RunGood Poker Series Champion Tiffany Keathley of Arkansas Dies at 40

Empty poker table and chair with poker chips and cards in tribute to RGPS champion Tiffany Keathley.

By Sandra Ggaweda | October 1, 2026 | 4 min read

Arkansas poker player Tiffany Keathley, a RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Main Event champion, has died at 40.
Keathley won the 2019 RGPS Tunica Main Event for $48,796, topping a then-record 632-player field.
Her Hendon Mob profile shows $115,328 in live tournament earnings across the southern circuit.
No details about the circumstances of her death have been made public.

Tiffany Keathley, an American poker player from Arkansas and a RunGood Poker Series champion, died on September 27 at the age of 40. Fellow southern grinder Daniel Lowery, a 21-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, shared the news on Facebook that day. Keathley’s biggest result came in 2019, when she won the RGPS Tunica Main Event for $48,796. Her Hendon Mob profile lists $115,328 in live tournament earnings. No details about the circumstances of her death have been made public.

Lowery broke the news on Facebook. He wrote that his “heart breaks today upon hearing the news of a good friend,” according to PokerNews. He added that six weeks had passed since he last talked to her.

Other players from the regional circuit followed with tributes on social media. PokerNews reported that Circuit ring winner Scott Smile was among them. Chris Read called Keathley “a sweet soul that I’ve spent many days talking with.”

Those messages say a lot about how Keathley was known. Players who travel the same stops see each other for days at a time, in tournament areas, at dinner breaks and at the rail. Read’s words describe a friend made over many of those days.

Tiffany Keathley’s Poker Career by the Numbers

Keathley’s first recorded cash came in July 2019. She finished third in a WSOP Circuit event at Choctaw for $10,058, according to Hendon Mob records. Choctaw Durant in Oklahoma remains one of the regular WSOP Circuit stops for players in the region.

Her breakthrough followed soon after. In August 2019, she won the RGPS Tunica $575 Main Event for $48,796. The event drew 632 players, which was then the largest field in RGPS Main Event history.

Her run to the title included a notable knockout. Keathley eliminated Lowery in 15th place on her way to the win. She won at Horseshoe Tunica after the final five players agreed to a deal, taking home the RGPS championship ring along with the $48,796.

She returned to the same Main Event in 2023 and finished seventh for $10,827. That final table included Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. Her last recorded cash came in April 2024: 43rd place in the WSOP Circuit Tunica Main Event for $3,281.

Why Regional Grinders Matter to US Live Poker

Keathley built her results on the southern circuit, recording cashes in Durant, Houston, Pocola and Tulsa, along with her results in Tunica. Those rooms host many of the mid-stakes festivals that keep live tournament poker busy across the South.

Series like RunGood and the WSOP Circuit depend on players like her. A $575 Main Event reaches 632 entries on the strength of local and regional regulars who drive in for the weekend, fire a bullet or two and return the next month.

Keathley’s win shows what that path can deliver. A player from Arkansas topped a record field, eliminated one of the circuit’s most decorated players along the way and reached another final table alongside Moneymaker four years later.

Lowery’s Message: Check on the People Around You

Lowery used his post to ask the poker community for something simple. As quoted by PokerNews, he wrote:

“PLEASE be kind to people. You never know what they’re carrying. PLEASE don’t ignore when people tell you that they’re struggling.”

That message applies to anyone who spends long days at the tables. Tournament poker involves travel, late nights and big swings. The people you see at every stop may be the ones who notice first when a friend goes quiet. A call or message between series costs nothing.

Remembering Tiffany Keathley

The southern circuit has lost a champion and a familiar face. Keathley’s results, from her first cash at Choctaw to her record-field win in Tunica, show the reach of a regional grinder. Her friends’ words show the connections she made along the way.

Lowery’s request is the takeaway for every player: stay in touch with the people you play alongside. If you want support with the gambling side of the game, our responsible gambling page lists resources, including the National Council on Problem Gambling’s 1-800-MY-RESET helpline.

Our thoughts are with Tiffany Keathley’s family, friends and everyone who shared a table with her.

Sandra is a content writer and editor specializing in online poker and iGaming. She covers poker sites, game formats, industry news, and US online poker laws for Legal US Poker Sites.