Dave Trask Is Grateful to Be Playing Today
Every year, David Trask and his wife make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas to play in a few World Series of Poker events. In 2024, they arrived near the end of the series, planning to play The Closer and the turbo event. But something wasn’t right; Trask wasn’t feeling well. Still, with some gentle encouragement from his wife, he decided to give the turbo event a try. He played for a few hours before bowing out early, heading back to his room to rest.
Later that night, he woke up with chest pains, and he knew something was seriously wrong. His wife immediately called hotel security, who responded quickly and contacted 911. As they escorted him out, one of the security guards asked, “Was it worth it?”, referring to his brief stint in the tournament.
Trask, ever the optimist, smiled and replied, “See you next year.”
What followed was a harrowing journey. Trask was rushed to Sunrise Hospital, where doctors discovered he was having a heart attack. An attempt to insert stents failed, leading to emergency double bypass surgery. During the operation, complications arose, and Trask died three times on the table before being placed in an induced coma for 53 days. His wife, traveling back and forth from their home in Chardon, Ohio, stayed by his side throughout the ordeal.
But Trask fought. He survived.
And now true to his word, he’s back at the World Series of Poker, playing in a few of the final events. This time, he’s joined by his son, Chad, making the experience even more meaningful.
Trask remains deeply grateful to the Paris Las Vegas security team and the staff at Sunrise Hospital, crediting them with saving his life and treating him with exceptional care. In a heartfelt gesture of appreciation, he wrote extensive Google reviews, which have since been viewed over 3,000 times, his small way of saying thank you to those who helped give him a second chance.