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Gabe Kaplan is an American actor, poker player and commentator. Television audiences know him as Gabe Kotter, the teacher in the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter; poker fans know him as the voice of High Stakes Poker, which he called from its first season in 2006 until his retirement in January 2023. [1][4] At the table he won the 1980 Main Event of Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker for $190,000 and finished second in a World Series of Poker event in 2005. [5][2]
Gabe Kaplan: key facts
| Name | Gabe Kaplan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States [1] |
| Grew up in | Brooklyn, New York [4] |
| Known for | Gabe Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter; commentator on High Stakes Poker [1] |
| Biggest title | Super Bowl of Poker Main Event, 1980, $190,000 [5] |
| WSOP bracelets | 0 (11 WSOP cashes, 8 final tables) [2] |
| Best WSOP finish | 2nd, $5,000 Limit Hold’em, 2005, $222,515 [2] |
| Live tournament earnings | $2,015,776 as of October 9, 2026 [1] |
| High Stakes Poker | Commentator in Seasons 1 to 6 (GSN) and 8 to 10 (PokerGO); retired January 2023 [1][4] |
From Brooklyn to Welcome Back, Kotter
Kaplan grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a boy wanted to play Major League Baseball. He was not athletic enough for that, and built his career in entertainment instead. [4] His best-known role is Gabe Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter, the 1970s sitcom in which he played the title character. [1][4] The show aired on ABC and was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1976. [8]
Beginning in poker: the Super Bowl of Poker
Kaplan first became involved in poker during his acting career and played regularly in Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker between 1979 and 1985. [1] His breakthrough came in 1980, when the tournament moved to the Sahara Reno. On the last hand of the first day of the $10,000 Main Event, Kaplan flopped a set of sevens against Ray Zee, who had flopped a set of aces and moved all in. Kaplan called, caught the last seven on the turn, and went on to win the title the next day for $190,000. [5]
The win put him, for a time, among the top professional players of the era. Between 1982 and 1985 he made four final tables at the Super Bowl of Poker and won two events. [5] PokerNews later wrote that in the 1980s and 1990s he played poker almost religiously and was a much stronger player than his television image suggested. [4]
Poker results
World Series of Poker
Kaplan has not won a WSOP bracelet. His WSOP.com profile lists 11 cashes, 8 final tables and $539,159 in WSOP earnings, spread across Seven Card Stud, 2-7 Draw Lowball, Limit Hold’em, H.O.R.S.E. and the Main Event. [2]
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | WSOP $5,000 Limit Hold’em (269 entries) | 2nd | $222,515 | [2] |
| 2007 | WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship (148 entries) | 9th | $131,424 | [2] |
| 1996 | WSOP $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball (24 entries) | 3rd | $48,750 | [2] |
| 1988 | WSOP $5,000 Limit Seven Card Stud (79 entries) | 3rd | $39,500 | [2] |
| 1983 | WSOP $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball (21 entries) | 3rd | $31,500 | [2] |
| 1991 | WSOP $10,000 Main Event (215 entries) | 13th | $11,500 | [2] |
World Poker Tour and other tournaments
| Year | Event | Result | Prize | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $100,000 Super High Roller, Las Vegas | 8th | $258,390 | [1] |
| 2004 | WPT Mirage Poker Showdown, $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (281 entries) | 3rd | $256,519 | [3] |
| 1980 | Super Bowl of Poker $10,000 Main Event, Sahara Reno | 1st | $190,000 | [5] |
| 2010 | NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship ($20,000) | 13th | $25,000 | [1] |
The third place at the 2004 Mirage Poker Showdown was the largest cash of his career for ten years, until his eighth place in a $100,000 Super High Roller in Las Vegas in 2014 paid $258,390. [1] Kaplan also played televised cash games, including Poker After Dark, where PokerGO has published a $250,000 pot he played against Eli Elezra and Dee Tiller. [9]
