{"id":149582,"date":"2020-09-21T15:13:45","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T22:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=149582"},"modified":"2020-09-21T16:36:09","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T23:36:09","slug":"darvin-moon-ultimate-amateur-poker-player-dies-aged-56","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/darvin-moon-ultimate-amateur-poker-player-dies-aged-56\/","title":{"rendered":"Darvin Moon, Ultimate Amateur Poker Player, Dies at 56"},"content":{"rendered":"

Darvin Moon, the Maryland logger who 11 years ago became an unlikely star on poker\u2019s biggest stage<\/a>, has died because of complications arising from surgery. He was 56.<\/p>\n

\"Darvin
Darvin Moon won the respect of the poker world through his integrity and humility rather than his prowess at the table. (Image: WPT)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Moon\u2019s second-place finish to Joe Cada at the 2009 World Series of Poker was one of the most memorable runs by an amateur in the tournament\u2019s history. The self-taught recreational player charged through a field of 6,494 to win $5.2 million, taking some serious scalps along the way, including that of the great Phil Ivey<\/a> at the final table.<\/p>\n

Moon qualified for the tournament by winning at a $130 satellite during a trip to the Wheeling Island Casino in West Virginia, his final haul representing a 40,000 percent return on investment. But such was the perilous state of the logging business at the height of the last recession that he almost cashed in the $10,000 winning ticket before the Series even started.<\/p>\n

Cheering the Underdog<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Moon was first to admit that he lacked skill at the table, but he found other ways to earn the respect of the poker world \u2013 through his integrity and humility.<\/p>\n

He turned down lucrative sponsorship offers to wear online poker-operator branding on his way to the final table because he \u201cdidn\u2019t want to answer to anybody.\u201d Instead, he wore a New Orleans Saints hat for the duration because he said he \u201cliked cheering for the underdog.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he promised the money wouldn\u2019t change him \u2013 not much, at least. After the WSOP, he kept his small logging business going out of loyalty to the workers.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve lived on 20 to 25 thousand dollars a year for 26 years. I can now live the rest of my life comfortably. I am still working, because my entire family was raised that way,\u201d he told Card Player in 2010. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had guys who worked for me who kept me alive the first 25 years, and I can\u2019t just tell them, \u2018You don\u2019t have a job’. So I just keep working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Had His Critics <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Moon\u2019s play was widely criticized on the final table. Extraordinarily, the first time he had ever played heads up poker was when he faced off against Joe Cada for the world title, and his lack of experience shone through.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t play a great deal of poker after his win, although in 2011 he became an ambassador for the Heartland Poker Tour and was a popular figure among the tour\u2019s players.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for the memories Darvin Moon,\u201d tweeted the World Series of Poker on Sunday. \u201cYou inspired so many people and starred in one of the most memorable final tables in WSOP history. We will never forget. Rest In Peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darvin Moon, the Maryland logger who 11 years ago became an unlikely star on poker\u2019s biggest stage, has died because of complications arising from surgery. He was 56. Moon\u2019s second-place finish to Joe Cada at the 2009 World Series of Poker was one of the most memorable runs by an amateur in the tournament\u2019s history. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":149587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,14],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDarvin Moon, Ultimate Amateur Poker Player Dies Aged 56<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Darvin Moon, 2009 WSOP runner up, dies following complications from surgery aged just 56. 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