RIP Rob Gardner

Messyjay

It is with great sadness that I just found out about the news that our friend Rob Gardner has passed away yesterday morning. We knew he was ill, but still his death has come as a huge shock to all who knew and loved him. Right now our thoughts go out of course to his two young children Isaac and Erin and his love Heather, and to all his family.

For a man so young, Rob touched more people than a life has any right to expect. He reached them with his ideas, with his creativity, with his laughter, with his love for people, and for the world of poker.

For those who didn't know Rob, he was the man perhaps most responsible for the origins of televised poker. He was the creator of the idea, the one who sold it to Channel 4, and the producer of the first 3 seasons of the television show Late Night Poker.

He loved the Devilfish, Padraig Parkinson, Surindar Sunar and Leyton Orient football. He always cheered for Mad Marty, Barny Boatman, and Simon Trumper. He had more ideas than any man I’ve ever known or will. He loved drama, television, and never even once considered thinking inside of the box. There are so many people who claim to have invented it, but if you spent any time with Rob at all you’d know he’s the only one nutty enough to have dreamt up televised poker. Rob was the one who had the fire that burned for the idea. He was the only one who could dream it up, write it down on a piece of A4 paper and then sit in front of the Channel 4 commissioner in 1998 with a straight face and tell him that people coming home from the pub were going to love this at 3am. And they did. Late Night Poker was Rob’s baby. And he knew what it was that would make it great. He saw the drama, he saw the humanity. And when people reminisce about why those early televised poker shows were so good and are still so good, they know they like them but they don’t know why. It’s because of what Rob Gardner gave them.

He loved downtown Las Vegas. The first year we went to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, it was on a shoestring and a half of a promise. Rob loved Binion’s, spent three weeks in a room at the California hotel and never gambled once. Didn’t play poker, didn’t gamble, just soaked it all up. The year before Rob had been there, when Julian and Scott and John Shipley were at the final table of the World Series of Poker. And Rob stopped by on his way back from Arizona. He walked into where they were filming the final table and instantly saw fifty ways to make it better. What are they doing what are they doing? Don’t they know what they have? He loved hustlers, loved cons, and loved the history of Vegas. He was obsessed with puppets.

When we did the poker show for the summer in Las Vegas, nobody realized that it was all Rob Gardner, it was his creation. He hated to hold a camera and hated more to be in front of one, and yet it was all him, it was Rob holding the show together. People would see the show, they’d come by the house, they’d take one look at Padraig and then one look at me and then they never knew. But Rob was the nuttiest of them all. He looked so mild mannered, in his button down shirt and plain blue jeans. But he was the craziest of the lot, the wildest I have ever known, he could sit there with a calm face and explain something so outlandish you would just say no way. He sat there with a straight face and explained that people were going to enjoy watching poker. They would have thought you were mad.

Oh the ideas he came up with. Loved stealing menus from American coffee shops, he was obsessed with large American breakfasts. He could drink coffee all day long. He almost never needed to eat. He had a string of the wackiest ideas you could ever have.

He could talk for hours on end about English football, poker players, movies, and popular culture. He loved to read and loved to write. He could pull ideas out of the thin air. He always knew what made great TV. It didn’t matter how wacky it was. If Rob liked it, it would fly. The Gamboleers - a band of poker playing Muppets in a beat up bus. The Poker Shuffle, a synchronized poker dance set to a Caribbean beat. Off the Wall, sometimes it was so crazy that even Padraig had to say no. Getting 50 foreign poker players to sing different verses of America the Beautiful. Beat the Bookie, where he’d film leaves blowing around a field. Or two hours on tape of pigeons sitting on a fence. With a straight face, he would just convince you to go for it. It’s gotta be done, he’d say. And of course you’d believe him. He had the best taste for television and comedy I’ve ever seen. He just knew. That’s perfect, he’d say. But let’s do it again. Excellent, he’d say. Let’s do it just another time for luck. Only Rob knew when it was done right. And he always was.

