Poker Pro Commits Suicide After Losing $600k

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Last week the poker community learnt of the sad news that Italian poker pro Alessandro Bastianoni had commited suicide apparently after losing more than $600,000 playing in two poker events. The 48 year-old had travelled to South America to take part in various poker tournaments but the journey ended in tragedy when his body was discovered ten days after his death at a luxury apartment located in Miraflores in Peru.

Alessandro Bastianoni’s Colombian girlfriend, Yeinni Ospina, had reported last hearing from Bastianoni on July 6th when he had phoned her to tell her that he had lost a great deal of money, and as she explains he “had told me that he had lost a lot of money and you could see in his voice a deep sadness. I tried to cheer him up, but it was useless.”

Following their conversation and after not hearing from Alessandro Bastianoni for several days, Yeinni Ospina subsequently contacted the Italian Embassy in Lima and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (Dirincri), who then began to search for Bastianoni, eventually leading to the tragic discovery. Next to Alessandro Bastianoni’s body was found a bottle containing poison, a briefcase with $140,000 inside and a last request letter that he should be cremated.

According to Ospina, Alessandro Bastianoni had travelled to Lima on May 13th to participate in the Latin Series of Poker competition and the PokerStars of Lima event, with the Hendon Mob database also showing that he had cashed in at the Latin America Poker Tour VI Colombia National Poker Championship, Medellin on June 8th.

Looking at Bastianoni’s tournament buy-ins, though, which are very low, it is difficult to see how he could have lost $600,000 on two events, so maybe it may have been a private game where he had lost the money or perhaps playing some other game of chance. Further investigation of the tragic incident should verify the truth.