Remembering Those Poker Players and Personalities Who Passed Away in 2025
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 2025, 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.
Poker Hall of Famer and Tournament Director Jack McClelland
The poker community received some sad news in August when it learned that tournament director and beloved member of the poker community, Jack McClelland, had passed away.
Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2014, alongside Daniel Negreanu, McClelland earned his induction as a contributor, not a player, because he meant so much to the growth of the game.
McClelland left behind an impressive legacy in poker, and the game is in a better place today thanks to the efforts and contributions of this iconic former tournament director. He served as the Bellagio tournament director from 2002 until his retirement in 2013, as well as working on the World Poker Tour in the early 2000s at a time when televised poker was booming.
In a 2018 interview, McClelland told PokerNews that, following his retirement, he underwent a heart transplant. He said he had spent the intervening period recovering, playing, and enjoying retirement.
McClelland's contributions to poker were recognized in 2014 when he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
“Being inducted into the Class of 2014 Poker Hall of Fame is a very exciting prospect, and I am sure it will be a very humbling experience,” McClelland said at the time. “I thank everyone involved in this process and to the WSOP, WPT and all of the great people I have met and the wonderful people I have worked with throughout the years.
"Thank you for bestowing this honor upon me. I am very grateful.”
'Miami' John Cernuto Passes Away at 81
Back in February, mixed game poker tournament legend John Anthony Cernuto, aka "Miami John," passed away from colon cancer. The 81-year-old New Jersey-born poker player had been in hospice care at his Las Vegas home. He leaves behind two adult children and many friends and adoring fans within the poker community.
Cernuto had 597 live tournament cashes, tops among the nearly 700,000 players tracked on The Hendon Mob. Roland Israelashvili is in second place with 574 cashes. Ari Engel, who just won a LA Poker Classic event, is in third place at 565 cashes.
"Miami John," born January 10, 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey, racked up over $6.4 million in live tournament earnings. He won three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and two World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings, and had over $2 million in WSOP cashes. The list of accomplishments also includes 85 known tournament wins.
Cernuto, a former air traffic controller who took up poker in the early 1980s after being fired by President Ronald Reagan, made an impact on the game in more ways than just his play. He inspired many others to take up the game and served as a mentor for players such as actor James Woods, a Los Angeles mixed game player and a WSOP regular.
In June, during the 2025 WSOP, friends and family gathered for a celebration of life, which PokerNews highlighted here.
Famed WSOP Photographer Ulvis Alberts
Ulvis Alberts, the first official photographer of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) who took some of the most iconic shots from the late 1970s and early 1980s – including those that hang on the walls inside the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino – passed away in November at the age of 83.
The news was first shared on social media:
Alberts was the first photographer granted unlimited access to a previously roped-off world at Binion’s Horseshoe.
Born in Latvia, Alberts immigrated to the United States in 1949. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in radio and television. In the late 1960s, he snapped photos of luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, and Jimi Hendrix, just to name a few.
"I got invited primarily by Jack Binion in 1977," Alberts told PokerNews back in 2019. "I was living in L.A. so I could drive my car to Las Vegas."
"It didn't seem like a big deal. It sort of allowed me on the other side of the tape. It gave me a chance to enter a world I wasn't familiar with. I'm not a poker player, by the way. It was a chance to see these people, these characters and cowboys, and in those days, I got a lot of good photography just by the fact that people were smoking cigars and cigarettes. The smoke enhanced some of the situations at Binion's. It was a new world."
1997 WSOP Runner-Up John Strzemp
John Strzemp, runner-up to Stu Ungar in the 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, passed away in April at 73.
The poker player was well-known within the Las Vegas gaming community. He served as an executive for multiple major casinos on the Strip for three decades. Born in Chicago on November 3, 1951, Strzemp former president at Treasure Island, previously an MGM Resorts International casino resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
In 2002, he took over as chief financial officer and executive vice president of Wynn Resorts, working alongside former CEO Steve Wynn, who built Wynn Las Vegas. Strzemp then became executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Wynn Resorts in 2008.
