he was in Las Vegas attending the WSOP doing what he loved when he died. Last year, he fulfilled his dream when he won his first bracelet. He is deeply and forever missed. At this time, arrangements are being made and we’ll use FB and email to communicate in the event you would like to join us in celebrating his life. Please keep our Matt in your prayers.

Parry, a Scholastic National Champ at chess, hailed from New York where he graduated from Fairport High School and studied at the University of Buffalo. He learned to play poker with friends and online.

He had $1,908,422 in lifetime tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob including a career-best $480,122 for winning the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #82: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed for a gold bracelet. The win came three years after he nearly won an online bracelet finishing runner-up to Nick Guagenti in the 2020 WSOP.com Online Event #29: $2,000 NLH Deepstack.

Parry, who once told PokerNews he was “mostly a cash game player,” was off to a good start this summer finishing 11th in the 2024 WSOP Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for $19,048, and then two days later winning the Wynn Summer Classic $2,200 Pot-Limit Omaha for $106,645.

For more on Parry and his poker career, click here.

WPT at Sea’s Kurt McPhail Passes Away Unexpectedly

The poker world received the sad news on Wednesday that Kurt McPhail, a long-time member of the World Poker Tour (WPT) family who founded the WPT League back in 2007 and more recently operated the WPT at Sea Poker Room on Virgin Voyages, passed away unexpectedly.

McPhail, who lived in Mulvane, Kansas but was just as likely to be sailing the high seas over the past year, studied at Fort Hays State University and has been married to Kathy McPhail since November 11, 1998.

The WPT released the following statement on social media:

“RIP Kurt. You gave me some of my best experiences in life. I know you’re enjoying your eternal cruise, save a spot for all of us. Love you man,” Tommy Stokes wrote on social media.

Read more about McPhail’s contributions to the WPT here.

Mixed Game Enthusiast Mark Dickstein Passes Away

The poker world received sad news in August as news surfaced that poker player Mark Dickstein, a noted mixed game enthusiast, had passed away.

The news was shared by Ari Engel on social media:

“Sad news to report: my friend Mark B. Dickstein has passed away. Many of you especially mixed game players will have played with him over the years. I only became friends with him over the last year when he was already sick but even in that short time we had some really interesting talks – he had a very different perspective to many issues – which made for some long (and occasionally heated) back and forth and a number of prop bets. I’ll especially remember how he made a number of very generous charitable donations that no one knew about. I’ll miss you Mark- rest in peace my friend. Baruch Dayan Haemet”

Dickstein had $775,874 in lifetime earnings dating back to 2004 according to the Hendon Mob. That included a career-best score of $184,428 for finishing third in the 2006 WSOP $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event, which was won by Lee Watkinson. More recently, Dickstein had seven cashes this summer at the 2024 WSOP including 26th in Event #32: $1,500 Limi Seven Card Stud.

Outside of poker, Dickstein had made a name for himself in the early days of hedge funds. Alongside his business partner, David Brail, Dickstein built the firm Dickstein Partners, which was one of the preeminent hedge funds of the time with expertise in merger arbitrage and bankruptcy investing. Dickstein was so prominent at the time that he was even profiled in the New York Times back in 1994.

Read more about Dickstein here.

Matt Snook Passes Away One Month After Playing Main Event

Matt Snook, who crossed off a bucket list item of playing in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) this summer, passed away a month later in Agusut after a year-long battle with cancer.

The Kansas City resident and two-time “The Voice” contestant served as an inspiration when he entered the 2024 WSOP Main Event in July. He was not only terminally ill at the time but wasn’t feeling very well when he sat down to play. PokerNews caught up with him for a chat before the Day 1d session began, and he explained why he traveled halfway across the country to play in the largest buy-in tournament of his life.

“I had some friends get together, and they basically helped me out,” Snook said of entering the world championship event. “It’s the coolest tournament in the world, and I love it.”

Snook, a country music singer, said last month that he was “diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer on January 3rd,” and referred to his appearance in the Main Event as his “last hoorah.” He knew he had limited time due to his battle with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC), a rare, aggressive form of kidney cancer that can affect other parts of the body. But he was still in good spirits entering the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

“I’ve lived such a blessed life, I feel good today, had a tough night last night, and I’m planning on trying to work through what I’ve got to work through,” he said. “Poker players know that poker is a grind and life is a grind. But I don’t want anybody feeling sorry for me. I don’t want any empathy. I’ve just lived a blessed life and I’m glad to be here.”

