If you're looking for Gabe Kaplan information on the internet, you're probably interested in one of two things. You're either interested in finding out more about the actor who played Gabe Kotter, or you're interested in Gabe Kaplan's poker career.

What people may not know is how varied a life Gabe Kaplan has had. The former sweathog is the Jack London of the poker world; his career has spanned numerous fields of endeavour. He is pure Americana, a man who's found new and interesting pursuits through every phase of his life.

Don't underestimate Kaplan's skill as a poker player, just because he hasn't been as active in the profession in recent years, . At one time in the eighties, Kaplan amassed an impressive list of poker accomplishments. And he seems to be making a comeback.

The Poker Player as a Young Man

Gabe Kaplan was born in Brooklyn in 1945. Like many young men growing up in Brooklyn in the fifties, Gabe hoped to become a professional baseball player. He was invited to spring training with the San Francisco Giants, but Kaplan soon realized the limits of his baseball talents and gave up his first dream.

Gabe soon took a job as a bellboy at a New Jersey resort. In this role, the young man would hear comic acts at the resort. Soon, Kaplan decided he could entertain a crowd as well the standups and began polishing his own comedy routine. Gabe incorporated funny stories about his childhood in Brooklyn into the routine.

He got a chance at the big time when he performed his act on The Tonight Show in the early 70's. Not long after, Kaplan began working to turn his comic stylings into a sitcom. This became the highly popular "Welcome Back,Kotter", which aired on ABC from 1975 to 1979.

The Actor Transitions to a Career in Poker

Gabe Kaplan took up poker in 1978. He claims he played the 1978 World Series of Poker on a whim. This may have been the case, for Kaplan was one of the first players out. But when he returned to play in the 1979 WSOP, Kaplan had taken a year to study the game. Though he once again washed out early, the actor began to make a name for himself in the business.

In 1980, Gabe Kaplan won Amarillo Slim's 2nd Annual Poker Classic. Kaplan soon was playing in big money cash games on the side. He challenged former WSOP champions Hal Fowler and Bobby Baldwin to head-to-head showdowns, and he proceeded to win $200,000 from each of the respected players. This was followed by a sixth place finish in the 1980 World Series of Poker.

By the mid-eighties, Kaplan had a sparkling resume in the poker world. He had a win the 1984 Super Bowl of Poker (formerly Amarillo Slim's Poker Classic) low ball tournament, as well as a 4th place finish in the 1982 Super Bowl of Poker's main event. A victory in the now-defunct Knights of the Round Table Champion's Tournament came in 1986, but poker seemed to have a diminishing allure for Gabe.

Gabe Kaplan - Beyond Poker & Into Broadcasting

During these late 1980's, Kaplan appeared in several movies, including Fast Break, Tulips and Nobody's Perfect. But Kaplan's more celebrated pursuits in fact took a back seat to his career as an investor. The actor had taken his earnings and invested well during the late-seventies, making himself independently wealthy. Ten years later, Kaplan was respected enough that he was writing financial articles for respected economic magazines.

Gabe Kaplan's need for something new hit him again the early nineties. Returning to his original love for pro sports, Kaplan hosted a successful Los Angeles sports talk radio show from 1990 to 1992, "The Sports Nuts with Gabe Kaplan". This broadcasting job was excellent preparation for his later role as a commentator on ESPN's World Series of Poker broadcasts.

But Kaplan did not entirely turn away from theater during these years. He starred in a stage version of "Groucho", originating the title role that would go on to become an HBO adaption. Kaplan also spent time with the National Touring Compan, in its production of "Doubles". And in 1998, the comedian began working with a former producer of "Welcome Back, Kotter" to turn the sitcom into a musical.

But Once a Poker Player...

In recent years, Gabe Kaplan has turned his attention to poker again. He was the voice of the World Series of Poker for ESPN in 2002, and he remains perhaps the most respected commentator on that event in memory. Kaplan also did the on-air commentary for NBC's first-ever "Heads-Up Poker Championship".

But Kaplan is not satisfied with being a mere observer of poker these days. In 2004, Kaplan placed 3rd in a World Poker Tour event. In 2005, he followed this up with a 2nd place finish in a World Series of Poker Limit Hold 'Em event.

There's no telling what news Gabe Kaplan might make next in the poker world.

This page was last updated on January 5, 2006.