Tributes to Wolverhampton's legend of poker Mickey Wernick who passed away aged 78

Mickey, as he was affectionately known, was a professional poker player from Wolverhampton who, following a long battle with cancer, passed away on April 18 aged 78. And perhaps unsurprisingly, tributes to the man dubbed the "Legend" of poker have been pouring in since his death.

Mr Wernick championed the game throughout his life and was crowned the number one player in Europe in 2005.

Born to a Jewish family on July 2, 1944, in Warsaw, Poland, the poker player moved to Wolverhampton shortly before the Second World War.

After leaving Whitmore Secondary Modern School, Mr Wernick worked at the family business – known then as S Wernick & Sons – with his father, Solly Wernick.

He grew up a keen boxer, having been crowned the Midlands Lightweight Amateur Champion title at aged 16, and even had the chance to meet Muhammad Ali on his visit to Birmingham in 1983.

And he was in his father's corner when he stepped down as chairman of the family business in 1967 to open Wolverhampton's first casino, The Oasis Club, based at a hotel on Queen Street.

The family were also the owners of two other venues in the city, including the Polynesian Casino on Darlington Street which they opened in the late 70s, and a betting office on Worcester Street.

Mr Wernick was also a familiar face to many in the 1980s at the Monmore Green and Cradley Heath Greyhound Stadiums, where he regularly cashed bets.

But it was later in life when the second stage of his poker career began, frequenting to Las Vegas on a regular basis to compete against players from across the globe.

Nicknamed the "Grandfather" of poker due to his many years of experience, Mr Wernick's skill led him to take home $100,000 after competing in The Grand Prix of Poker, which was introduced by The Golden Nugget Hotel in the 1980s.

He also reached the quarter-finals in the 2003 World Heads Up Poker Championship, where he lost to the eventual winner, John Cernuto.

Though it wasn't just on the poker scene where Mickey was thought of as the best, having been described by his daughter, Vicki, as a "caring" and "loving" father.

She added: "In my dad's later life, I always told him he was the richest man I knew because he was loved by so many people for all the right reasons. No wealth or fortune could ever buy the love that he received – he was the King of our hearts.

"Everyone who knew him knew he was so warm and family-orientated, I know everyone says it about their dad but he really was a lovely dad.

"We had a very special relationship. He was always caring and considering, thoughtful and loving. I don't know how to put into words how he was, he was funny, he was everything-in-one – a lovely, lovely man.

"He always had a really good outlook on life. If he lost loads of money or things had gone bad he just never gave up. He believed in people and helped people, he was very generous and kind, even if he wasn't doing well or one of his friends was in a worse position than him he always gave what he could – he's left a massive hole in our lives.

"He taught us to always do the best you could and always think positive, his cup was always half full and he sort of instilled that outlook in us to always look on the bright side of everything and believe in yourself and other people."

Mickey has been featured in the Express & Star several times over the years, including once for the announcement of his marriage to Miss Helga Maria Coleman on August 10, 1967.

The couple shared two children together, Vicki, 50 and David, 53, and eventually divorced, with the poker player moving to Sutton Coldfield in the 1990's where he met his partner, Dawn Grosevner, who he shares three children with, namely Nicky, 40, Jack, 31, Joel, 29 and Tyler, 28.

Mr Wernick is also survived by his two sisters, Lesley and Janet, and his five grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held to honour his life at the Sutton Coldfield Crematorium on May 22 at 3.15pm.