British ‘Queen of Poker’ Dead in Car Crash

The so-called British “Queen of Poker” Emma Fryer was killed in a car crash while driving with a poker friend in heavy fog in the Czech Republic.

Fryer, 42, was in the country for the World Series Europe tournament in Rozvadov that had a prize of about 10 million euros ($11.6 million).

Their car entered a roundabout, but because of a problem with their GPS and poor visibility from the fog, they didn’t see it and hit a concrete post.

“There was no fault on the part of the driver. It was just a tragic accident,” her sister, Liz Carter, told the Stoke Sentinal.

Fryer had just quit her job at Bet365 to become a poker player, and had recently found out her daughter was pregnant with her first grandchild.

“It was such a shock, it still feels surreal. Everything was going so well for her, she was the happiest she had ever been,” her mother, Sheila Waring, told the Sentinel.

“Emma was so sociable. If you met her once you would remember her. She was so caring and thoughtful and she doted on her nieces and nephews. She was never still—she was always doing something.”

She leaves behind her partner and two daughters, one 18 and one 20, MailOnline reported.

“All she ever wanted was for me and Jess to get married and have children,“ her 20-year-old daughter Gemma Sale, told MailOnline. “She loved kids and was over-the-moon that she was going to be a granny. She would have spoilt the baby rotten.”

She added: “For the past 12 to 18 months she had been going to church and had recently been confirmed. Her life was perfect. It’s so tragic that she was taken away from us at this time but as a family we take comfort from the fact that she was living her dreams and she was so happy.”

Fryer’s other sister, Sally Parton, 38, told The Sun: “Everyone said this was going to be her breakout year in poker, when she was going to make it to the top.”

“She was so popular—she was like a celebrity. The number of people who have been in touch with us has been amazing. Seeing what she meant to so many people has been a great comfort.”

Fryer died at the scene, but the driver of the vehicle was injured and is now in a Czech hospital.

Fryer’s body is set to be returned to the United Kingdom on Nov. 15.