The New Year is not just a time to look ahead with new goals and resolutions, it is also an opportunity to look back at the past year. While 2024 was an incredible year for poker, the world of poker faced profound loss during the year with more than a dozen poker players and personalities leaving this world forever. Let us remember the ones we lost during 2024.
WSOP Bracelet Winner Perry Friedman Passes Away
Perry Friedman, a WSOP bracelet winner and one of the most colorful characters during the ‘Poker Boom’, left this world forever in January this year. He died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. Known for his aggression at the table, multi-colored hairstyles and his talkative nature, he was born on May 15, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York. Friedman was a World Series of Poker grinder and a founding member of the“Tiltboys” alongside Phil Gordon and Dave “Diceboy” Lambert. Check out more details HERE!
Poker Hall of Famer Crandell Addington Passes Away at 85
On April 4, 2024, the poker community mourned the loss of Crandell Addington, a legendary Texas poker pro who passed away at the age of 85. The Poker Hall of Famer cashed four times in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, including an impressive 3 runner-up finishes to Johnny Moss (1974), Doyle Brunson (1976), and Bobby Baldwin (1978).
Born on June 2, 1938, in Graham, Texas, he competed in the inaugural WSOP in 1970 against Brunson, Moss, Amarillo Slim, Puggy Pearson, Sailor Roberts, and Carl Cannon. The late poker legend still holds the record for most WSOP Main Event final table scores with seven. His last WSOP cash came in the 1989 Main Event, a 36th-place finish for $7,500.
WSOPC Ring Winner Alexander Hill Passes From Cancer
In August 2024, the poker community mourned the passing of Alexander Hill, who final-tabled the World Series of Poker Seniors Event about two years ago. He died of cancer days after losing his son-in-law Nic Haug.Hill scored his first cash in 2017 finishing in second in the MSPT Milwaukee for $60,000 and went on to amass $294,943 in live tournament earnings.Hill notched the largest score of his career for finishing in ninth place in the 2022 WSOP Event 47: $1,000 Seniors Championship for $67,471.
Malaysia’s High-Stakes Poker Pro Kok Weng Beh Passes Away at 42
In February, Malaysia’s Kok Weng Beh, a well-known high-stakes poker pro who scored over $885k in live cashes. He passed away at the age of 42. On February 16, Triton Poker shared the sad news of Beh’s passing on social media, stating 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.”
Beh’s first live cash came in November 2010 at the Macau Poker Cup Championship. By the 2010s, Beh moved up stakes and mostly competed in high roller events such as the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series. In a social media post, Poker Dream also noted that Beh was “instrumental in shaping what Poker Dream is today.” Check out more details HERE!
Poker Legend Archie Karas Passes Away At The Age Of 73
In September, the poker community mourned the passing of legendary gambler and avid poker player Archie Karas who passed away at age 73.
Born on November 1, 1950, in Greece, Anargyros Karabourniotis, later known as Archie Karas, grew up in poverty but gambled his way into a lucrative lifestyle. Karas began his career as a waiter and then started playing pool as a side hustle. After his motivation to play pool died, he came across poker. He claimed to have built a bankroll of $2 million in the 1990s from playing cash games. Despite his success, he struggled to gain the respect of poker’s greats like Doyle Brunson and Chip Reese.
Karas’s career was full of struggles. He lost his entire $2 million bankroll, leaving him with only $50. With the remaining $50, Karas came to Las Vegas and convinced a poker player to lend him $10,000. Karas doubled the money to $30k, playing high-stakes Razz, and repaid his debt. Karas continued playing high stakes poker and rebuilt his poker bankroll, amassing over $7 million by playing high rollers. Check more details HERE!
Well-Known Player Jason “Clozer” Kapoor Passes Away at 29
In early September, Jason “Clozer” Kapoor, a well-known player in Michigan and the Midwest poker circuit, passed away at the age of 29. Born on December 21, 1994, Kapoor lived a life full of challenges. The player left his home at 14 and spent 70 hours a week working at a Dunkin Donuts. He started his journey as a car seller before getting into poker. Originally from Michigan, Kapoor relocated to Thailand at the end of 2022 and often shared pictures and videos of his poker travels on social media. Primarily an online and cash game player, Kapoor amassed $153,355 in lifetime earnings, including a career-high $41,721 for a third place in the 2022 Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) US Poker Championship. Read more!
Daniel Sewing and Matt Snook Pass Away in August 2024
The poker fraternity was saddened to hear about the loss of poker prodigy Daniel Sewing and avid poker player Matt Snook. Sewing passed away at the age of 33. Known by his usernames “mj23style” and “RedsoxNets5,” Sewing had amassed over a million dollars in online earnings and was one of the best online poker pros from New Jersey. He won two circuit rings from the WSOP Circuit Online Series. His second circuit ring victory came in March 2024, when he won the $215 NLH Turbo event for $15,702.
Talking about Matt Snook, who died after playing the 2024 WSOP Main Event this summer. He died a month later after battling cancer. He always looked at poker as a passion rather than a profession and cashed in 33 poker events in his live career with $86,703 in earnings. Snook loved singing and participated in the American singing show “The Voice.”
For more details about these poker players, check out this link HERE!
Poker Community Mourn The Loss of Esther Rossi & Lori Smith
On April 1, we lost an avid player in Esther Rossi, who passed away from cancer in Las Vegas. An accomplished player and beloved member of the poker community for years, she had many friends in the game. She recorded 13 cashes for over $200k at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), with her total live tournament earnings reaching $339,000. Rossi grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and learned the game as a child, thanks to her father, Armando Rossi, who played cards all his life. She had a deep passion for stud poker. Ten of her 13 WSOP cashes came in stud or stud hi-lo events, showcasing her stud skills.
Besides Rossi, we also lost Lori Smith who also passed away from cancer at her home in Chico, Texas. Smith recorded $50,149 in live tournament earnings, including a career-high score of $10,449 for her 9th place in the 2013 Choctaw Fall Poker Classic Championship.
Other Prominent Players Who Passed Away in 2024
Among other poker players who passed away in 2024 included two-time WSOPC ring winner Justin Brown (passed away at 38), Florida poker player Ryan Estrada (died unexpectedly in a motorcycle accident),music icon and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Steve Albini (passed away at 61), Northern California poker legend Phil Hawkins, the Hendon Mob poker legend Casey Kastle, WSOP bracelet winner Matthew Parry
Mixed Game enthusiast Mark Dickstein, New Jersey poker player Dan Sewing, and poker media veteran Marty Derbyshire, who died at 52.
As we bid farewell to these players, their contributions to poker and the legacies they built will forever be remembered. May their souls rest in peace! Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates on poker players!
