Gabe Kaplan was born on March 31, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Gabe Kaplan is an old American comedian, actor and a professional poker player.
While he was just a child, Gabe Kaplan had a dream of being a Major League Baseball player. He was unable to get in the list of even a small league team and decided to take up other interests. Gabe Kaplan began work as a bellman at a hotel in Lakewood, New Jersey. Sometimes comedians would happen to perform at the hotel, and Gabe Kaplan got interested in that profession. He began to create his own career as a stand-up comedian. Gabe Kaplan's comedy hit success, and he started touring the country. His act was mainly based on childhood experiences in Brooklyn. Gabe Kaplan had five appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from May 1973 to December 1974. In this period he also recorded the comedy album Holes and Mello-Rolls. Gabe Kaplan also acted in a sitcom, where he played Gabe Kotter, a high school teacher. The series began in 1975 and ended in 1979.
Despite being actively involved in his acting career, Gabe Kaplan also found some time to become involved in financial markets and poker. Gabe Kaplan made his first appearance on the poker scene at the World Series Of Poker back in 1978. In 1980, he won Amarillo Slim’s second Annual Poker Classic, which gave him the courage to play in big money cash games. Former WSOP champions Hal Fowler and Bobby Bladwin were challenged by Gabe Kaplan, and each one of them lost $200,000 from the poker playing comedy actor. His biggest achievement took place in 2004, when he finished third at the World Poker Tour no-limit Texas hold 'em event, profiting more than $250,000 in cash. In the $5000 2005 World Series of Poker Limit Hold 'Em event, he finished second, earning $222,515. In 2007 WSOP, Gabe Kaplan earned $131,424, finishing ninth in the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. event. That same year, he won the NBC’s Poker After Dark “Queens and Kings” episode, beating poker professionals like Ali Nejad, Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. With 13 cashes and one first place at live tournaments, his total winnings exceed $1,300,000.
Nowadays, you can see and hear Gabe Kaplan, commentating on poker for ESPN, the Game Show Network, NBC, GSN and the Intercontinental Poker Championship. He is still doing stand-up shows as well as public speaking engagements in the financial sector.
