Kane Kalas
Kane Kalas (born May 11, 1989[1]) is an American poker player, singer and broadcaster.[2][3][4]
Kane Kalas | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 11, 1989 |
| Education | University of Miami |
| Occupation(s) | Poker player, singer, broadcaster |
Early life
He is the son of the Philadelphia Phillies play-by-play commentator and Baseball Hall of Fame member Harry Kalas and brother of Todd Kalas, former commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays and current commentator for the Houston Astros.[2][5] Kalas started playing online poker during his freshman year of college, and switched to live poker afterwards. He was a runner-up at Borgata Poker Open in 2014.[6] Kalas attended Benchmark School in Media, Pennsylvania.
Performances
Kalas has appeared in several musicals, including Les Miserables, Fiddler on the Roof and Jekyll & Hyde. He has also performed in Beethoven's Fidelio, Neil Simon's Rumors, and in the original production of the opera Augustino and the Puccini Clarinet.[2]
He has sung "The Star-Spangled Banner", "God Bless America", and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at a number of Phillies games since 2003[2] including singing the Star Spangled Banner at every Phillies home opener since 2016.[7][8][9]
In 2009, Kalas sang "America the Beautiful" at the Media Memorial Day parade[10] and the national anthem at the Citizens Bank Park in honor of his father who had passed away days before.[11][12]
In April 2018, Kalas performed the national anthem from his father's statue after a video tribute to honor Roy Halladay, the former Phillies pitcher who was killed in a plane crash in November 2017.[13]
In November 2022, Kalas performed God Bless America during the Game 3 of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park.
Poker career
Kalas starting playing online professionally under the handle NASCAR_1949, during his freshman year of college in 2008.[2][14] Between then and Poker Black Friday, Kalas competed in the largest cash games that have ever run online.[4] He was a regular in Full Tilt Poker's Rail Heaven $500/$1000 No-limit Hold 'em games.[4] During this time, Kalas made poker training videos for Pokernews Strategy, which later changed its name to Poker Phenoms.
Kalas' debut in televised poker occurred on the Fox Sports Network in September 2014, when he placed second in the WPT Borgata Poker Open for a total prize of over $500,000.[3][11][15][16] Later that year, he won the Parx Deep Stax Main Event for $79,015.[17]
Kalas was featured in ESPN's coverage of the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event, in which he placed 115th for a prize of $52,141.[11]
Kalas is the winner of the biggest pot in televised poker history. In May 2018, he won a $2.18 million pot in the Triton Cash Game from the Triton Super High Roller series held in Montenegro.[18][19][16][20][21]
He has earned more than $1.25 million in live tournaments.[7] As of June 2018, Kalas has earned $216,849 at various WSOP events.[22]
Kalas moved to Costa Rica to focus full-time on professional online poker playing six months after poker's Black Friday.[4] He has lived for brief periods in Australia, Monte Carlo, and Malta.[4] In 2014, Kalas moved to New Jersey due to the state’s friendly stance toward online poker.
Broadcasting
Kalas has experience as a broadcaster for PokerGo's World Series of Poker coverage and the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Montenegro.[3][7][16][23]
He has broadcast a number of poker events at the Borgata, including the World Poker Tour's coverage of the Borgata Poker Open in September 2016. He has also broadcast poker for WPT Deepstacks, Heartland Poker Tour, Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, Parx Big Stax, Poker Night in America, Live at the Bike, PokerCentral, and Hustler Casino Live.[3][24]
References
- ^ Miller, Randy (September 2010). Harry the K: The Remarkable Life of Harry Kalas. ReadHowYouWant. ISBN 9781458760111. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ a b c d e "Harry Kalas' son shows passion for performing". MLB.com. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ a b c d "Poker pro Kane Kalas discovers voice in broadcast booth". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ a b c d e "Harry Kalas' Son Kane Making Own Name as Poker Pro - WSOP News". Pokerlistings. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ "The Voice Is Silent, the Memories Live On". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ "Kane Kalas: At the Intersection of Broadcaster and Pro Poker Player". Bluff. Retrieved 2019-10-19.
- ^ a b c "Poker and Crypto in Puerto Rico: Kalas Takes Talents to the Tropics". PokerNews. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Phillies to giveaway Harry Kalas replica statue". PHL17.com. 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Phillies have big plans for Kalas tribute". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Kane Kalas to sing at Media's Memorial Day parade". Philly.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ a b c "A Poker Life: Kane Kalas - Poker News". Card Player. Retrieved 2018-09-03.
- ^ ""Harry Kalas. He's Household"". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Citizens Bank Park is set for opening day – South Philly Review". South Philly Review. 2018-04-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ ""lady marmelade" Gives Away $594K While Playing In Heaven • HighStakesReport™". www.highstakesreport.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Kane Kalas Lives Up To Family Name with Success in the Booth and On the Felt Main Tour WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Season 2017-2018 3 2,000/6,000-12,000 | World Poker Tour". www.worldpokertour.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ a b c "Koon, Kalas and the $2M pot". Club Poker. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Kane Kalas' profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Jason Koon loses $2M cash pot, still wins over $4M in Triton madness - CalvinAyre.com". CalvinAyre.com. 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Kane Kalas Beats Jason Koon In €2Million Record Breaking Cash Game Pot". HighstakesDB. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "The elite go public at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Montenegro - Somuchpoker". Somuchpoker. 2018-05-20. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Jason Koon, Kane Kalas Play Monster $2M Poker Cash Game Pot". www.cardplayer.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "KANE KALAS | PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES | WSOP.com". www.wsop.com. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "Triton Super High Roller Series Returns to Maestral Resort & Casino in May". Casino News Daily. 2018-04-26. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
- ^ "WPT Borgata Poker Open 2016 Down to Final Table, Farid Jattin Leads". Cardschat. 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2018-09-04.