At the beginning of Day 2 of the ongoing World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship, a moment of silence was held for PokerRoad producer and poker player Justin Shronk, who passed away tragically last weekend at age 27.
Late last week, Shronk was admitted to a Las Vegas hospital and diagnosed with pancreatitis, according to his Twitter page. On the night of April 16th, he wrote, “Have to stay overnight for observation so they’re sure my pancreas levels are ok. No tv either.” His second to last entry is dated April 17th at 5:46pm and reads, “Home from hospital. They did manage [to] lose my clothes, shoes, and wallet, but at least I feel better (came home in paper scrubs and socks).” Day 2 of the WPT Championship occurred on Monday after the remaining players from the two starting days were combined for the first time.
Gavin Smith had the unfortunate task of informing the 300 players in the field that Shronk had passed away. In addition to PokerRoad, Shronk had also worked with CardPlayer on the company’s “Circuit” show and with PokerNews, establishing himself in the industry. Court Harrington, a Tournament Reporter for PocketFivesLive.com and a voice on PokerRoad, told Poker News Daily, “There is no way to express in words what Shronk meant to the poker community. He was a staple around tournaments and seemed to know everyone. He had built a tremendous number of friendships, which isn’t surprising since he was always the first to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.” Shronk was just 27.
While in the hospital, Shronk’s wit took center stage on his Twitter page. He remarked that his room smelled like Starburst and that he passed the time watching the popular CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” on DVD. At a visit to his doctor prior to heading to the hospital, he ran into fellow poker player Adam “A_Junglen” Junglen, noting, “Vegas is weird.” When he arrived home on Friday of last week, he was met with a Parking Solutions van occupying his assigned spot, which he made note of in his final Twitter entry.
According to a post by Joe Sebok on PokerRoad.com, Shronk passed away on Sunday of natural causes. Sebok, who heads PokerRoad, wrote, “The poker community lost a fallen brother this past Sunday when Justin Shronk passed away. It seems he passed away from natural causes and was not in any kind of pain. He had different health problems that he wrestled with throughout the last few years, so I would guess it was from one of these that he succumbed.” Sebok ended his homage to the producer by saying, “We will miss you, Shronkles.”
Sebok added that Shronk passed away in his sleep and likely did not experience any pain. The poker community poured support to Shronk and his family. In a thread that developed on the online poker forum PocketFives.com, Paul “grapsfan” Herzog commented, “Shronk was a good guy and good to have around poker.” Nick “nickc001” Chappell spoke on Shronk’s powerful presence in the poker world: “I never got to meet him, but I feel like I did through his involvement on the various radio shows. I still remember vividly the episode where he interviewed to be the intern a few years ago.”
Shronk will leave an indelible mark on the industry heading into the 2009 World Series of Poker next month. Harrington explained, “For many, Shronk was one of the first people they met coming into the poker world and he happily showed them the ropes and helped them get acclimated. His work speaks for itself, as he has been a driving force behind some of the most popular poker content over the last four years.”
Poker News Daily would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Shronk’s family, PokerRoad, and the entire community.
