On Sunday, March 2, tragedy struck at Texas Card House (TCH) Dallas after poker player Mark “Doc” Toulouse, 73, passed away during TCH’s $300 NLH tournament, which attracted 1,648 runners.
“According to the report I received, Mark collapsed during the tournament, was taken to a local hospital, and passed away,” Todd Witteles of PokerFraudAlert.com reported. "When the incident occurred, players were already in the money. Mark's stack blinded out, and he officially finished in 26th place, for a cash of $1,475.”
PokerNewsreached out to TCH and a spokesperson shared: “In the update I got this morning he had a heart attack at the club. We called an ambulance and they came to get him, not knowing his status, we were blinding his stack. We are going to reach out to his family to make sure they get his money.”
Toulouse was well-known in Texas poker circles. He was an Emmanuel College professor from Toronto before retiring in 2017, which is when he started to hit the poker scene hard.
https://twitter.com/danielhayward/status/1896627517764805101
Toulouse's family wrote on social media:
He died last night in dramatic fashion during a game of poker in a community that I know has meant a lot to him over the last few years. He was laughing one minute, then gone the next (presumed heart attack) and attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. We are all a bit shell shocked today, but are working to make arrangements to celebrate the incredible life of our Dad. He was simply the very best. We are glad we were able to gather with Mom and Dad over Christmas, the first time the 5 of us had all been together in the same place at the same time for too long. We will share more information about services once details are finalized.
Toulouse had $551,944 in lifetime tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob, which included a career-best $89,197 for winning the $400 buy-in 2022 TCH $250K GTD End of Summer event. In 2023, he placed third on the TCH $300 NLH “The Even Bigger One” for $45,000.
Toulouse was also a World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit ring winner. It happened in November 2023 when he topped a field of 147 entries to win the WSOPC Choctaw Durant Event #14: $250 NLH Turbo for $7,642.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Toulouse | $7,642 |
| 2 | Taylor Schubert | $4,723 |
| 3 | Eric Chang | $3,273 |
| 4 | Gerald Nabours | $2,327 |
| 5 | John David Smith | $1,698 |
| 6 | Marshall Decker | $1,272 |
| 7 | Alex Lee | $979 |
| 8 | Jared Hemingway | $776 |
| 9 | Patrick Popowski | $633 |
https://twitter.com/SavagePoker/status/1896649035953660057
PokerNewsoffers its condolences to the friends and family of Toulouse.
*Image: WSOP.