Death at any point is a saddening reality of our existence, but it is even more painful when someone passes away at a young age. Yesterday afternoon the poker world received that message poignantly when it was learned that poker professional Ryan Young had passed away at the age of 28.
Twitter was where the first announcements of Young’s passage appeared. Fellow young pro Jared Hamby tweeted, “If you are a poker player and haven’t heard the awful news yet, Ryan Young passed away in a car accident. RIP to a great player and person.” This was soon followed by Brent Hanks’ Tweet about the same subject: “Just heard that Ryan Young passed away…really tragic and very saddened. Heart goes out to his family.”
It wasn’t just the younger players in the game who recognized what Young meant to the poker world. Daniel Negreanu chimed in on Twitter, stating, “A real loss for the poker world. Ryan Young was interesting, charismatic, a talker, aggressive and exciting to watch. I liked him.” Negreanu would later chime in on Young’s passing while he recalled playing this year’s World Series of Poker Championship Event with him.
The outpouring of grief was evident across the poker landscape. Vanessa Selbst commented over Twitter, “I’m also incredibly sad about Ryan Young’s passing. He was a treat to play with – such a vibrant, good natured kid. Too young for that…RIP.” Veteran pro J. C. Tran opened up on Twitter by saying, “Was hoping it wasn’t true but I guess it is. Sad to see such a great kid go so soon. It was an honor to know you, Ryan…Rest in peace.” Shannon Shorr, John Racener, Bernard Lee and Randy Dorfman also have commented on Young’s passing.
Young had built an excellent reputation on the tournament circuit across the United States. He first entered into the poker scene in 2005 at a preliminary event on the Mirage Poker Showdown schedule, finishing in 18th place in that $2500 No Limit tournament. He would make his first ever WSOP cash later that same year, driving to a 58th place finish in one of the $2000 NLHE tournaments during that year’s schedule.
Two years later, Young would have his greatest success ever in tournament poker. After having a tough year in 2006, he would strike back in 2007 in cashing in eleven events. At the 2007 WSOP, Young would make a small cash in the $2500 Six Handed NLHE event before charging to the championship of one of the $1500 NLHE tournaments. In winning that final table and the $615,955 first place prize, Young would beat Dustin Dirksen and Nam Le on the way to the title.
In 2008, Young would make his first cash on the World Poker Tour, finishing in 54th place at the Borgata Winter Open in Atlantic City, NJ. A couple of months later, Young would capture the championship of the Wynn Classic, taking down a $355,020 score and setting himself up for another great year at the WSOP, where he would earn four cashes.
Although he hadn’t been back to the winners’ circle since then, Young was still a familiar face on the tournament circuit. At this year’s WSOP, he earned three cashes, including a 350th place finish in the Championship Event for $32,871. All totaled for his career, Ryan Young earned $1.67 million on the tournament poker circuit, won a WSOP bracelet, cashed twelve times in WSOP events and twice on the WPT circuit.
At this time, no announcements have been made regarding any memorial service or funeral arrangements.
Poker News Daily would like to express to his friends and family our deepest condolences during this trying time and remember Ryan Young for his life which was cut far too short.
