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2009 WSOP Runner Up Darvin Moon Dead at 56

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Darvin Moon Dies

Back in 2009, the poker world was abuzz over everyman Darvin Moon who came into the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event as the chip leader. The man playing in his first live tournament in Las Vegas surprised the poker world with his deep run and eventual runner-up finish.

That proved to be the highlight of Moon’s poker career, one that was unfortunately cut short over the weekend. On Saturday, Moon died from complications from surgery. He was 56.

Moon’s Passing Unexpected

On Saturday, Poker Night in America’s Todd Anderson shared the sad news via Twitter that Moon has passed due to complications from surgery:

In a year that’s already saw the passing of Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, Moon’s passing was indeed unexpected. While full details were not shared at the time, it does not make the passing any less tragic. Moon was just 56 at the time of his death, a period of time where many players are still actively competing for major poker titles.

The poker world came out in force to give their condolences:

Nolan Dalla wrote what was perhaps one of the best tributes you could hope for. Here is an excerpt from his column:

“With Darvin, the more you got to know him, the more you wanted to know. He spoke a simple language but with profound depth. I don’t think Darvin was capable of telling a lie, which makes me wonder if he ever successfully bluffed anyone in poker.

As for poker, Darvin never pretended to be anything other than Darvin, and that was fine. He could easily afford to play in big cash games with his millions and could have played in far more tournaments. But Darvin never wanted that lifestyle. It would have kept him out of the hills, away from his trees, and required too much flying on great big planes…..

Tonight, I learned Darvin passed away. I’m really sad. I could not sleep, especially after all we’ve been through. A shitty year just got shittier.”

Moon’s Greatest Accomplishment in Poker Was 2009 Final Table

Darvin Moon is the perfect example of a “One Hit Wonder” in poker, but boy what a hit it was. He made the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event as the chip leader. This was the year Phil Ivey finally made the final table. While many in the poker world wanted to see Ivey win, there were just as many that wanted to see Moon become the next Chris Moneymaker…or the first Darvin Moon.

Moon won his way into the 2009 WSOP Main Event via a $130 satellite at Wheeling Island Casino in Wheeling, West Virginia. His trip to Vegas was the first time flying on an airplane, the first time playing in Las Vegas, and his first WSOP event.

Moon has the once in a lifetime run we all hope for and came into the final table as the chip leader. He lost the lead a couple of time and was behind Joe Cada heads-up for the title. Moon managed to get back into the lead, but an ill-timed bluff cost him most of his stack and eventually the match.

Moon still won $5.18 million for his runner-up finish, easily setting him up for life if he chose. However, Moon decided to go back home and continue working as a logger. Moon would play some lower stakes poker tournaments and was a regular on Poker Night in America, but nothing came close to his finish in 2009.

Moon’s largest cash after 2009 was an 8th place finish in an Empire State Poker Championship event in 2013. His last live cash was in 2016 in a Daily Deepstacks event during the 2016 WSOP. Moon finished his career with $5.21 million in career earnings. Amazingly, that’s still good for 239th on Poker’s All-Time Money List

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