Poker Pro And Author Tony Korfman Passes Away Aged 71
August 20, 2014 1:40 pmPoker professional, author and larger than life character Tony Korfman passed away on August 18, 2014, aged 71. According to a post written on the Two Plus Two forum by r0llin_game, Korfman “fell and broke his hip about two weeks ago [and] he never recovered.”
Throughout his poker career, Korfman succeeded in accumulating $355,320 in winnings, his biggest score coming in 2007 at the WSOP $1k World Championship Seniors where he eventually finished the runner-up for $217,503. Meanwhile, the Bronx, New York-born “workaholic” made a career working as a general manager at several casinos, and also took time to write ten gambling books, including eight entitled’ A Humorous And Informative Gaming Guide’ covering Poker, Baccarat, Slots, Craps, Keno, Roulette, Blackjack, and Video Poker.
The title of his book series also gives an indication as to the humor and colorful character of Tony Korfman, with Nolan Dalla describing him last year in the following terms:
“He’s 70, going on 17..Towering at well over 6-feet tall, he’s easy to spot.. At the table, he takes no prisoners. He’s poker’s prize pit bull. If there’s such a thing as reincarnation, Korfman will return in another life as a rooster in a cockfight.. Korfman also happens to be a pretty good writer, his skills undoubtedly enhanced by being a gifted storyteller.”
Needless to say, the poker community is replete with stories concerning Tony Korfman, and as sketchy1 wrote on the Two Plus Two forum “i always thought tony was a nice guy. maybe he blew a fuse a few times, but he was always a laugh a minute at the table. RIP tony.
One of poker’s biggest characters, Korfman could be rude and bad-tempered, but was also one of the kindest people in the game, and as is written on his obituary:
“Tony cared for many people and wouldn’t hesitate to give the shirt off his back to help someone. It would be hard to count the number of people Tony touched with his generosity; hardly a day would pass without someone coming up to him and thanking him for his help. At the end of the day, his one true love was enjoying time with his family, listening to music and watching basketball and football. Most of all, he enjoyed making people laugh.”
Tony Korfman is survived by his wife Linda, to whom he had been married for the past 48 years, as well as five children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.