Strzemp cashed in 23 WSOP events from 1997 to 2019. He had nearly $1.2 million in overall live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. But the moment he's most known for as a poker pro came in 1997 when he fell just one spot shy of becoming a world champion thanks to an untimely bad beat.
The WSOP Main Event final table that year was played outside on Fremont Street, right in front of Binion's, the original home to the WSOP. Strzemp was heads-up with Ungar, who was attempting to win his third world championship and first since 1981.
Australian Poker Legend Graeme “Kiwi” Putt
The poker world received sad news in February when word spread that Graeme “Kiwi” Putt passed away. Though he hailed from New Zealand, Putt was well-known throughout the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Australia.
“Sad to hear we lost Graeme Putt today, one of the nicest old guard poker players in Australia and a deserved Hall of Famer,” wrote Australian poker pro Oliver Gill. “Had the best stories about playing in the cane fields in the 70s with farmers at high stakes. Always enjoyed having him at the table.”
Putt had $866,744 in lifetime tournament earnings dating back to 1994, according to The Hendon Mob, which places him 10th on New Zealand’s all-time money list. His career-high score of $49,455 came when he placed fifth in the 2004 Gaming Club World Poker Championship €6,000 Grand Final in Dublin, Ireland. Putt’s last cash came in May 2024 when he finished fourth in the APT Gold Coast Championships AUD$350 H.E.R.O.S. tournament.
In 2013, Putt came close to winning a World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet when he placed sixth in the WSOP APAC Event #1: AUD$1,100 NLH Accumulator, good for AUD$41,610, and also third in Event #3: AUD$2,200 Mixed 8-Game for AUD$22,427.
Known as “the most seasoned road gambler in Australia,” Putt was inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame in 2014.
2001 WSOP Finalist Stan Schrier
Stan Schrier, who turned an $80 satellite into a third-place finish at arguably the toughest final table in World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event history, passed away on April 1, 2025, at the age of 89.
Schrier famously finished in third place behind Carlos Mortensen and Dewey Tomko in the 2001 WSOP Main Event, a final table that also included Phil Gordon, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow, not to mention Daniel Negreanu, who nearly made it by finishing in 11th place.
“I was 63 and the grandpa at the table,” Schrier said in a 2019 interview. “And I never told them I had never played a no-limit tournament before.”
Prior to that final table, Hellmuth was famously boasting about being the best no-limit player in the field, to which Schrier had an iconic quip – “I’ve been in business all my life, now that’s pressure. This isn’t pressure, this is pleasure.”
That year, poker’s most prestigious tournament attracted 613 of the best players to Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. A few years prior, Schrier, who was then in his late 60s, sold his businesses in Omaha and relocated to Vegas to play poker, but that year marked the first time he'd ever played in the WSOP.
His obituary read: “A devoted family man, visionary businessman, and fierce competitor … His life was one of hard work, determination, and an unwavering commitment to his loved ones. Born on July 5, 1935, Stan attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned a business degree. During his time in college, he met the love of his life, Felicia, and together they built a marriage that lasted 60 years, filled with love, laughter, and an unbreakable bond.”
“Stan's legacy is one of perseverance, success, and love for his family. His impact on those who knew him will never be forgotten,” his obituary concluded.
CSOP Favorite Eric “Goldy” Goldstein
The poker world received sad news in early July during the 2025 WSOP when word spread that Eric “Goldy” Goldstein, born March 25, 1973, passed away unexpectedly from a presumed heart attack at the age of 52.
Goldy, as he was affectionately known to his friends, made headlines during the 2022 WSOP when he won a poker tournament in his sleep to win his way into that year’s WSOP Main Event.
As reported by PokerNews, Goldy fell asleep and woke up to discover he'd won an $80 auto all-in satellite on WSOP.com. Goldstein told PokerNews he forgot he was registered for the satellite, which only awarded one seat into poker's most prestigious annual tournament. The entire satellite took approximately four hands as the structure called for everyone to be automatically all in every hand until it concluded.
Goldy, who worked as a compliance specialist in the marijuana industry, was a regular at Jason Sommerville’s Run It Up Reno as well as at nearly every Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) event in Las Vegas.
