Gabe Kaplan – Celebrity Poker Player

We all remember the famous TV show from the 1970s known as ‘Welcome Back Kotter’. However, Gabe Kaplan, the artist from the show, is also one of the best poker players in the world.

Gabe Kaplan is known to have a varied lifestyle and was particularly known for his poker skills. Over the recent years, he hasn’t been active enough with poker but his list of poker accomplishments was at its best in the 1980s. He was also heard of making a comeback. His first appearance at the World Poker Series was in the year 1978. He came third at the World Poker Tour’s No Limit Texas Hold’em event and won about $250,000 in the game. He was also awarded the second place in the World Series of Poker Limit Hold’em game. His earnings from all the poker tournaments combine add up to $680000. He also works as an expert poker commentator and has appeared on shows such as International Poker Championship, National Heads-Up Poker Championship and High Stakes Poker.

At the same time as he was working on his hit TV series, he was also actively involved with poker from the years 1975 to 1979. He became addicted to the poker tournaments and was seen appearing on most of them. His accomplished poker skills got him rave reviews from the people within the industry. Gabe won the NBC Poker tournament defeating heads-up champions such as Kristy Gazes and facing other professional players such as Vanessa Rousso, Annie Duke and Howard Lederer. At the moment, the poker enthusiasts can find Gabe Kaplan commentating on the poker tournaments on ESPN, NBC and the Game Show Network. He is still involved with the stand-up plays as well as being actively engaged in the financial industry.

As of the year 2007, his total earnings from the poker tournaments happen to exceed $1,100,000 and with the recent reports of his comeback, we are sure to see Gabe Kaplan winning a lot of tournaments in the years to come.

Establishing Your Poker Player Profile

When it comes to establishing your own poker player profile it is best to be adaptable. The more you change your tactics and strategies when playing, the harder time the other players will have at figuring out what your next move will be. A player who is adaptable is exceptional, as he or she can outwit all of their opponents when the stakes are high.

Of course, becoming a master of profile changing isn’t something that comes naturally, and like everything else, takes practice and plenty of experience playing against, and studying others. To help you with this task here are some tips to keep in mind on your quest to become a great player:

Don’t be afraid to fold - The best poker players in the world fold when they know their hand just won’t cut it. Folding doesn’t make you less of a player, on the contrary it shows that you know how to keep your chips.

Don’t study and try to outwit only one player - In online poker, most of the people you play against at a table won’t be there for long. Therefore, this strategy can prove to be a waste of your time if you constantly have to face new players.

Keep your emotions in check - If you are feeling upset or frustrated it would be best if you called it a day and calm down before attempting to play again. Negative emotions cause you to become distracted, and distractions cause your mind to wonder, allowing the other players to walk all over you.

Don’t fall into a routine – You may find that you are extremely comfortable with one strategy, but falling into a routine of using only one technique will turn you into a straight player, allowing others to gain a good idea of what your next moves will be.

Don’t become too comfortable – If you find that you are comfortable with the way you play, it’s time for you to improve your skill and try something new. Comfort is a sign of laziness, which can cause you to remain at one level, limiting your potential as a player and winner.

Keep your mind open for new ideas – Advice and a few pointers never hurts anyone, as it could be the one tip you need to progress your abilities. You can always learn something. Therefore, whether you get a tip from a professional, a book, a friend or even a kid, show your gratitude and don’t forget to return the favour whenever the opportunity presents itself. Being a good poker player is knowing how to think and act for yourself. So trust your instincts, learn to be flexible, and give it all you’ve got!

Gus Hansen – A Poker Legend

Gus Hansen is known as one of the most prominent poker legends. He was referred to as the ‘Great Dane’ by his fans and was born in 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He happened to be good with sports, with his main talents in tennis. He had exceptional gaming skills with backgammon and soon became one of the renowned backgammon players in the world.

He spent most of his time in New York, but with limited opportunities being offered there, he discovered his skills for poker while he was an exchange student at the University of California in the year 1993. He specialised as a loose aggressive player in the game of Texas Hold’em. He mastered the game and discovered a newer unique approach to playing it. He was also recognised for his wild betting methods.

Gus returned to Denmark in the year 1995 to fulfil his public service obligations and then went back to the States to sustain his new enthusiasm for poker. He completely devoted himself to the game and he gained a lot of public attention by becoming a premier winner of the World Poker Tournament. He had to pay the buy-in fee and it happened to be his first tournament, however amongst all the 146 players, he ended up winning $500000.

Along with the ‘Great Dane’, there were other nicknames attributed to him such as ‘Trashman’ and the ‘Poker Tramp’. The other players could never understand his gaming strategy for the reason that he didn’t play with one. He used to amaze the fellow players with his risky ways of poker.

As mentioned above, Gus used to be a loose, aggressive player who could take any two random cards and play with a hand. He didn’t seem to follow any poker rules and therefore he would attempt to play the trash hands as well as all the other hands. The other players used to be extremely uncomfortable since Gus could play with any two hands and emerge victorious. He used to play the players not restrict his game to the cards only. He would sharply prey on the weaknesses of the other players and keep them off balance by making difficult bets. The other players could not identify his strategy and Gus Hansen would consistently win. It’s more of just random betting, rising when required and folding hands.

Gus holds the record of winning three World Poker tournaments such as PokerStars Caribbean, the Commerce Casino and the Bellagio Casino and still continues to dominate the WPT events. Off lately, he joins in only for the larger buy-ins and biggest prizes. He is a player with personality and possesses a fortune of $4.7 million, enough to accumulate loads of fans all over.