SeeCalifornia.com

Steve Gee, a retired worker with CalPERS, is guaranteed over $750,000 in winnings by just showing up at  poker championship playoffs at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio in Las Vegas on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30.  If he wins, he stands to take home over $8.5 million–but he won’t be taking it back to California. One of nine finalists to rise to the play-off world series by beating out 74,757 entrants from 101 nations, the Sacramento resident made the incredible decision to pack up and move to Nevada before the tournament starts. In so doing, he may have pocketed a lot more money since Nevada doesn’t charge personal income tax while California charges up to 9.3%.   Citing a need to live in Las Vegas where the action is, Gee is betting on future success in the sport that he’s played (sometimes professionally) since the age 20. The 57 year-old retiree who was brought by his hard working parents to Sacramento from a village in southern China when he was young,  retired from his day job back in 2008 to play poker full time.

ESPN2 is providing live coverage of the first day of final table play beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 29. ESPN will provide live coverage on Tuesday, October 30 at 4:30 p.m. and carry it until they have a winner. See wsop.com