“I have a lot of love for all of the regulars who make the Charity Series of Poker what it is, but Eric Goldstein was truly a special piece of our organization,” CSOP founder Matt Stout told PokerNews.
Eastern Poker Open's Jordan Fishman
The poker world received sad news in October upon learning that Jordan Fishman, a popular poker player on the East Coast, passed away two days after suffering an unexpected cardiac event.
Fishman was a retired professor who hailed from Southborough, Massachusetts. He had $184,433 in lifetime tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $45,000 from earlier this year when he won the Eastern Poker Open $1,650 High Roller in Milford.
Fishman was cheered on by his girlfriend, Linda Swears, whom he met on the Eastern Poker Tour. They had known each other for 15 years before becoming a couple two years ago. It’s around that time that both of their poker games started to improve dramatically.
“She had a more conservative style, and I was more aggressive. We meshed our games together,” Fishman said at the time. “Without her, it wouldn’t be as much fun. This is the best poker I’ve ever played. I’m ready to tackle anything. This is by far my biggest poker accomplishment.”
Swears shared with PokerNews: “He was my deepest love and my home. It’s hard to think of life without him in it, but we had two and a half amazing years together. I will be forever grateful for the love we had. I never doubted his love for me for a moment after our first date.”
Novelist Jane Hitchcock
Jane Hitchcock (born November 24, 1946), an accomplished New York Times-bestselling mystery novelist and avid poker player, has passed away at the age of 78. The cause of death is currently unknown.
A well-known player at East Coast stops such as Maryland Live! and MGM National Harbor, Hitchcock had $289,471 in lifetime tournament earnings dating back to 2013, according to the Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $57,645 for finishing second in the 2022 Venetian DeepStack Championship Series Event #103: $800 NLH Monster Stack.
The news was shared with the poker world via a social media post from 2021 WSOP Ladies Event champion Lara Eisenberg:
Keith Hall Passes Away
The poker community received sad news in April when well-known Texas poker player Ruth Hall (also known as “Ruthless”), a founding member of the Women’s Poker Association (WPA) and ladies poker advocate, shared that her husband, James “Keith” Hall had passed away after a nearly 18-month battle with cancer.
“James ‘Keith’ Hall has gone to be with his Dad,” Ruth Hall shared on social media. “Our thanks go out to #TeamHall Family & Friends, MSU Brothers, and Childhood Friends for your support and love during his awful cancer journey - close to 18 months. We were blessed to be given this time to show him how much he is truly loved. I told him it’s okay to go that I would come join him, he said: “It’s far.” Until we meet again, Honey. May God Bless Sweet Baby James. I’ll keep loving him every single day and he will always be in my broken heart.”
Hundreds of people expressed their condolences on the social media post, including many from the poker community.
“May God grant you and your family peace and comfort during this time,” wrote two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Kat Bowen.
RGPS Champ Mark Martin
Mark Martin, a regular in Midwest poker circles, passed away back in March at the age of 70.
As noted in his obituary, Martin “was an avid tournament poker player, winning numerous tournaments, including two WSOP Circuit events.”
Indeed, Martin had amassed $283,025 in lifetime tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-high $46,957 for finishing runner-up in the 2024 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Event #3: $500 The Gargantuan. While he fell one spot shy of winning that tournament, he does have two gold rings to his credit.
The first came in 2020 when he won the WSOP Circuit Hard Rock Tulsa Event #4: $400 NLH for $12,995, and then two years later he won the WSOP Circuit Choctaw Durant Seniors Event #2: $250 NLH for $17,492.
However, Martin’s most high-profile win was back in 2014 when he topped a field of 262 runners to win the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Downstream Casino for $36,218.
Born October 29, 1954, in Arkansas City, Kansas, Martin graduated with an associate degree from Cowley County Community College in 1974, and that same year married his wife, Debra R. Weaver.
According to his obituary, “The couple made their first home in Girard before moving to Burden, where they owned and operated the Arctic Locker for nearly 20 years. Mark then began ranching near Dexter where he was raised. They ran a hog consignment farm for nearly 15 years as well as raising cattle. In 2017 the couple built their dream home, and Mark fulfilled a lifelong dream of building his own lake in his backyard. He was a member of Burden United Methodist Church. He enjoyed fishing and bird hunting, especially quail.”
