Player Passes Away During Texas Poker Tournament

There was an unlucky tragedy throughout a Texas poker event Sunday as a participant handed away whereas taking part in at Texas Card Home in Dallas.

Mark “Doc” Toulouse, 73, handed away throughout a $300 no-limit maintain’em event that attracted 1,648 entries.

Based on poker professional Todd Witteles, Toulouse collapsed on the desk. An ambulance arrived on the scene and took him to an area hospital, the place he handed away.

The incident occurred whereas gamers had been within the cash. Toulouse’s stack was blinded out and he completed twenty sixth for $1,475.

A TCH spokesperson launched a press release concerning the scenario.

“Within the replace I acquired this morning, he had a coronary heart assault on the membership. We known as an ambulance they usually got here to get him. Not figuring out his standing, we had been blinding his stack. We’re going to attain out to his household to verify they get his cash.”

Toulouse was a historical past professor at Emmanuel Faculty of Victoria College within the College of Toronto. He wrote and edited quite a few books, totally on the subject of faith.

He retired in 2017 and moved to Texas, the place he grew to become a fixture within the native event scene. Over the course of his poker profession, he racked up $367,948 in event earnings, together with a World Collection of Poker Circuit title at Choctaw in November 2023.

Toulouse’s career-best rating got here in August 2023 when he topped a 1,793-entry discipline within the $400 no-limit maintain’em “Finish of Summer season Event” at Texas Card Home Dallas. He netted $89,197.

In a social media publish by Toulouse’s household, they mentioned the sport was an vital a part of his retirement life.

“He died final evening in dramatic trend throughout a sport of poker in a neighborhood that I do know has meant quite a bit to him over the previous couple of years. He was laughing one minute, then gone the following (presumed coronary heart assault) and makes an attempt at resuscitation had been unsuccessful. We’re all a bit shell shocked as we speak, however are working to make preparations to have fun the extremely lifetime of our Dad. he was merely the easiest. We’re glad we had been in a position to collect with Mother and Dad over Christmas, the primary time the 5 of us had all been collectively in the identical place on the identical time for too lengthy. We are going to share extra details about providers as soon as particulars are finalized.”

An identical occasion occurred almost three years in the past throughout a Triton Excessive Curler Poker Collection in Northern Cyprus. Malaysian poker participant Ivan Leow suffered a coronary heart assault and handed away after taking part in a number of occasions.

In response, Triton officers canceled the rest of the sequence.

Picture Courtesy of World Poker Tour