World Poker Tour

Jason "Big Bird" Sagle “Big Bird“

Birthplace
Sudbury, Ontario

Hometown
Sudbury, Ontario

Birthday
December 30

Total Winnings
$600,209

Jason Sagle didn't start out as a gambler. In fact, before he found his way into poker, he wanted to be a cop. He followed that dream as far as he could before the lure of gambling and real money pulled him away from life behind the badge. Some people have said insurance is just another form of gambling. For a long while, the imposing Canadian Jason Sagle gave people that kind of gambling fix. In search of a career in his 20s, he followed a friend into the world of insurance sales. By day, he sold insurance, and by night he frequented charity casinos. Before long, he found himself making more money playing poker than pushing insurance.

Still, the jump to the world of professional poker was not one he made with insurance of success. With about $30,000 in the bank, he quit his job and took to playing poker online and on the tournament circuit. In 2004, a $50 satellite to the World Series of Poker proved to be the genesis of Sagle's carefree life. With his $10,000 Main Event being nearly free, Sagle was able to pocket the $120,000 he made for his Top 30 finish. Since then, he and his wife (also a professional poker player) have been able to earn more than $2 million for their family.

Sagle's success has gone beyond his cash at the 2004 WSOP Main Event. He has cashed in more than 20 major poker tournaments, including a final table finish on the World Poker Tour and a final table finish in a Pot Limit Hold'em event at the 2006 World Series. While he's content to remain a professional and enjoy the freedom the life offers, says he still intends to go back and get a university degree just as a little insurance.