World Poker Tour

Bill Gazes

Hometown
New York, New York

Birthday
December 25

Total Winnings
$1,242,145

Bill Gazes has always pursued a unique path in life, and when he found that his strengths were at the poker table, he had no qualms about making the game into a career. By spending time in Las Vegas, immersing himself in the game, and befriending many other poker pros, he took his game to the level of high stakes and big winnings.

In the early 1990's, Bill took to the tournament circuit and found that he enjoyed a level of competition that was missing from the cash games. He won several small tournaments in Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, and San Diego, then began making treks to the World Series of Poker. In 1997, he made a final table at the $2000 no-limit hold'em event and came in fourth place, getting him close enough to the win to encourage him to continue on the circuit.

Bill has a long list of cashes, final tables, and tournament wins on his record, and he has made a splash at various World Poker Tour events as well. Beginning in 2004, he nearly made the TV final table at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, then did make the final table at that year's L.A. Poker Classic, finishing in fourth place. The following year, it was the WPT's World Poker Finals that saw Bill come in 3rd place for his biggest cash to date " over $750,000. While he continues to pursue the elusive WPT and WSOP champion titles, his accomplishments are wide-ranging and garner respect from most pros in poker. But it's also his approach to the game and kindness to fellow players that makes him so well-liked at any table at which he sits.