Ken Flaton

infobox poker player
firstname=Ken
lastname=Flaton
nickname=Skyhawk


caption=
hometown=Henderson, Nevada
wsop bracelet count=1
wsop money finishes=38
wsop main event best finish rank=18th
wsop main event best finish year=1997
multi-year wsop winner=
wpt titles="None"
wpt final tables=0
wpt money finishes=2

Ken Flaton (June 28, 1940 – November 7 2004) was an American professional poker player who was born in New York City, New York and settled in Henderson, Nevada after serving in the US Army.

Flaton won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1983 in the $1,000 seven-card stud event. He also finished in the money of the $10,000 no limit hold'em main event in 1988 (23rd), 1990 (31st) and 1997 (18th).

Flaton also won the 1996 United States Poker Championship and competed in the World Poker Tour (WPT).

Both Flaton and his peers have suggested that seven-card stud was his best game. ^{[http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=b&n=86 (1)]}

Flaton died in November 2004 ^{[http://cardplayer.com/poker_magazine/archives/showarticle.php?a_id=14471&m_id=65553 (2)]} at Rose Dominican Hospitals (Siena Campus), aged 64. He died of a heart attack, although he was suffering from lung cancer at the time, despite being a non-smoker. ^{[http://extempore.livejournal.com/2004/11/16/ (3)]} He is survived by his wife Crystal and son Aaron. Flaton often kept an up-to-date picture of Aaron with him when playing in poker tournaments.

His total live tournament winnings amount to $2,400,040.

Trivia

Flaton got his nickname when Stu Ungar, after seeing Flaton spread his arms and then rake in the pot while in a poker tournament, commented that Flaton "swooped down on piles of chips like a 'skyhawk.' " [ [http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/obits/2004/nov/09/517796500.html Ken Flaton's Obituary] ]

Notes

External links

* [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=86 Hendon Mob tournament results]
* [http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_magazine/archives/?a_id=14428&m_id=65551 CardPlayer article]
* [http://pokergazette.com/simpnews/singlenews.php?lang=en&layout=def&category=1&newsnr=350 Poker Gazette article]