Pro poker player Paul 'Smalls' Kitsos dies of heart attack on way to Vegas, of all places

Question for the ages: what’s the betting limit in heaven? (God studies the pot: “Someone didn’t ante. Hitlerrrrr …”). I never considered the fact that the afterlife may be a big casino. But if heaven does have cocktail waitresses and Keno, Paul Kitsos is right at home. The 55-year-old pro poker player, who’s won nearly $400,000 over 18 tournaments since 2005, and weighed more than 350 pounds, died of a heart attack on Tuesday during a flight from JFK Airport in New York en route to Las Vegas. From the New York Post:

He was wearing a limited edition Hardcore Watch Company wristwatch — one with a picture of the suicide king, from a deck of playing cards, on is face, adorned with rubies for the numbers and diamonds in the king’s robe.

Kitsos’ wife, Stella Spanakos, told The Post her husband of 20 years had a love for poker and a zest for life.

“He fell in love with Texas hold ‘em when it became popular after 9-11. He was always a very, very sharp card player and he became addicted to it. He read a bazillion books [about it],” she told The Post.

“He was a character. He lived large and that’s the way he went out — Frank Sinatra, ‘My Way.’ And that’s the way he did it,” she said.

Stout, who owned KB Studio, which made plus-sized women’s clothing, was described thusly by fellow poker player Matt Stout: “In a world of jerks and a*******, Paul was a really nice guy.”
God (shuffles deck elaborately): “New player.”
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Texas hold ‘em stud dies on flight to World Series of Poker [New York Post]