Poker is not a niche game that only a minority are exposed to. In contrast, poker is something that many people, whether they like card games or are encouraged by friends and social media, are exposed to.
That's why it's no surprise to us, and we don't think it's a surprise to you, that world-famous personalities - athletes, musicians, actors, etc. - sit down at the poker tables.
"PokerioMokykla.com presents its new entertainment section, where we will tell you about celebrities who have made their mark in the poker world.
Part I of the series of articles
Part II of the series of articles
Part III of the series of articles
Part IV of the series of articles
Part V of the series of articles
Part VI of the series of articles
Gabe Kaplan (actor)
Often known as a poker commentator, G.Kaplan is perhaps the best known and regarded as the best poker player in the entertainment world. The 72-year-old first competed in the WSOP in 1978. Within a few years, he was already considered one of poker's elite players. He has won a wide range of events.
At one point, he was ranked 7th in the world in terms of poker player winnings. He is currently ranked 386th in the USA in terms of winnings. However, it is likely that Kaplan would be much higher on this list as he rarely plays poker at this age. Moreover, the importance of inflation should not be overlooked.
The actor mostly played cash games. According to rumours, he has played many one-on-one (heads-up) games against the world's most famous players.
As a child, he dreamt of becoming a baseball player and had the opportunity to do so, but decided that baseball was not for him and turned to acting and poker. Eventually he became a well-known poker commentator.
Shane Warnas (athlete)
The former Australian cricket star has not won huge sums in poker, with his (official) poker career winnings amounting to just over 93,000. His poker career has totaled just under USD 93. Nevertheless, the Australian is not only commentating on cricket matches, but also still visits the poker tables.
His last official event was in 2016, when he finished 16th in the Aussie Millions Poker Championship in Melbourne for $4.4k. He won $16,000 at the Aussie Poker Poker Series in 16th place.
He might have won more, but he mostly participates in charity poker events (which he also runs) and has competed very little in the US. He did sign a two-year partnership with 888poker in 2008 and has represented them in various tournaments.
As for his own hobby of poker, Sh.Warn says: "I absolutely love poker and especially the intricacies of tournament poker. This kind of thing resonates with me because poker and cricket have many similarities. Especially when it comes to the game at the highest level.
I absolutely love competing on the big stage, and in poker, there's no event bigger than the WSOP. The best players in the world are in Vegas every year for the WSOP, and I've been lucky enough to be in the main event seven times. I feel I'm playing in a way that allows me to compete at the highest level. I don't have any fear of sitting at any table and I feel I have a good image.
I find a lot of similarities between poker tournaments and long cricket. Both are long and tedious events that can be broken down into smaller events. In cricket, I concentrate on each play, ball, session, batsman, etc. In poker, you can only play one hand at a time, against one opponent. If you can win most of those small games, in the long run it will contribute to your success. This is true in both sports. Patience is the key to success. I also like the challenge of finding out the tendencies of the opponent's game. This is vital in both poker and cricket."
He says that knowledge from both fields can be applied to each other to achieve even better results. I wonder if we could learn the subtleties of cricket too? 🙂 Well, or let's just play poker.
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