Gavin Smith Poker
Table Of Contents
- Gavin Smith was in many ways a pioneer in poker, certainly in poker media, which may seem like an overstatement but is true. Gavin was one of the first big-name professional poker players to truly embrace the new forms of media available to promote the game.
- Name: Gavin Smith Nickname: Birdguts Birth Date: 4th September, 1968 Birth Place: Guelph, Ontario, Canada Current Residence: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Poker Room: Full Tilt Poker. Gavin Smith is a Canadian poker player who started out playing cards as a youngster. His father had taught him cribbage and rummy during his childhood at.
- Welcome to the official website of Gavin Smith, professional poker player. Read about what it's like to be a poker pro on the tournament circuit. Gavin Smith - Official Website of Poker Professional Gavin Smith.
- Gavin Smith Memorial Poker Tournament details This rake-free, no limit hold ’em tournament is set for Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. In the Pavilion at the Rio Convention Center. Buy-in will be $200, with 50% of all entry fees going directly to the Gavin Smith Trust.
“Gavin Smith, WPT and WSOP champion, was one of the most fun and beloved players in poker history on and off the felt,” he tweeted. “His laugh was infectious.” Sexton added that Smith.
Disclaimer: Jonathan “Jonny” Ferrari is sharing his first-hand account of the days leading up to Smith’s passing, and what he believes was ultimately the cause of death. Ferrari is no medical expert and is only offering his own thoughts about the potential cause of death.
Four days after Gavin Smith’s untimely passing, his longtime friend and neighbor, Jonathan “Jonny” Ferrari, published a post on Facebook.
“It was not partying or due to drinking,” he said of Smith’s death. “He was home as I watched his kids until that evening. Around midnight there was a pounding knock regarding an emergency in his home.”
PokerNews had the opportunity to speak with Ferrari about the days leading up to Smith’s passing, and what he believes was ultimately the cause of death.
Refuting Speculation
Gavin Smith Film Studio Executive
In his post, Ferrari refers to Smith having a “hereditary” illness “unrelated to any behavior.” What exactly did he mean by that?
“I just wanted to set the record straight. I know with Gavin there would be a lot of speculation,” Ferrari said. “He used to say that his father died at his age of hemophilia. He didn’t think that he was going to live long. He would make references to future events as close to a year away and then add, 'if I’m still alive.'”
Ferrari on Smith: 'He knew he had an illness, he spoke about it all the time.”
He added: “On the 8th when I got back to town, he was in great shape, high energy. He was 100% full Gavin, funny, no pain. [A few days later] he cut his finger and it wouldn’t stop bleeding, I’ve never seen anything like it, and that’s consistent with hemophilia.
“He went to [play poker at Choctaw] and when he came back from that event, he was not feeling well. The next day when he woke up he was visibly not feeling well, I’ve never seen him like that in my life. It just happened abruptly like that. He was moaning … The day leading up to his death, the 14th, I picked up the kids from school … around 6:30-7 p.m. they were hanging out at my place so I hadn’t been to his house where he wasn’t feeling well.”
Dispelling Drug Talk
“He was not doing any drugs or drinking or doing anything that would cause this ... I was around him 24 hours a day. He drank a little bit but there was by no means, at all, any illicit substance in the house,” Ferrari reiterated. “I saw absolutely no drug use. If that was here, I would see that; I was really close. I’m not saying that to cover anything up, that’s just a real fact. I’m worried that people are going to speculate and make up fake stories based on his past behavior.”
He continued: “I’m hearing speculation and shitty things about his liver, and that very well could be, but the hereditary condition of hemophilia caused what it looks like, from who I’m talking to and from what I saw with the finger, he was bleeding from the inside, even if it was his liver, because of that illness … He knew he had an illness, he spoke about it all the time.”
Throughout the conversation, Ferrari also highlighted what so many others have about Gavin – that he was a devoted father and nothing meant more to him than his two sons, Kingston and Keegan.
“The kids are in good hands with family,” Ferrari said. “They’re going back to Canada.”
Regarding Smith’s boys, the GoFundMe established by poker pro Josh Arieh had raised more than $72K from the $100K goal after eight days. Click here for more details on the fundraiser.
The Gavin Burger
Speaking of raising funds for Smith’s children, his good friend Mark 'P0ker H0' Kroon is leveraging a longtime tradition at his tavern, Players Bar in Madison, Wisconsin, to support the cause.
Known for their “Burger of the Week,” Players Bar is bringing back a popular burger, “The Gavin Burger,” that was designed years ago by Smith himself. On it is a half-pound of Jennifer Street ground beef, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, fried onions, all drizzled with roasted red pepper garlic mayo. It’s served with fries or chips all for $10.
All proceeds are going to Smith’s kids, and not only that, Madison businessman Jon Green graciously volunteered to match all money raised.
In a video posted to social media, an emotional Kroon talks about the origin of “The Gavin Burger.”
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Gavin Smith Poker Player
08:4716 Jan
High-stakes poker pro Gavin Smith has died unexpectedly at the age 50, at home in Canada. The loss of the popular figure in the live community has shocked all who knew him.
Gavin Smith Poker Net Worth
Smith had won more than $6 million worth of live tournament winnings and his success stretches back all the way to the poker boom 15 years ago. He was also a Full Tilt poker pro, well-known on TV shows such as Poker After Dark.
His best cash remained the only seven-figure score he ever took down, the $1,128,278 won for winning the Mirage Poker showdown. This, however, does not give full credit to the amount of good feeling that was felt to Smith in regards to the good person he was known to be.
Smith’s family and friends,including fellow Canadian Daniel Negreanu, are now telling all just what a special person he was... The World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner looks to have touched many during his relatively short career, and will be sorely missed by all.