Nebraska's Jeff Banghart
Jeff Banghart, a poker player from Nebraska well-known in Midwestern poker circles, passed away in March after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was 63.
“Jeff died on Thursday,” his friend Tim Carman shared. “I’m sad beyond words - and my own comprehension. Sad for his children, his wife, and his many, many friends who lost this incredibly bright star.”
Banghart, born January 29, 1962, had $1,164,168 in lifetime tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-best $237,865 for finishing 41st in the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Three years later, he made another deep run, finishing 75th in the 2010 WSOP Main Event for $94,942.
He had two other six-figure scores in his caree,r including $205,755 for finishing runner-up in the 2017 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Main Event and a year later third in the 2018 WinStar River Poker Series $2,500 Main Event for $206,570.
In 2009, he won his first and only WSOP Circuit gold ring when he topped a field of 334 entries to win the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #1: $345 No-Limit Hold’em for $30,127. Banghart’s final cash came at the 2023 WSOP when he placed 93rd out of 8,180 runners in the $1,000 Seniors Championship for $6,898.
Actor Kevyn Major Howard
On February 14, Kevyn Major Howard (January 27, 1956 – February 14, 2025) passed away in Las Vegas after being hospitalized for several weeks with a respiratory illness.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my dear friend and supporter of many years of Ante for Autism, Kevyn Major Howard,” poker player Karina Jett, pictured above with Howard, shared on social media. “A major contributor to the cause and a well-known poker player, Kevyn was best remembered for his iconic role in Full Metal Jacket. My deepest condolences to his wife, Tiffanie, his family, and all his friends during this difficult time.”
As Jett alluded to, Howard was perhaps best known for his role as “Rafterman” in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick. He also appeared in movies such as Death Wish II and Sudden Impact, as well as the TV show Miami Vice. Howard was also an accomplished photographer.
In the poker world, Howard was a fixture at Ante 4 Autism at South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. To date, Ante 4 Autism has raised over $1.4 million. Howard was a longtime supporter of the charity poker event and was well-known among participants.
“We’ll miss laughing, playing poker, and swapping stories with you,” wrote Billy Hayes, the inspiration for the 1978 film Midnight Express.
MSPT Champ Kevin Oswald
Michigan's Kevin Oswald passed away on January 18 at the age of 51.
Oswald only had one cash listed on his profile on The Hendon Mob, but it was a big one for $234,422. That came back in May 2024 when he topped a massive field of 2,717 entries to win the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Firekeepers $1,110 Main Event. The Michigan native was a part of a four-way deal that resulted in him winning the MSPT title.
“This feels awesome,” Oswald told the MSPT after his victory, “I’ve been coming here for the last three years every May, so this is just an amazing feeling to be able to win it.”
It may have been the first documented tournament cash for the heavy equipment operator, but he had played poker for decades.
“I work a full-time job but have gotten together with a group of people every Friday for the last 20 years, some of us for the last 25 years,” Oswald elaborated.
According to his obituary, Oswald was predeceased by: his parents, Richard Oswald and Beatrice Oswald (Tenbusch). He is survived by: his brothers, Larry Oswald (Vicki) and Gene Oswald; his nephew Eric Oswald (Ashley); and his nieces, Lacey Shea (Del) and Kayla Kinnee (Dan).
Midwest Poker Player Chris Roth
On January 2, Midwest poker player Chris Roth passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 42.
Born May 21, 1982, Roth graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was well-known within the Wisconsin poker community, especially as an Omaha hi-lo player. He had amassed $402,340 in lifetime tournament earnings dating back to 2006 according to The Hendon Mob, which put him 34th on the Wisconsin all-time money list at the time of his passing.
His career-high score of $78,569 came when he finished sixth in the 2017 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Event #51: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo. Last summer, he once again finished sixth in a WSOP tournament, this time in Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha for $62,457. In 2019, Roth won the Venetian DeepStack Championship Poker Series Event #38: $800 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $30,077.
