Quest of a Closet Poker Player

Gabe Kaplan asked one of the cocktail guys for a Gatorade, something he didn’t sell.  “I’ll get it,” I told him, and I ran to the gift store to grab a Green Gatorade.

Sometimes, poker tournaments are alot like watching a golf tournament, and the HORSE event has been exactly like that the last two days.  As I researched for my article on Table 66, I got to watch Gabe Kaplan for six or seven straight hours.  What I saw was not Mr. Kotter nor the witty, excellent commentator on High Stakes Poker.  What I saw was a grizzled old warhorse of a poker player,  one of those guys I find when I sit at the $15/30 tables at the Bellagio.

He’s been a poker player probably longer than he’s been anything.  If this HORSE event is any indication, he’s excellent.  Several of the players in this event were extremely cautious, hardly ever playing a pot.  Kaplan wasn’t like that.  He was willing to call in Razz with a king in front of him, he’ll three-bet at any time, he’ll take on the big stack without trepidation.

He doesn’t seem to play the ex-TV star very well.  He doesn’t seem to be ungracious, but he’s simply is not Mr. Kotter anymore just as I’m not the budding tennis protege that I at ten.  He’s not one for small talk with passersby, but he is a wealth of experiences.  His interview with Stu Ungar when he won his final poker tournament is possibly the most touching televised poker moment in poker’s young history.  Kaplan didn’t hug Ungar, nor did they both break down in tears.  Yet you could see in Kaplan’s tone and questions that he had abandoned proper interview technique, instead asking leading questions of hope.  He asked Ungar if he would take advantage of this last lifeline, if not for himself then for his daughter.  He knew the answer he would hear and the probable answer of his actions, but he could hope, just as he did on his television show.

Gabe Kaplan went out in 9th last night in the $50k HORSE event, one place shy of the Final Table.  He deserves to sit there.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2007 at 10:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized.