Professional poker player Gavin Smith died Monday, according to Mid-States Poker Tour Media Director Chad Allan Holloway. Smith rose to prominence in 2005 by winning the World Poker. Total life earnings: $6,321,096. Latest cash: $20,411 on 08-Jul-2017. Click here to see the details of Gavin Smith's 137 cashes. Searching photos for: Gavin Smith. MOST TRUSTED BRAND IN POKER. For more than forty years, the World Series of Poker has been the most trusted name in the game.
Table Of Contents
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.
![Worth Worth](/uploads/1/3/4/2/134207331/458889053.jpg)
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
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. Craze play casino entertainment. 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.”
Tags
Gavin SmithJosh AriehPoker PlayersRelated Players
Gavin SmithJosh Arieh
The poker world is mourning the loss of Gavin Smith today, who passed away unexpectedly in his sleep last night at the age of 50. Smith, a native of Guelph, Ontario, was one of the most formidable poker pros during the poker boom and was by far one of most loved, most popular players among his peers.
I had the good fortune to interview Gavin Smith at the World Series of Poker in 2006. I was still a relative unknown in the industry (though it’s not like my stature has improved much since) and he had no idea who I was, but he was nothing short of gracious and generous with his time when he spent his entire break in the middle of a tournament with me.
My questions were generally awful, as I stuck with generic, stock questions most of the time, but Smith was patient and even in that short time, showed me the character that he was known for. When I asked him what was the worst part about being recognized now that he was famous, he told me, “I don’t really think there’s anything all that bad about it. There’s no ‘worst of it,’ because, you know, I kind of feel a little bit lucky that people care enough about me to come up and say hello or to want an autograph or a picture, so I don’t really have too many downsides.”
He appreciated where he was and where he came from, that it was a joy being able to play poker for a living, getting to travel all over the world, and getting to know so many interesting people. In 2010, he won his only WSOP bracelet and famously told WSOP.com afterward:
I’m just an older guy from Guelph, Ontario, who used to drive a taxi and cut greens. Now, I’m sitting here and hundreds of people have come over to me. Play poker for a living, and I just won hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is nothing in my life that can be considered a curse. Every single minute of it is a blessing.
Smith won the WPT Player of the Year title in Season IV after winning the WPT Mirage Poker Showdown, finishing third at the 2nd Annual Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship, and finishing fourth at the WPT Gold Strike World Poker Open. He told me that the highest point of his poker career at the time was a toss-up between the Mirage win and the POY award, though he’d probably put the Mirage on top, as it was his first “huge” win, calling it “kind of euphoric.”
My colleague, Earl Burton, spoke with Gavin Smith in 2014. By that time in his life, Smith had greatly decreased his poker workload, focusing more of his time on raising his kids. He was recently married, though he went through a divorce shortly thereafter.
“I haven’t fully enjoyed poker for quite a while,” Smith told Earl. “I do enjoy tournaments once we are deep, but I don’t still have the drive to travel as I once did. Being married with kids is completely different for me but is awesome, it is harder than I ever dreamed it would be. I wouldn’t change a thing, though…my family comes first and we can still throw some poker in amongst it all.”
Naturally, loving words have come in from around the poker world. On Twitter, fellow Canadian Daniel Negreanu wrote, “Gavin Smith was one of the more authentic human beings I’d ever met. Rest In Peace my friend…”
“If you have been in poker for the last 15 years you most likely had a story to tell about Gavin Smith,” Tweeted Matt Savage. “@olegsmith was usually the biggest personality in the room. Popular, gregarious, and generous to most who knew him and always went out of his way to be a friend. #RIPGavin”
Gavin Smith Poker
Said Sean McCormack: “I’m in disbelief that Gavin Smith passed away unexpectedly this morning. His love for the game was only a fraction of this gentle giant. His generosity was incredible, and his love for his children was second to none. RIP my friend.”
Gavin Smith was the everyman who found his path to success at the poker tables. It is often said of people when they die that they “brightened the room,” but in Gavin Smith’s case, it was true. He was one of those guys opponents wanted to sit at a table with even though they were trying to take each other’s money. He was one of those guys who you wanted to have a beer with and who, in turn, wanted to have a beer with you. He was one of those guys who made a fledgling poker reporter feel welcome.
Gavin Smith was one of those guys.
Gavin Smith’s friends have setup a GoFundMe page to help raise money for his two children.
Gavin Smith Poker Broke
Lead photo credit: World Poker Tour via Flikr