A sad news struck Argentine and South American poker this Monday. At 76 years old, José Litvak 
Those who took their first steps in the world of poker during the first two decades of this century have undoubtedly heard of José Litvak’s teachings. His work for the development and dissemination of poker has been eternally captured in many of his works, such as the book Texas Hold’em Poker, which he wrote together with Ernesto Panno
His interest in the strategic development of the game probably came from his distinguished past as an academic. Before dedicating himself to poker, Litvak had a successful career as a specialist in Tax Law. He was a public accountant and worked as a professor and secretary of the Tax Department at the F.C.E. of the University of Buenos Aires and directed the Graduate Specialization Program in Taxation at the University of Cuyo. As a prominent figure in the Argentine academic world, he became a Member of the Tax Court of the Argentine Nation.
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This tireless pursuit of knowledge led him to found the Pensar Poker project. As founder and director, Litvak led what became one of the largest schools and publishers of formative poker in the Spanish-speaking world.
His focus was always on teaching poker not as a game of chance, but as a discipline of mental skill, decision-making, and long-term strategy. Under the label of the «Biblioteca Pensar Poker», numerous educational texts about the game were published, and he also adapted fundamental works of world poker literature into Spanish, such as Super System Deluxe, by the legendary Doyle Brunson 
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He himself published books both solo and co-authored, such as the aforementioned Texas Hold’em Poker, as well as How to Win at Poker by Exploiting Stacks, together with Marcelo Tow
José Continued Competing At The Most Important Tables In The Region Until His Last Years
As a player, he accumulated nearly US$100K in live tournament cashes, officially competing between 2011 and 2025. He began standing out in local circuits, such as the Madero Master Cup, where he was a regular at the main final tables. He also had deep runs in international stages, such as the European Poker Tour, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Tour, and the Brazilian Poker Series.
Among his most important titles, we can highlight the $50K High Roller he won at Casino Buenos Aires in 2021 and his last conquest, the victory in the GGPoker Deep Stack event of the KSOP Rio de Janeiro.
With a great list of achievements at the tables and an incalculable legacy in the development and dissemination of poker in Argentina, José «El Profe» Litvak has left an indelible mark on the history of Argentine and Latin American poker. From CodigoPoker, we deeply mourn his passing and stand with his family, friends, and loved ones in these moments of sorrow.
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