“The Voice” candidate Matt Snook fights cancer

Matt Snooka singer who appeared in season 8 of “The voice,” was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer earlier this year. On Saturday, he was able to fulfill an item on his bucket list by participating in the Main Event of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP).

PokerNews spoke to the avid poker enthusiast before the start of Day 1. The Kansas City, Missouri native has never participated in a tournament with such a high buy-in, but has a lot of tournament experience, including 12 cashes at the Rungood Poker Series (RGPS) since 2019.

“I got a bunch of friends together and they basically helped me,” Snook said of his participation in the World Championship. “It’s the coolest tournament in the world and I love it.”

Rare form of cancer

Snook says he’s “more of a cash game player” than a tournament player, but every now and then he enjoys mixing things up. Every player in the Main Event has a story to tell, but the musician has a special one.

“I was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer on January 3rd and this will probably be one of my last tournaments,” Snook explained.

Despite his condition – he said he had 6 to 12 months to live – he seemed in good spirits before the game began. And he still has a positive outlook on life.

“I’ve lived such a blessed life, I feel good today, had a rough night yesterday and I plan to process what I need to process,” he said. “Poker players know poker is a tough battle and life is a tough battle. But I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I don’t want pity. I’ve just lived a blessed life and I’m happy to be here.”

Snook said he first felt ill in September 2023 before his cancer diagnosis came in January. The poker player suffers from sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC), a rare, aggressive form of kidney cancer that can also affect other parts of the body.

“It starts in the kidney and goes down to the bones. I have it everywhere,” he said of his condition.

Snook, who was joined in the Paris ballroom by his supportive wife Stephanie and friends, estimates the cancer began about a year ago.

“I probably had it before I knew it because I wasn’t feeling so good in September,” the poker player said. “But I’m not worried about that.”

Snook no longer treats his illness, as the treatments he has tried over the past six months have failed to improve his condition. Instead, he simply tries to “enjoy the good days I have” and he feels “blessed that I was able to come here to Vegas from Kansas City.”

Participation in “The Voice”

Poker has never been a profession for Snook, but it has long been one of his passions. He previously worked in a corporate job, but his real talent is singing.

“I’m very blessed. I’ve sung in deserts and in hospitals, for example in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Snook said.

Snook wanted to “be on TV,” so he auditioned for “The Voice,” a popular American reality TV singing competition on NBC. During the blind audition phase of season 8 in 2015, the country singer sang the song “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks & Dunn and was selected by Team Blake, but was eliminated in the battle rounds. He also competed in season 7, but did not appear on television.

“It was a wonderful experience,” he said about his appearance on “The Voice.”

At the time of publication, after the first break of Day 1c, Snook was back to just over 50,000 chips, better than at the start of the session, having fallen well below his starting stack of 60,000 chips.

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