There was never really a question of going to the World Series of Poker this year without Rob. For a man who rarely played poker and almost never gambled, he just got Vegas and the World Series of Poker all the way. For me, he was the spirit of what the world of poker is supposed to be. The last time we were in Vegas together, this past February for the Superbowl, Rob and I left the Strip one night and just headed downtown. We prowled Binion’s and drank coffee at the Starbucks outside the Golden Nugget, where you sit out in the chill at 3am and just watch Vegas happen.

I’ve lost part of me today. We’ve lost our partner, our muse, and our friend. Rest in peace, Rob. We won’t forget you.

Luckbox Entertainment

BigCityBanker

A stirring read. I enjoyed your luckbox entertainment show from LV this year and Robs contributions... In my poker innocence I never realised his contribution to poker. It has clearly been immense and it certainly hasnt been lost on you - cheers for relaying it to us.

I guess we wont hear you saying this anymore... "goooooood morning Las Vegas, and good morning Rob Gardner."

RIP.

nicnicnic

I'd say as myself most don't know him here but from reading Jessys post we all owe him something, there's a hell of a lot of posters here who started there love affair with the game watching LNP.


may he RIP

DeVore

Not only responsible for televised poker but I would say responsible more then anyone for the boom in poker that resulted from it and a number of poker professionals careers. LNP was a mile ahead of its time and spawned a love for the game in most of the "young" players I know. Never met the man but certainly he's responsible for introducing me to the game and thus changing the course of my life. Very sad news as the world needs more "nutty" people... RIP.

DeV.

Wisesmurf

Very sad news indeed.

I never knew of the man but late night poker was what gave me the poker buzz. I watched it religiously to the detrement of my schoolwork at the time.
I think its safe to say that without that man and his vision poker in the uk & ireland at very least would be a fraction of what it is now.

condolences to his friends and family

ocallagh

nicnic said it all, I never knew Rob Gardner. Jesse's tribute mentioned he rarely played, which is why his name might not be as familiar as others in the poker community. What I do know is; Late Night Poker was a huge turning point in the history of poker. To be responsible for such a change in a game that has lasted centuries is a huge achievement and I am sure he is proud of it.

Padraig06

Jesse's said it all about this gentle,lovely,crazy guy.Except that for a man who loved his football he was one lousy tipster!

ianmc38

LNP was the sole reason I started playing poker.

RIP

BigDragon

Sad day.

5starpool

By the sounds of it we need more people like this man in general, and in TV creative departments especially.

RIP

Fatboydim

I am very very sad to hear this news. I was lucky enough to work with Rob. And as Jesse says Rob was great to work with... infectious enthusiasm and a brilliant mind. I'm gutted.... I don't want to say rest in peace... Because that wouldn't fit Rob... Resting isn't something he did. So if there is an afterlife I hope he's up there knocking it into shape and telling the big G how he can improve on this crazy planet and the game of life. More cameras, more action, more fun.

Rob you leave us all feeling very empty.

pppspecial

This is one very sad day for poker. My deepest sympathy for his work mates friends and most off all his family.
Part off me now feels something is missing after reading jessys post as i had never met or heard off rob and i know everyother poker player will think the same.
R.I.P. Rob Gardner.

MrPillowTalk

LNP was what got me started in poker, me and probably countless others. Obviously a visionary man, my condolences to his family and friends.

Ste05

As many have already said, and it´s certainly the case for me, my life would not be the same were it not for Late Night Poker.

It´s terrible to just learn about this mans existence and influence on mine and so many other people´s lives after he has died.

Hopefully in the fullness of time he will be properly credited with his incredible achievements.

RIP.

RoundTower

I never knew Rob Gardner but it sounds like he has a lot to answer for. RIP.

Doc Farrell

A beautiful obituary Jessy, if you or Padraig are organising anything in his honour be sure to let us know. I hope it brings you some comfort to know that he must have loved working with you over the World Series.
thanks, Des.

BIG-SLICK-POKER

Nice Job Jesse a fitting Tribute

Rip Rob