Ken Flaton (June 28, 1940 – November 7, 2004) was an American professional poker player. He was born in New York City, New York, and settled in Henderson, Nevada, after serving in the US Army.^[1]

Flaton won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1983 in the $1,000 seven-card stud event.^[2] He also finished in the money of the $10,000 no limit hold'em main event in 1986 (28th), 1988 (23rd), 1990 (31st), and 1997 (18th).^[3]

Flaton won the first United States Poker Championship in 1996 and competed in the World Poker Tour (WPT).^[3]

Flaton died in November 2004 at St. Rose Dominican Hospital – Siena Campus, aged 64.^[1] He died of a heart attack, although he was suffering from lung cancer at the time, despite being a non-smoker.^[4]

His total live tournament winnings were at least $2,575,000.^[3] His 39 cashes at the WSOP accounted for $568,525 of his lifetime winnings.^[5]

Nickname

Flaton got his nickname, "Skyhawk", when fellow professional 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.'"^[1]

References

External links

• Card Player profile
• Hendon Mob profile
• WPT profile
• WSOP profile