The voice of High Stakes Poker
Kaplan’s poker broadcasting began in the 1990s with ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker. After Stu Ungar won the 1997 WSOP Main Event, Kaplan asked him on camera whether his life would go differently from then on. Ungar answered: “Well, I hope so.” Ungar died less than a year later, at 45. [4]
High Stakes Poker launched on Game Show Network (GSN) in 2006, a No-Limit Hold’em cash game series produced by Mori Eskandani. Kaplan hosted the first five seasons alongside AJ Benza, and the pair became known for their sarcastic humor and on-air chemistry. In Season 6 Kaplan was paired with Kara Scott, and Norm Macdonald took over for Season 7 in 2011. GSN cancelled the show after Black Friday in 2011. [4] Over its GSN run from 2006 to 2011 the show produced 98 episodes. [6]
Eskandani revived the series on PokerGO, and Season 8 debuted on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, with Kaplan and Benza back in the booth. [6] They also called Season 9 in 2022. On the January 24, 2023 premiere of Season 10, Kaplan announced that it would be his last episode. [1][4] PokerNews, reporting his retirement the next day, gave his age as 77. [4] Nick Schulman replaced him alongside Benza from the second episode of Season 10, having written on social media: “For me it isn’t High Stakes Poker without Gabe.” [7]
Videos
Gabe Kaplan in a $250,000 pot on Poker After Dark
High Stakes Poker, Season 1 Episode 1
High Stakes Poker Season 10, Episode 1: Kaplan’s last episode
FAQ about Gabe Kaplan
Is Gabe Kaplan from Welcome Back, Kotter a poker player?
Yes. The actor who played Gabe Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter is also a tournament and cash game player, and he won the 1980 Super Bowl of Poker Main Event for $190,000. [1][5]
How old is Gabe Kaplan?
PokerNews gave his age as 77 when it reported his retirement from High Stakes Poker in January 2023. [4]
What is Gabe Kaplan’s net worth?
There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $2,015,776 in earnings as of October 9, 2026, according to PokerNews, which uses Hendon Mob data. Cash game results are not published. [1]
Does Gabe Kaplan have a WSOP bracelet?
No. His WSOP.com profile shows 11 cashes and 8 final tables without a bracelet. His closest finish was second in the $5,000 Limit Hold’em event in 2005. [2]
Why did Gabe Kaplan leave High Stakes Poker?
He retired. Kaplan announced on the January 24, 2023 Season 10 premiere that it would be his last episode, and Nick Schulman took his seat next to AJ Benza. [1][7]
Who replaced Gabe Kaplan on High Stakes Poker?
Nick Schulman, from the second episode of Season 10 in 2023. In Season 7 in 2011, when Kaplan was not on the show, Norm Macdonald was the host. [7][4]
What is Gabe Kaplan’s biggest poker win?
His only major title is the 1980 Super Bowl of Poker Main Event, worth $190,000. His largest single cash is $258,390 for eighth place in a $100,000 Super High Roller in Las Vegas in 2014. [5][1]
Related Poker Legends
Read more about Stu Ungar, whom Kaplan interviewed after the 1997 Main Event, and about Tom Dwan and Doyle Brunson, two of the best-known players in the High Stakes Poker games he called.
Sources
- PokerNews, Gabe Kaplan player profile, accessed October 9, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Gabe Kaplan player profile, accessed October 9, 2026.
- WSOP.com, Gabe Kaplan player profile (World Poker Tour results), accessed October 9, 2026.
- PokerNews, Iconic Commentator Gabe Kaplan is Retiring from High Stakes Poker, January 25, 2023.
- PokerNews, Poker Vaults: Amarillo Slim’s Super Bowl of Poker, March 2009.
- PokerNews, High Stakes Poker Season 8 Debuts Wed.; Gabe Kaplan & AJ Benza Are Back, December 2020.
- PokerNews, Nick Schulman Shines as Kaplan’s Replacement on New Episode of High Stakes Poker, February 1, 2023.
- Television Academy, Welcome Back, Kotter: awards and nominations, accessed October 9, 2026.
- PokerGO on YouTube, Throwback Poker After Dark Action: Eli Elezra, Gabe Kaplan, and Dee Tiller Play $250,000 Pot!
Last verified: October 9, 2026. Figures that change over time, such as career earnings, are given with the date they were checked.
