Wealthy Korbin, a World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner who started working for PokerStars in the course of the poker web site’s early days, handed away Saturday of a coronary heart assault at age 73, information that devastated many inside the poker group.
The poker fanatic grew up in Ardsley, New York the place he attended Ardsley Excessive Faculty, a public faculty in Westchester. He’d go on to reside within the Denver, Colorado space, Vancouver, Canada, and Las Vegas, his most up-to-date residency.
Korbin’s spouse, Kaye, will maintain a service for family and friends in Colorado on Tuesday, his former co-worker and pal Jeanne David advised PokerNews. Nolan Dalla, the previous WSOP Media Director, will host a service for his shut pals in Las Vegas in a number of weeks.
When information started spreading of Korbin’s passing on social media, quite a few poker gamers and trade personnel chimed in to share recollections. Allen Kessler posted condolences on Twitter and included an image of Korbin with David.
“So sad. I was fortunate to spend a lot time with Richie over the past few years and really enjoy it. He had so many great stories about his time at pokerstars (and others). I will miss him- such a nice guy. RIP my friend,” poker pro Ari Engel tweeted.
“(Rich) was one of my closest friends in my life I’m heartbroken,” David told PokerNews.
David wrote in a Facebook post that Korbin fell and broke his femur in his Las Vegas home just before leaving for the airport. “He had trouble coming out of the anesthesia and passed away from a heart attack,” she shared.
Korbin was the director of marketing for PokerStars, the online poker site he represented for 17 years.
“Damn, played with Rich over the years in the stud mix at Bellagio. Always really nice and had a great sense of Humor. Rest In Peace Rich,” Ronnie Bardah tweeted.
“Richie cruised with us years and years ago. He couldn’t believe the wonderful time that he had, he boasted about it and said he couldn’t wait to go again,” Jan Fisher, a partner at Card Player Cruises, said.
“So sorry to hear! I spent a lot of time w him at the tables several years ago – always very friendly. He was definitely one I perked up and listened to every word he had to say,” poker pro Jon Turner wrote.
As a poker player, Korbin won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2001, a career-best $159,080 rating in a $2,500 restrict seven card stud hi-lo event. In that occasion, he beat a tricky closing desk that included Poker Corridor of Famer John Juanda and former Primary Occasion champion Chris Ferguson, who was one of many prime gamers within the sport on the time.
PokerNews sends our condolences to the family and friends of Wealthy Korbin, and we thank him for his contributions to the poker group.
