American actor, comedian, professional poker player, and commentator for poker events, Gabriel Kaplan. He is most known for portraying the role of “Gabe Kotter” in the American sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which he and Alan Sacks co-created. In addition, he made numerous additional television programs and a few television movies. Later, he decided to devote all of his time to playing poker and commentating on poker, leaving acting behind. Kaplan has won numerous significant poker tournaments, including the 1980 ‘Super Bowl of Poker’ hosted by Amarillo Slim. In the following five years, he twice reached the finals. He is regarded as one of the top players in the game and has amassed a sizable fortune playing poker. He subsequently went back to acting and comedy, performing in a variety of settings and commentating on poker games and televised poker shows.
A career in comedy and acting
When he was younger, Gabe Kaplan aspired to play professional baseball for a Major League Baseball team, but he was unable to reach the roster of a minor league team, which drove him to think of other ways to support himself. In New Jersey, he began his career as a bellman at a prestigious hotel. The hotel used to host a lot of stand-up comedians, so Kaplan started working there and picking up their skills. In 1964, he started his own stand-up act, which he continued to perform in various bars and cafes, including the Cafe Tel Aviv in New York City.
He started receiving favorable comments and started performing across the nation, entertaining audiences with his amusing childhood tales. He had already made five appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” an American talk show that was a part of the Tonight Show franchise and was hosted by Johnny Carson. Additionally, he recorded other comedic albums, among them “Holes and Mello-Rolls.”
The iconic actor John Travolta made his television debut in the American sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter,” which was created by Alan Sacks and Eric Cohen with his assistance. Gabe Kotter, a witty high school teacher who returns to teach at the institution where he formerly attended, is the main character played by Kaplan. From September 9, 1975, until May 17, 1979, the show was a success, and Kaplan appeared on it 95 times in all, earning generously each time.
After the iconic line from “Welcome Back, Kotter,” “Up your nose with a rubber hose!” Kaplan released a record with “Elektra Records” called “Up Your Nose.” The song quickly gained a lot of traction with listeners and peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1977. Later, he had several more television appearances, playing characters such as “David Greene” on “Fast Break,” “Leland Irving” on “Tulips,” “Stewart Lewis” on “Lewis & Clark,” and “Anthony DePalma” on “The Hoboken Chicken Emergency.”
Casino Career of Gabe Kaplan
Kaplan developed an interest in poker and the financial industry when he was still an actor. The first time he participated in the World Series of Poker was in 1978. He won the main event at Amarillo Slim’s “Super Bowl of Poker” in 1980, and over the following five years, he twice advanced to the last round of that tournament.
He placed third in the 2004 World Poker Tour no-limit Texas hold ’em event, earning prize money of more than $250,000. He earned an additional $222,515 in the $5,000 Limit Hold ‘Em World Series of Poker event the following year. As of June 2017, Kaplan reportedly has won $1,991,248 playing poker.
He kept on playing poker and started commentating on poker matches. The “High Stakes Poker” on GSN, the “Intercontinental Poker Championship” on CBS, and the “National Heads-Up Poker Championship” on NBC were among the poker competitions he hosted on television.
Individual Life of Gabe Kaplan
Charles and Dorothy Kaplan welcomed Gabriel Weston Kaplan into the world on March 31, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. He has never given the public any information about his private life and has always enjoyed a quiet existence away from the spotlight. He has a daughter named Rachel Kaplan, but he has kept quiet about Rachel’s mother or any previous marriages he may have had.
Gabe Kaplan’s Net Worth
Kaplan, Gabe Gabe Kaplan, an American comedian, actor, investor, and seasoned poker player, has a $50 million net worth. The comedy “Welcome Back, Kotter” is where Gabe Kaplan initially rose to stardom. He is most recognized today for his appearances on GSN’s High Stakes Poker. Born on March 31, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, Gabriel W. “Gabe” Kaplan is best known for playing Gabriel “Gabe” Kotter in the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC, 1975–1979). Following the discontinuation of the program that gave John Travolta his acting debut, Kaplan continued to make sporadic appearances in feature and TV films. His later, less desirable screen roles can be seen in films like Fast Break (1979), Nobody’s Perfekt (1981), and Tulips (1981), as well as the brief sitcom Lewis & Clark (NBC, 1981-82). Koplan was avoiding the spotlight to concentrate on projects outside of Hollywood, primarily financial investments and poker tournaments, as acting seemed to have lost its luster in his eyes. He actually started playing poker before it become popular in the 2000s, winning a number of tournaments and even working as a host for televised games. He gained popularity with viewers mostly through the “No-Limit Texas Hold-‘Em” poker variation and as co-host and joint analyst on earlier seasons of High Stakes Poker on GSN with A.J. Benza. He was replaced for the seventh season of the program by fellow comedian and professional poker player Norm Macdonald. Gabe Kaplan was one of the few famous people who didn’t seek fame or attention, but he was nevertheless a prominent character whose brief appearance in popular culture had a significant effect.