I met gary when I was 19 years old and was lucky to know him for 15 years. I walked into his barber shop and got a haircut. We talked poker of all things and I tried to explain to him why J8o was a good hand. He eventually got me into some games when before I was 20. Gary showed me around some of the northern california card rooms and was always kind and happy to see me. He was truly like a father me. Gary loved to play cards, drink, do drugs, play golf and chase women. I will be forever sadden by this loss. He was great for the game of poker, always talking **** and moving his tongue across his lips like a snake or something. He played 2/5 and 5/10, often at Lucky Chances or Graton, Or Petes or 101 Casino for those of you who are old enough. You could sometimes find Gary in a private game or in Las Vegas having an adventure. Towards the end of his life I would run into gary in random places and I am lucky enough to say I got to spend some quality time with him before he left us. Cancer really is a mother****er, but at least gary had a great time in life. He always worked for himself and he was a standup guy every single time we did business. I'll never forget the time I was walking down the street with my girl and a familiar voice comes out of the alley- Hey buddy! We get to chatting and he asks me straight up, "Hey you have a hot shower I could use?" Of course my girl said sure and I let my friend gary, a 72 year old man shower and tell poker stories to me and my girl. He was always the life of the party, or at least contributing to it in a significant way. He helped me get my unemployment and he always offered me words of encouragement whenever I saw him. I have many great memories with gary. One day he sent me a picture of a huge tumor or growth in his leg and I knew it was going to be really bad after that. I reached out to him a couple times over the last few months and after receiving no response I was told he passed away from the cancer, but on his own terms. He went out like he wanted to. A true boss.

REST IN PEACE GARY- I WILL MISS YOU FOREVER MY FRIEND

RIP

Did he used to make all sorts of weird sounds when he played

yea chortles and stuff. he was a loud guy when he was drinkin or sniffin

Rest In Peace

RIP, he had a classic strut

I'm saddened to find out that Gary died. I met Gary back in 1991 playing 3/6 or 5/10 Limit Dealer's Choice (Holdem, Pineapple, Omaha) at Pete's 881 in San Rafael, CA., and played poker with him many times over the years. He also cut my hair regularly for many years as well. A true character! Genuinely human. Gary had a loud mouth and a big heart. A box of chocolates. He could be funny, or annoying, full of wisdom or total BS. A good guy!

The first time I played the Dealer's Choice game at Pete's, I had never played Omaha before, and didn't understand that I had to play 2 cards in the hole. He was the guy who explained the rules to me. I was winning about $150 after a couple of hours, despite not fully understanding Omaha and Pineapple, when Gary said "Hey Kid*, take the win and get outta here!", which was good advice at the time. The other old regs at the table gave him **** about chasing the fish away, but Gary didn't care. He must've known I would soon read a few poker books, figure a few things out and return to the game more educated.

*Gary still called me "Kid" when I saw him, even when I was in my 40s and 50s (I'm 59 now). He had a big brother quality about him for sure, and will be missed.