The poker world is mourning the loss of Australian poker player Jan Suchanek, who passed away in Belgrade last week.
Suchanek had $1.1 million in live tournament cashes, according to Hendon Mob, highlighted by his memorable deep run in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. He finished in 49th place out of 6,737 for a career-best $142,447.
His passing was the second prominent one within the poker community. At just age 39, Triton Poker co-founder Ivan Leow tragically died in the middle of the Triton Poker Cyprus series. The remainder of the series was subsequently canceled as those involved with the Triton family needed time to mourn.
Irish poker pro Dara O’Kearney, a friend of Suchanek’s, wrote a glowing tribute to his late pal.
As O’Kearney explained, Suchanek was born in Prague in the mid-1960s but grew up in Canada. He returned to his native land following college where he began to make a living betting on sports. From there, he moved to New Zealand before ending up in Melbourne, Australia.
On the felt, the late poker player was known as an aggressive gambler who wasn’t afraid to play a big pot. He was a tough competitor but also made many friends in the game due to his charming personality.
Suchanek never won a WSOP bracelet but he came close in a 2014 $1,500 10-game mix 6-handed tournament, taking second place to Bryn Kenney for $94,618, his second largest career score.
O’Kearney wrote that his friend became ill with stomach problems earlier this month and he quickly became concerned. Although his passing is tragic, as “Doke” explained in his blog post, Suchanek lived a happy life full of love.
“He lived and loved to the full, but whatever happened, that was fine by him too. Whether that was getting one outered for the chiplead with 50 left in the WSOP main, or death, it didn’t matter. Life is good,” O’Kearney wrote of the late Jan Suchanek.