Snook said those with his illness typically live for 6-12 months, but he believed he became ill a few months before seeing a doctor. The musician who appeared on Season 8 of “The Voice,” a singing reality television competition show, was mostly a cash game player in Kansas City. But he also enjoyed tournaments once in a while and had a passion for the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS).

Learn more about Snook and his interesting life here.

New Jersey Poker Player Dan Sewnig Passes Away at 33

Online poker player and Circuit ring winner Dan Sewnig passed away on August 13 at the age of 33.

Sewnig, who played under the handles “mj23style" and “RedsoxNets5”, amassed over a million in online earnings and was recognized as one of the best online poker players in New Jersey.

Sewnig’s obituary notes that he “found success as a self-employed professional in the poker world” and also states he “excelled in athletics” and “loved playing all types of games, as well as running, hiking, nature walks, and both playing and watching basketball.”

PokerNewsprofiled Sewnig in 2020, noting that he learned poker from his cousin when he was 11 and was playing $5 sit and gos with his fellow seventh-graders when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 Main Event.

“I’ll always remember our friend’s mom asked us who we thought was going to win," he told PokerNews. “There were about 50 players left in the TV coverage and Ivey and Farha were the popular answers. I said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve got a good feeling about that guy Moneymaker.’ She gave me a look at the time that I thought meant she thought I was stupid. I had no idea at the time that these shows were prerecorded and she already knew that he had gone on to win!”

Sewnig graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he ran cross country, with a degree in math and a concentration in education. He was on track to become a teacher before testing the waters of the newly regulated online poker market in New Jersey.

Learn more about Sewnig and his poker career here.

Alexander Hill Passes from Cancer Days After Losing Son-in-Law

The poker community received sad news in August that Wisconsin’s Alexander Hill, who final tabled the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seniors Event two years ago, died from cancer.

“The poker community and his poker buddies meant so, so much to him,” Hill’s son, Alex Kestrel, wrote in a social media post.

Hill’s passing was especially tragic for his family as just a few days earlier his son-in-law, Nic Haug, passed away unexpectedly.

Hill notched his first tournament cash in 2017 finishing in second place in the MSPT Milwaukee for $60,000. He went on to amass $294,943 in lifetime tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob.

In September 2022, Hill topped a 283-entry field to win the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #9: $400 Monster Stack for $20,375 and a gold ring. Hill had the largest score of his career when he placed ninth in the 2022 WSOP Event 47: $1,000 Seniors Championship for $67,471.

Read more about Alexander Hill here.

Poker Media Veteran Marty Derbyshire Passes Away at Age 52

The poker world received sad news this past weekend when it was revealed that longtime poker media veteran Marty Derbyshire, 52, passed away unexpectedly from Melioidosis, also known as Whitmore’s disease, an uncommon bacterial infection.

Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, Derbyshire relocated to Thailand several years ago where he married his wife. Derbyshire worked for many different outlets throughout his career including PokerLisitings and PokerNews where he was both a live reporter at stops around the world as well as a go-to scribe for articles.

Former PokerNews Editor-in-Chief Matthew Parvis offered:

“During the 10 years that I was fortunate enough to work in the poker industry, I can’t think of too many people who were more engaging to work with Marty Derbyshire. He had instinct, creativity, wit, and a knack for being bold and unafraid with his opinions. There were more than a handful of times that his work would get him and me in a bit of hot water, and looking back I’m so proud to have backed him to speak his mind and challenge the status quo of a blossoming industry. Marty had such a passion for poker and a passion for life. He will be missed and I will look back at our relationship with nothing but fondness.”

Learn more about Derbyshire’s poker media career here.

Poker Community Mourns Unexpected Loss of Jason “Clozer” Kapoor at 29

The poker community received sad news in early September when word surfaced that Jason “Clozer” Kapoor, a well-known player from both the Michigan poker community and the Midwest circuit, ended his own life at 29 years old.

Born December 21, 1994, Kapoor left home when he was just 14 years old and worked 70 hours a week at a Dunkin Donuts during his teenage years. He began selling cars before eventually turning to poker full-time in 2019. Originally from Michigan, Kapoor relocated and built a home in Thailand at the end of 2022, often sharing pictures and videos of his adventures on social media.

