From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan (born March 31, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his role as Gabriel "Gabe" Kotter in the 1970s sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, but he has become more visible in recent years in relation to the popularity of poker, especially... show more