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On the sad news of Gavin Smith passing, the Poker Night in America crew wanted to express a few thoughts about one of our favorite players to ever join our table.

It only took a few moments after meeting Gavin to learn a few things about him. First, you would learn immediately that he was genuine. He would tell you exactly what was on his mind, without hesitation or qualification. It’s often said that every word spoken before the word “but” is BS, and Gavin never used “but”. He just said everything that came after, and left you to deal with it.

Which you usually could, because the next thing that became apparent in Gavin’s presence was that he was hilarious. Swarthy, Canadian-accented humor rolled out of him effortlessly, and cut any tension that his candor might create. As creators of poker entertainment content, we can’t overstate how great it was to have someone like Gavin at our table keeping it active and funny.

Between the lines of his jokes was a rapier wit that never seemed to dull, even in the midst of his well-known excesses. His intelligence was considerable, and seemed to be only matched by his restlessness in life.

The final thing that needs to be said is that Gavin Smith knew all the names of the members of our production crew. He may have been the only poker player that has been on our show that can claim that. He partied with us, and cracked us up, and he’d ask about our lives from event to event. It seems small, but to us, it was a big deal. For that, for his candor, and his humor, he’ll always have our love and respect.

Here are some of the photos we have of Gavin from his appearances on our show. Please feel free to use these in any way you see fit in your remembrances, with no attribution required.

If you would like to help the Smith family, a GoFundMe account has been created here.

 

 

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