Battling Terminal Illness, Fan Favorite Cody Daniels Reaches PokerGO Cup Final Table
The first final table of the 2024 PokerGO Cup in Las Vegas includes known crushers like David Peters and Fabian Quoss, but most of those tuning in will likely be cheering for another player.
Terminally ill Cody Daniels crossed off a bucket list item by playing the $5,100 buy-in event inside the PokerGO Studio and parlayed the experience into a streamed final table appearance.
Daniels, an Arizona resident who captured the hearts of poker fans last year with a deep run in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, will enter the streamed final table fifth in chips and is guaranteed at least $27,000 just shy of his $30,000 score last summer.
"But its the f***ing trophy I want. Praying for some good health tomorrow," Daniels wrote on X early Friday morning.
Read About Cody Daniels' Run in the WSOP Main Event
PokerGO Cup Event #1 Final Table Chip Counts
| SEAT | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | BIG BLINDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Peters | United States | 4,950,000 | 62 | |
| 2 | Dusti Smith | United States | 555,000 | 7 | |
| 3 | Shawn Daniels | United States | 2,080,000 | 26 | |
| 4 | Fabian Quoss | Germany | 2,195,000 | 27 | |
| 5 | Cody Daniels | United States | 575,000 | 7 | |
| 6 | Mark Ioli | United States | 3,515,000 | 44 |
Battling On & Off the Felt
Daniels, a 2015 Make a Wish recipient who used his wish to meetPresident Barack Obama, doesn't shy away from discussing his terminal illness, which stems from an intestinal rupture he suffered as a teenager.
Daniels recetly uploaded a vlog detailing a 14-day hospital stay in an Arizona hospital after being flown in via helicopter. As Daniels states in the vlog, the video clips show him at his "lowest of low" and with "blood, sweat, tears."
Just days later, Daniels posted on social media that he was going to "check another experience off the list and play the PokerGoCup Event #1 tomorrow."
"Health is as doing decent so Im ready to go ship this thing and more importantly just soak in the moment," he wrote on X. "Cant wait to battle! So excited you have no idea."
The disease-battling poker player had no trouble competing against a field of 111 player that included Andrew Lichtenberger, Farah Galfond and Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel. He even found himself at risk on the money bubble three separate times, but his opponents should've known he wasn't going anywhere without a fight.
With his mother cheering him on inside the PokerGo Studio, Daniels secured a bag and will chase the trophy and first-place prize of $141,525 on Friday as the final table kicks off at 12 p.m. local time with a one-hour stream delay.
Several poker personalities sent their support to Daniels on social media, including Jeff Platt, Joey Ingram and Ryan Feldman.
Follow Daniels on his heartwarming run by tuning into the final table stream on YouTube.
PokerGO Cup Event #1 Remaining Payouts
| PLACE | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $141,525 | |
| 2 | $88,800 | |
| 3 | $63,825 | |
| 4 | $49,950 | |
| 5 | $36,075 | |
| 6 | $27,750 |
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