Tampa Poker Community Mourns Passing of Local Legend Tom McDonald
Players at the 2026 Tampa Poker Classic learned sad news over the weekend as reporter Al “ALCANTHANG” Rash shared that Tom McDonald, a long-time regular at the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, passed away on March 13.
McDonald had $502,472 in lifetime tournament earnings dating back to 2012, according to The Hendon Mob. That included a career-best $97,475 for finishing third in the 2022 Tampa Poker Classic $2,500 Championship Event. That came a week after he finished second in Event #2: $400 NLH for $47,072.
That same year, he made a deep run in the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $1,000 Super Seniors, finishing 14th out of a field of 2,669 runners for $15,300.
More recently, he won $66,930 for finishing second to Paul Snead in the 2024 Tampa Poker Classic $1,700 Championship. As Rash pointed out, when McDonald finished third for his career-high score, Snead also won that tournament!
According to Rash, McDonald would often enter the tournament and ask, “Have you seen Paul Snead? I can’t beat him.”
Over the past year, McDonald has cashed in tournaments in Tampa, Biloxi, Maryland, Las Vegas, and Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.
“We lost one of the nicest guys in the game,” Rash wrote. “Rest in peace to a truly kind gentleman and friend to so many in the Poker Room. Our condolences to his friends and family. He will be missed.”
*Image courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock Tampa.
