Details are still a bit scarce, but the Alberta and Canadian poker communities lost a valuable member last night. Ryan “Snides” Snyder, founder of the Facebook group 780Poker as well as the Alberta Poker Index, passed away Sep 18 in Medellin, Columbia.
Investigators in Medellin are still trying to sort out the details of what happened, but it appears Snyder was in Columbia to meet up with a friend for birthday celebrations. He died after a fall from the balcony of the apartment he was partying in.
As noted by el Columbiano, “Agents from the Sijín of the Metropolitan Police inspected the lifeless body of this foreigner and are making progress in the investigations to corroborate this version or, on the contrary, whether it was an accidental fall or a homicide”.
780Poker and API Founder
Snides, as he was known in the local community, was a big promoter of poker in Alberta. He was one of the very first in the province to organize online with the 780 Poker Community group on Facebook. That group has served as a hub for all things poker in Alberta for around a decade at this point with Snides at the center.
He recently upped the game a bit with the addition of the Alberta Poker Index (API). A local edition of the Global Poker Index, the API tracks activity from all Alberta poker tournaments and awards prizes to the year’s biggest winners.
Snides worked tirelessly to promote the local games and players through social media and was a regular fixture at local games when he was in town. Snides also loved his travel, however, and was frequently off to places like Panama or Columbia for new adventures. Even from overseas, however, the Alberta community was never far from Snyder’s mind as updates on local events would often be posted from far afield.
Snides was well-liked in the local community and could nearly always be found with a smile on his face while at the tables. Away from the felt, he was a avid fan of his local hometown hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers, and recently was among the locals eagerly following the Oil on their ultimately unsuccessful run for the Stanley Cup earlier this year.
It’s hard to overstate the hole that the loss of Snides leaves in the local poker community in Alberta. He was among the most active voices in the community and an organizer who was instrumental in creating the world-class poker environment we enjoy in Alberta today.
Thoughts and condolences from all of the local community go out to the Snyder family as they deal with this unexpected and devastating loss. Rest assured, we all feel your pain as well — Ryan will be sorely missed.
