John Gale, better known as Gentleman John in the world of poker, is an English citizen who was born on December 13, 1953 in London. He was raised in Bushey, Hertfordshire in a small town at the outskirts of London, where he resides today with his wife Shirley and four children. He dropped out of school at the age of 16 and started working in retail. After working as a management consultant for twenty years, he started his own consultancy firm that helped companies prepare to go public on the stock market. He eventually got bored of the routine and took up poker full time, as it promised him more action and excitement.
John Gale qualified for the World Poker Tour (WPT) 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure tournament in the Bahamas through PokerStars.com. He dominated the major event by outlasting 461 players to finish first and walked away with $890,000. This marvelous victory encouraged him to go ahead with his poker career and not look back. By the end of 2007, his total winnings exceeded $2,700,000.
John Gale is a true gentleman, and everybody who watched the $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em 2005 event, where he played against WSOP bracelet winner Brian Wilson, would agree. John Gale was the chip leader and had his opponent down and drawing slim. But in a sudden turn of events, Brian Wilson outdrew him and went on to win several hands. When Wilson finally had the last of his chips, unlike most players who would have grumbled about their misfortune, John Gale graciously shook hands with Brian Wilson and congratulated him. As the runner-up, he still made $204,440.
John Gale was well rewarded the following year when he went on to win the $2,500 Pot- Limit Hold’em event at the 2006 WSOP. This win, incidentally, earned him his first bracelet as well as $374,849 in prize money. Nolan Dalla, the tournament reporter, appropriately titled his article on the event “When Good Things Happen to Nice People.”
In 2007, John Gale secured eleventh place and won $64,640 at the WPT Season 7, Bellagio Cup IV. Though he did not rank very high, he still managed to earn $7,974 at the WSOP Event 16 H.O.R.S.E. He made another decent sum of $5,851 at the WSOP Event 10 No-Limit Hold’em. The WPT Season 5 Borgata Poker Classic proved to be even more profitable for him, for he walked away with $443,096 by finishing third.
John Gale earned $22,266 at the WSOP Event 39 No-Limit Texas Hold’em Championship. He regularly cashed in during events in the year 2005. During Event 43 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em at the WSOP, he managed to secure 18th place and won $8,335. He bagged $21,715 and finished eleventh at the WSOP Event 35 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. He also took home $6,790 from the WSOP Event 31 $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Handed by finishing 42nd.
His wife, Shirley, taught him horseback riding, which he now enjoys. He even owns a horse named Clyde and keeps its picture on his cell phone.