According to his obituary:
Chris loved playing basketball, bringing the same intensity and flair to the court as he did to everything else in life. He played fast and with a style that was undeniably his own, showcasing his personality and fearless spirit in every game. While at the gym, Chris enjoyed the weight room but never wasted time with a "leg day," prioritizing his glamour muscles instead—a practical and rational choice, he would argue.
Poker was one of Chris’s greatest passions and a defining part of his life. Whether it was online in the early days of internet poker, on Orchard Street in Madison, at the Potawatomi poker room in Milwaukee, or in World Series of Poker tournaments around the country, Chris’s bold and fearless personality shone at the table. Over time, the game itself became secondary to the relationships he built, as poker served as the foundation for many of his most meaningful and lasting friendships.
Mark "Doc" Toulouse
On Sunday, March 2, tragedy struck at Texas Card House (TCH) Dallas after poker player Mark “Doc” Toulouse, 73, passed away during TCH’s $300 NLH tournament, which attracted 1,648 runners.
“According to the report I received, Mark collapsed during the tournament, was taken to a local hospital, and passed away,” Todd Witteles of PokerFraudAlert.com reported. "When the incident occurred, players were already in the money. Mark's stack blinded out, and he officially finished in 26th place, for a cash of $1,475.”
PokerNews reached out to TCH, and a spokesperson shared: “In the update I got this morning, he had a heart attack at the club. We called an ambulance and they came to get him, not knowing his status, we were blinding his stack. We are going to reach out to his family to make sure they get his money.”
Toulouse was well-known in Texas poker circles. He was an Emmanuel College professor from Toronto before retiring in 2017, which is when he started to hit the poker scene hard.
Toulouse's family wrote on social media:
"He died last night in dramatic fashion during a game of poker in a community that I know has meant a lot to him over the last few years. He was laughing one minute, then gone the next (presumed heart attack) and attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. We are all a bit shell shocked today, but are working to make arrangements to celebrate the incredible life of our Dad. He was simply the very best. We are glad we were able to gather with Mom and Dad over Christmas, the first time the 5 of us had all been together in the same place at the same time for too long. We will share more information about services once details are finalized."
David “AtomBomb” Hendrix
Back in October, Mississippi poker player David Hendrix (November 12, 1990 – October 8, 2025), affectionately nicknamed “Atom Bomb,” passed away at the age of 34.
Hendrix suffered from Werdnig-Hoffman disease (also known as spinal muscular atrophy type 1). According to NCBI, Werdnig-Hoffman disease is the most severe form of spinal muscular atrophy, with symptoms that include severe motor weakness, poor muscle tone, and lack of motor development.
The prognosis for Werdnig-Hoffman disease is very poor. The disease presents before six months of age, and it is a progressive muscular disorder that often results in early death. Most patients die prematurely, either in infancy or early childhood, often by two years of life.
“From what the doctors tell me I am the oldest living person in America with my exact diagnosis,” Hendrix told PokerNews in a 2021 interview after he topped a 264-entry field to win the GulfCoastPoker.Net Pearl River Poker Open Event #4: $200 No-Limit Hold’em $20K GTD
His obituary read:
David Hendrix, 34, passed away on October 8, 2025, at North Mississippi Medical Center. He was born on November 12, 1990, in Amory, Mississippi, to Mark Hendrix and Marie Dodd.
David was a devoted member of Bethel Apostolic Church. He was known for his outgoing personality and his ability to make friends anywhere he went — a true social butterfly who never met a stranger. He had a passion for fishing, gaming on his computer and Xbox, and anything involving electronics, which he handled with impressive skill. David loved spending time with his family, friends, and most importantly, with Jesus. He shared a very special bond with his cousins Kelly, Chelsey, Jessica, and Cody.
He also enjoyed playing poker and was well-known among his friends by his nickname, The Atom Bomb. Though he couldn’t hold his cards, his remarkable memory and quick thinking allowed him to win many tournaments with a little help from those who loved him. His intelligence, humor, and bright spirit will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. David’s life was a reflection of joy, perseverance, and faith — qualities that will continue to inspire those he leaves behind.