While primarily an online and cash game player, Kapoor had $153,355 in lifetime earnings according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $41,721 for finishing third in the 2022 Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) US Poker Championship. Kapoor held a dominant chip lead during three-handed play and it looked like he was going to be the champion, but he then proceeded to lose four close all-in scenarios to fall to eventual champ Ken Baime.

Kapoor, who had lost his mother two years earlier, learned while competing in that tournament that fellow poker player and his best friend of 15 years, Ray Malone III, was killed by a drunk driver

“He dedicated what would be his biggest lifetime score to him when he ended that tournament in third place,” said Kapoor’s friend and poker reporter Liam Gannon. “He wore his heart on his sleeve and was just a very no-bullshit kind of guy. One of the most infectious smiles in poker.”

See poker community reactions to Kapoor’s passing here.

Evansville Sports Legend Clint Keown Passes Away in Automobile Accident

Clinton Keown from Evansville, Indiana, passed away on September 22 in an automobile accident. A renowned athlete for both basketball and baseball, Keown was also a popular poker player in the community.

Keown, born February 25, 1980, had $171,271 in lifetime earnings according to the Hendon Mob, which included a career-high $36,480 for finishing ninth in the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit $10,000 Championship Event at Horseshoe Southern Indiana.

As word of Keown’s passing spread, several players offered their condolences on social media.

“The poker world lost one of the greatest genuine gamblers to ever bet on themselves to a fatal car accident,” wrote Michael Laake. “He was every bit of the next generation’s Huck Seed. Absolute master and legend of the game.”

Learn more about Clint Keown here.

Legendary Gambler Archie Karas Passes Away

In September, PokerNews learned that famed gambler and avid poker player Archie Karas has passed away at age 73.

Anargyros Karabourniotis, his birth name, famously went on a heater simply referred to as “The Run” in December 1992 when he drove to Las Vegas with just $50 in his pocket and would later turn that, along with a $10,000 loan, into $50 million before giving it all back a few years later. He claims to have gambled more money in casinos than anyone in history.

Karas was born on Nov. 1, 1950, in Greece. He’d later take on the moniker “The Greek,” and has been compared to another high-stakes legendary gambler, Nick the Greek, who passed away over 60 years ago.

Karas, a Nevada resident who also lived in Los Angeles and Portland in his early adult days, grew up in poverty but would eventually gamble his way to a more lucrative lifestyle. He started off his professional career waiting tables in restaurants before taking up pool as a side hustle.

The pool hustle paid more than he’d make waiting tables. But eventually, the willing opposition to face him at the pool table dried out. That is when he took up poker and claimed to have built up a bankroll of $2 million in the early 1990s. But poker legends at the time such as Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese weren’t overly impressed with his game. They would even give Karas a handicap just to get him in the game.

Karas would lose his bankroll by December 1992, except for $50, which he took with him to Las Vegas where he convinced a poker player to give him a $10,000 loan. He spun that money up to $30,000 playing high-stakes razz, and then paid back his backer.

Using that money to continue gambling, he won hundreds of thousands of dollars in pool halls around town. He then took on a high-stakes player known as “Mr. X” at Binion’s Horseshoe, the original home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Karas won a few million against Mr. X, and had reportedly built a bankroll over $7 million within a few months before losing it all.

Check outPokerNews’ full obituary on Karas here.

Remembering Women’s Poker Advocate Lori Geer Smith

Lori Geer Smith (March 12, 1959 - November 7, 2024) passed away from cancer at her home in Chico, Texas.

Lupe Soto, founder of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, shared the news on the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS) page:

“Heaven has gained an angel… Lori Geer Smith who is a friend to so many of our poker sisterhood has passed and we’ll miss her deeply. Our hearts are hurting but none more than her sweet family. Our prayers and love are with them all. Fly high Lori… seat open.”

Smith had $50,149 in lifetime earnings dating back to 2010 according to the Hendon Mob, which included a career-high $10,449 for finishing ninth in the 2013 Choctaw Fall Poker Classic $1,100 Championship Event.

Smith’s obituary stated: “Lori married Ronnie Smith on July 1, 1981. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, the Ed Henry Stewart Charitable Foundation, and the Women’s Poker Association. Lori enjoyed traveling with her husband on cruises. But most of all Lori (Marmie) loved spending time with her family and friends. She will be greatly missed.”

Read more about Smith’s women initiative efforts here.

PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.