All of last week there people were talking in hushed tones about the possible demise of Brandi Hawbaker.

However there was no confirmation. Then Bryan Micon of NeverWinPoker, who was a friend of Brandi, posted confirmed news of the death on his site. He said that Brandi had taken her life last Sunday and this had been confirmed through Brandi’s boy friend Brandon and her family.

Brandon and Brandi’s family have requested their privacy be respected during the mourning period and that is their due. Undoubtedly they will come out with a statement at an appropriate time for the sake of Brandi’s fans. Till then the poker world will join them in their grief.

Unconfirmed news of Brandi’s demise was posted on WickedChopsPoker.com under the name of Bob B. Bobson. “Bob” did not have any details about the circumstances of her death or of her funeral and therefore the site asked for a confirmation from anyone in the know. This prompted Micon’s post at NWP.

Brandi Hawbaker was only 26 years old. She came into the limelight in October 2006 when she finished 35^th in the Festa Al Lago V. Her total poker tournament winnings amounted to only $40,000. But Brandi was always in the news for her off table drama. In an interview in March 2007, Brandi opened her heart talking about her achievements and desires. She claimed to have the measure of many poker pros like Phil Gordon, Dan Harrington and Sam Grizzle.

On the other hand Carlos Mortenson could always tell when she was bluffing and has been her toughest opponent. Brandi admitted to having a crush on Mortenson. Brandi hoped to make millions playing poker, a dream she did not realize. In the interview she said that she would invest the first two millions to give her financial security. With the third million she would buy a boat and travel around the world on it, hosting poker parties and teaching people how to scuba dive. When she said that she was a certified diver and loved diving the talk turned to her other dive. She had done the second highest bungee jump in the world without any clothes on. Brandi never had any inhibitions.

She was good looking and knew it. Jaws would drop when she entered poker rooms and she loved it. Of all the women poker players only Brandi could have done the ad for Full Tilt Poker, which has come to be known as the Janet Jackson ad. Brandi posed with the Full Tilt Poker logo held over one exposed breast.

Brandi’s personal life was not very happy. She met Brandon in February 2007 through a common friend Dustin Woolfe. At that time her life was in a mess. She had lost all her money at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, was living in a seedy joint and was flat broke. Brandon paid of her debts and got her to seek treatment for her depression. However Brandi’s condition never really improved and she remained an eccentric till the end.

Author: Renee Kingsley