Steve Zolotow

Steve Zolotow was born on March 30, 1945, in New York City, the son of writers Charlotte and Maurice Zolotow and the brother of writer Crescent Dragonwagon. Before becoming a professional poker player, he worked as a businessman and owned several bars and restaurants in New York City. He discovered poker while living in New York and became a regular at the famed Mayfair Club, where he played alongside future poker stars such as Howard Lederer, Dan Harrington, Jay Heimowitz, and Erik Seidel. He lived in New York for many years before relocating to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he now resides. He also holds two master's degrees from New York University.

Zolotow has been active on the major tournament circuit since the 1980s. His first live cash came in 1984, and from 1985 to 1988 he recorded five top-nine finishes at the World Series of Poker. He won his first WSOP bracelet in 1995 in the $5,000 Chinese Poker event, earning $112,500 against a final table that included Doyle Brunson and Howard Lederer. His second bracelet came at the 2001 WSOP in the $3,000 Pot Limit Hold'em tournament, where he earned $243,335 in a field that featured John Juanda, Tom McEvoy, Kathy Liebert, Chris Ferguson, and Scotty Nguyen.

Zolotow has 49 WSOP money finishes, which accounted for more than $1.1 million of his lifetime tournament earnings as of 2013. His best WSOP Main Event finish came in 2021, when he placed 283rd. He continued to run deep in WSOP events well into his late seventies. In 2024, he finished fourth in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship for $128,863, third in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed event for $140,077, and ninth in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship for $33,930.

Zolotow's largest live cash came in March 2004 at the WPT PartyPoker.com Million III Limit Hold'em Championship, a $7,000 buy-in event in which he finished fourth for $259,684. That final table included Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu, and eventual winner Erick Lindgren. The result remains his career-best payout.

Another notable result was a fourth-place finish in the June 2010 WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 Championship, worth $125,379.

In 2008, Zolotow appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark in a special week that reunited six regulars from the Mayfair Club: Zolotow, Howard Lederer, Mickey Appleman, Dan Harrington, Jay Heimowitz, and former club owner Mike Shichtman. Zolotow finished fourth, while Jay Heimowitz took the winner-take-all prize of $120,000.

Zolotow has remained a regular presence on the tournament scene, especially in high-roller and mixed-game events. In June 2021, he finished runner-up in the US Poker Open $10,000 8-Game Mix for $150,000. Earlier, in the 2023 WSOP, he cashed in the $10,000 Razz Championship (14th, $17,789), the $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em Championship (40th, $24,989), and the $2,500 Mixed Big Bet (9th, $14,870). At the 2022 WSOP, he placed 43rd in the $5,000 Freezeout No-Limit Hold'em for $14,259 and also cashed in the $1,500 The Closer.

His recent results also include deep runs at the 2025 WSOP, such as a 552nd-place finish in the $1,000 Mystery Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha and a 423rd-place showing in the $1,000 Battle of the Ages. Across his long career, Zolotow has surpassed $4.2 million in live tournament earnings and has ranked among the top 550 players on poker's All Time Money List.

Known by the nicknames "Stevie Z," "The Bald Eagle," and simply "Z," Zolotow is respected as one of poker's elder statesmen. He was a key figure in New York City's pre-boom poker culture at the Mayfair Club, and he has combined a successful business career—owning several bars and restaurants—with a five-decade run as a professional player. His two WSOP bracelets, consistent deep shows in major tournaments, and contributions to the growth of the game cement his place in poker history.