John Gale

John Gale was born in London on 13 December 1953. He left school at 16 and worked in retail before spending around twenty years in management consultancy. During that period he started his own company, helping businesses prepare to go public on the stock market. Gale, who was based in Bushey, Hertfordshire, married Shirley and raised four children. His home casino was The Vic in London, and he also played online.

Gale began playing Texas hold'em only in mid-2004. In January 2005 he won a satellite online into the World Poker Tour's PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas. Entering the $7,800 + $200 main event, he outlasted a 461-player field and took first prize of $890,600 in what was PokerStars' first trip to the Atlantis Resort. After returning to his management-consulting job, Gale found day-to-day business less interesting and sold his company to concentrate on poker full-time. He cashed in an EPT event the following month and then recorded four money finishes at the 2005 World Series of Poker.

Gale's sportsmanship earned him the nickname "Gentleman" at the 2005 WSOP. He finished runner-up to Brian Wilson in the $5,000 pot-limit hold'em event after Wilson mounted a stunning comeback from a 10-to-1 chip deficit, hitting miracle outs to deny Gale the bracelet. Instead of showing frustration, Gale extended his hand and warmly embraced the new champion. That year Gale also made it to day 2 of the $10,000 no-limit hold'em main event; his deepest main-event finish came in 2006, when he placed 522nd.

At the 2006 WSOP, Gale won Event #29, a $2,500 pot-limit hold'em tournament that drew 562 entries and a prize pool of $1,292,600. In the final hand his K♣ 9♠ defeated Maros Lechman's A♠ 6♠ on a board of T♣ 9♦ 7♣ 5♠ 2♣. The victory was worth $374,849 and gave Gale his first WSOP bracelet. Tournament reporter Nolan Dalla titled the recap "When Good Things Happen to Nice People," describing a tearful Gale hugging well-wishers in the stands and needing several minutes to compose himself. "Poker is a game of peaks and valleys," Dalla wrote, and the summit view was finally magnificent for Gale.

Gale's health and poker career intersected dramatically in 2015. After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2012 and undergoing open-heart surgery before brain surgery, he missed three WSOPs. Against doctor's orders, he flew to Las Vegas for the 2015 series and entered Event #18, a $1,000 turbo no-limit hold'em tournament. In heads-up play against Gary Luther, Gale was re-raised all-in preflop with 2♣ 2♥ and called Luther's A♣ 3♠; the board ran out 8♥ 4♥ 4♦ 10♠ 9♣, giving Gale the winning hand and $298,290 plus a second gold bracelet.

"My doctor told me I shouldn't fly," Gale joked to PokerNews. "I said I'd compromise; I'll take the plane. I've missed the last three WSOPs, and I've been miserable as hell every time. I'm just so thrilled to be back here." He added that the first bracelet had meant an awful lot, but the second "feels wonderful. It's absolutely fantastic."

Beyond the WSOP, Gale enjoyed consistent success on the World Poker Tour, with one WPT title, two final tables, and four WPT money finishes. In December 2005 he placed second in a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, earning $252,325. In January 2007 he finished third in the WPT Borgata Winter Open for $443,096. In July 2008 he won a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event at the Bellagio Cup IV, adding $205,500. He also recorded three European Poker Tour money finishes.

As of 2015, Gale's live tournament earnings exceeded $3.6 million, with $954,900 of that coming from ten WSOP cashes. By the time of his death, his career totals were remembered as surpassing $3.9 million.

In 2012 Gale was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Pre-operative checks uncovered further complications, and surgeons performed open-heart surgery first to make him fit enough for the subsequent brain surgery. He returned to Las Vegas in 2015 against medical advice and capped his comeback by winning his second bracelet. Gale continued to book cashes through 2015 and 2016, but recorded only one tournament score after 2017.

John Gale died on 18 November 2019 at the age of 65. The precise role his earlier health problems played in his death was not immediately known. He was survived by his wife Shirley and their four children. Poker media veteran Tony Kendall said: "Poker has lost a lovely man, and he was an absolute credit to the game." Remembered as one of the nicest people in poker, "Gentleman" John Gale left behind both a collection of major titles and a lasting example of grace and kindness at the tables.