Arkansas Poker Pro and RGPS Champion Tiffany Keathley Dies at 40

Tiffany Keathley, a 40-year-old poker player from Arkansas and a RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) champion, has died. Daniel Lowery, a 21-time WSOP Circuit ring winner and fellow southern grinder, announced the news on Facebook on Sunday.

Lowery wrote that his “heart breaks today upon hearing the news of a good friend” and that he has “lost too many senselessly that were too young.” He added, “PLEASE be kind to people. You never know what they’re carrying. PLEASE don’t ignore when people tell you that they’re struggling. I looked back at my phone as soon as I heard the news today and realized it had been 6 weeks since I talked to her.”

No details about the circumstances of Keathley’s death have been made public, and an obituary was not available as of Tuesday evening.

A familiar face on the southern poker circuit

Keathley was a regular on the southern poker trail, with recorded cashes in Durant, Houston, Pocola and Tulsa. According to Hendon Mob data, she accumulated $115,328 in live tournament earnings since her first cash in July 2019. That debut came with a third-place finish in a WSOP Circuit event at Choctaw, worth $10,058.

Just a few months later, she won her first major title at the RGPS Tunica “Game 7” Main Event. The $575 buy-in tournament drew 632 players, making it the largest RGPS Main Event field at the time. Keathley took home $48,796 for the victory. Along the way, she eliminated her friend Lowery in 15th place.

Key facts

Final table with Moneymaker and later career

Four years after her RGPS win, Keathley made another deep run in the same event. In the 2023 RGPS Tunica Main Event, she finished seventh for $10,827. That final table included 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker.

Keathley’s last recorded tournament cash came in April 2024, when she placed 43rd in the WSOP Circuit Tunica Main Event for $3,281.

Tributes from the poker community

Several players paid their respects on social media. Circuit ring winner Scott Smile and Chris Read both shared condolences. Read called Keathley “a sweet soul that I’ve spent many days talking with.”

The news follows a string of recent deaths in the poker community. Earlier this week, Josh Turner, a beloved poker pro with $2.4 million in cashes, passed away at 46. New York grinder Howard “Howie the Kid” Feingold died on September 15, and Belgian poker legend Pierre Neuville passed away in August at 83.

For regular players on the southern circuit and video poker fans who followed tournament results, Keathley’s death is a reminder of the human side of the game. Lowery’s public plea to check in on friends and not ignore signs of struggle carries weight for anyone who spends time in poker rooms or online communities.

Source: PokerNews – https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/09/tiffany-keathley-passes-away-52486.htm