Oklahoma Poker Pro Dies From Heart Attack During Tournament49-Year-Old Eric 'Big E' Thompson Passes Away Sept. 1 |
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Tragedy struck at a poker tournament on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Local poker pro Eric Thompson suffered a heart attack during a break in the action during the kickoff event at the 2018 Oklahoma State Championship of Poker. PokerNews broke the story and it was confirmed by multiple other media reports.
Tournament staff decided to blind off his chip stack in the event. There was also a moment of silence for Thompson, known as “Big E” in poker circles, later in the tournament.
Thompson, 49, first started cashing in major poker tournaments a little more than a decade ago. His largest career score came when he won a 2014 hold’em event at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant for $103,000. A banner honoring his win still hangs in the casino. He amassed about $500,000 worth of tournament scores during his poker career.
Thompson made it to at least day three in the World Series of Poker main event this summer in Las Vegas, according to a post he made to his Facebook page. “Thanks for all the support everyone,” he wrote on his page after he busted the tournament. “Unfortunately, this will not be my year. On to the next one.”
A funeral service for Thompson will be held tomorrow in El Reno, Oklahoma.
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