Earlier this week, the poker community learned the sad news that Galen Kester, a well-known player in Tunica, Mississippi, passed away.
“Galen Kester was a legend in Tunica, and played in enormous cash games with a great cast of characters,” Johnny Grooms posted on social media.
In 2001, Kester won a World Series of Poker gold bracelet when he topped a 145-player field to win Event #8: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for a career-high $167,035. He did so by defeating Poker Hall of Famer David “Devilfish” Ulliott in heads-up play and besting a final table that included Freddy Deeb and Jay Heimowitz, as well as deep runs by Erik Seidel (10th place) and Johnny Chan (14th place).