Curtis Bibb - Father of Five Well-Known Poker Pro Passes Away at Age 48

Wife – Maribel

Alicia – 33

Crissy – 30

Erik – 23

Dustin – 18

Andrew – 3

Curtis Bibb was an expert poker player who was proficient in all games. He played in the highest cash games in the early '90s on the East Coast before moving to Las Vegas in the late '90s when he wanted to play even higher.

For years, he and I played few or no tourneys, preferring the bigger money to be made in cash games. With the boom of tournament poker, I re-entered the circuit with success, but Curtis was reluctant to do so.

I kept explaining to him how good the tournaments had gotten, but he wouldn't listen. When the last World Series came around and he still wasn't going to play any events, I made him an offer. If he would play every event, I would bet him even money that he would win at least one event. Since another good friend of ours (Steve Z.) was eager to put up all the money for half the winnings, it was a total freeroll for Curtis.

Not wanting to bet against me – or himself, for that matter – Curtis turned down the bet, but it got him thinking. A few days later, he finally heeded my advice and entered the Omaha eight-or-better event, which he won. He played a few more events, but the tournament was cut short for both of us when Larisa, the wife of another of our best friends, Lenny, suddenly died of cancer.

Ironically, as we buried Larisa, the same cancer that killed her was already living quietly at "Level 3" inside Curtis' esophagus, and would kill him, too, within a year.

Curtis played full-contact football and semipro softball well into his 30s. His semipro softball team, "Bibbs Bandits," won many championships and was famous throughout the Virginia area.

Up until his death, Curtis competed on a league dart team with Shun Uchida, Tony Lopez, and me; it was called "The Gamblers."

Donations for Curtis' 3-year-old son can be sent to Card Player or given to Todd Brunson.