William G. Klein (born c. 1948) is a retired
American businessman and poker player from
Laguna Hills, California
Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby— Laguna Niguel and L ...
.
Poker
Klein's family was a part owner of a manufacturing company. They sold the company and he retired after being diagnosed with
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...
. Klein entered the 2015 $111,111 One Drop High Roller and finished 2nd receiving a $2,465,522 payout.
Klein donated his entire payout to two charities, the Orangewood Children’s Foundation and The Shea Center for Therapeutic Riding.
In 2010, Klein appeared in Season 7 of
Game Show Network's ''
High Stakes Poker
''High Stakes Poker'' is an American cash game poker television program. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. The first four seasons ran from January 16, 2006 to December 17, 2007 on GSN. The next three seasons ran f ...
''. In 2015, Klein played in the $250,000 Aria Super High Roller cash game where he won a $458,500 pot after hero calling
Antonio Esfandiari
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari ( fa, امیر اسفندیاری; born December 8, 1978 as Amir Esfandiary), is a professional poker player and former professional magician, known for his elaborate chip tricks. Esfandiari was the face of the ...
with on a board of . Esfandiari held for a stone cold bluff.
As of 2017, Klein's live tournament winnings exceed $3,900,000.
Rankings
Klein was ranked 18th and 96th on the 2015 & 2016 Money Lists, respectively.
Klein is currently ranked #180 on the Global Poker Index with his highest ranking being #158.
References
External links
Bill Klein Hendon Mob profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Bill
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American poker players
American businesspeople
People from Laguna Hills, California