green room > poker lifestyle > the insider archive

This week at Hollywood Poker:

:: Poker News: WSOP Central
:: Poker World: Act Like a Millionaire, Be a Millionaire
:: Celebrity Hosts: Celebrity Poker Night with Yancey Arias
:: Celebrities of the Week: Donnie Wahlberg & Mimi Rogers
:: Girl of the Week: Melany Lorenzo
:: Player Spotlight: xSheFoldsx
:: Words from Vince Van Patten, WPT Host & Commentator
:: Poker Humor
:: Hollywood Poker Contests: Win Hollywood Poker Gear!


Poker News: WSOP Central

Get in on world class poker action with zero damage to your bankroll. Hollywood Poker's got $100,000 and multiple seats in the WSOP up for grabs. You're going to want to start getting ready today since the qualifying period for our first event, the WSOP Freeroll Your Way to Fame, has already begun. We're also hosting the $17,500 clubHOLLYWOODpoker WSOP as well as the $22,500 WSOP Celebrity Shootout. All of these events deal out a $12,500 WSOP Prize Package to the winner, which includes a seat in the WSOP.

Hollywood Poker is WSOP Central! Learn more about our WSOP events today.

Poker World: Act like a Millionaire, Be a Millionaire

Get ready to tell your butler to fetch your slippers, millions of dollars in high-stake tournaments put you closer to the highlife than ever before. Hollywood Poker’s hosting 3 WSOP tournaments with $100,000 in cash and prizes that put you on the right track to millions at the WSOP. But before you get there, remember that it’s easier to be filthy stinking rich if you also act filthy stinking rich – and since successful poker players are well known for their bounties of bling, I think we can take a few pointers from the pros:

:: Bribery will get you everywhere. Stu Unger, an undeniable poker great, was well known for employing the help of Mr. Ben Franklin to get him in (or out) of many situations.

:: The Egos Have It. Oh, so many to choose from. What successful poker player doesn’t have an ego? The more you’re in the limelight, the more the ego grows proportionally. This said - an influx of ego isn’t all that bad. It can help deflect the harsher aspects of fame and fortune. Just look at Phil Hellmuth. Quoth Phil: “The American public thinks I’m a jerk.” That kind of realization might cripple a lesser man. But not Phil...no, not Phil. Ego is the bubble wrap of the poker psyche – and judging by popular response, just as fun to pop.

:: Be a Jack of All Trades. Think Amarillo Slim, a man of epic abilities who’d place a bet on almost anything (like a tennis match using coke bottles) and who was also a revered pool player and a renowned story teller. Chris Ferguson’s also up there as one of the poker world’s Renaissance Men. Not only does he hold his PhD in Computer Science from UCLA, but he’s also a former ballroom dance instructor. Being well-rounded means no bad beat will at the tables will ever leave you completely empty handed.

So when you’re standing dazed and delighted in the winner’s circle at the WSOP, just try to remember these helpful bits of advice from the legends who have come before you. When you’re rolling in the dough, using fifty-dollar bills as coasters, remember where you came from. And above all, when you are on your way to the casino for another shot of glory, remember to wear your Hollywood Poker shirt. After all no matter how much money you have, that kind of style is priceless.



Celebrity Hosts: Celebrity Poker Night with Yancey Arias

Yancey Arias has managed to show up regularly at the tables despite his increasingly busy schedule. At 10pm EST on Tuesday, April 11th, he'll be taking a seat as the host of Celebrity Poker Night.

Celebrity Poker Night is the newest addition to our line-up of Celebrity Tournaments and thanks to a great Celebrity turn-out and tons of Celebrity Bounties, it's become the talk of the town - much like Yancey's new show Thief which has gained national acclaim since it's premiere on the FX Network a few weeks ago. 




Learn more about Celebrity Poker Night with Yancey Arias.



Celebrities of the Week

Player of the Week

Donnie Wahlberg has become one of the more familiar Famous Faces around Hollywood Poker. This past Tuesday Donnie joined Celebrity Host Lana Antonova for Celebrity Poker Night – a tournament he hosted just a few weeks earlier. Donnie consistently plays a solid game and his style is indicative of a skilled, thoughtful but also cleverly unpredictable player.

Then again, Donnie established himself as a multi-talented guy a long time ago. Since his days as one of the members of the pioneering boy band, New Kids on the Block, Donnie has made a name for himself as a respected solo artist as well as actor, making his acclaimed debut in the hit thriller, The Sixth Sense and going on to appear in shows like Band of Brothers and Boomtown.

Read more about Donnie Wahlberg.

Actor of the Week

Poker never looked so good – especially when Mimi Rogers is at your table. Luckily for everyone at Hollywood Poker, she’s a regular poker shark and you can often find her tearing up the felt in tournaments like Celebrity Poker Night and the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational. You can also catch Mimi on her new show, The Loop. She plays the part of a high-powered executive named Meryl in this intensely hilarious comedy that Mimi aptly describes as “sophisticated lunacy”. The Loop airs every Thursday night at 8:30pm EST on FOX.

Learn more about Mimi Rogers.


Girl of the Week

Melany Lorenzo, Hollywood Poker’s Miss July, is stacked with a stellar blend of brains and beauty. This exotic green eyed girl is not only smoking hot, but she’s also studying to be a psychologist. She came to love the variation and excitement of being a model after finding her job as an optometrist too boring. Melany also enjoys running, kickboxing and traveling. While she admits she’s fairly new to poker, we’re sure she’ll be playing like a pro in no time.

Learn more about Melany.

Check out the rest of the 2006 Hollywood Poker Girls.


Player Spotlight: xSheFoldsx!

Want your chance in the Spotlight? Simply e-mail me at hollay@hollywoodpoker.com. If you’re chosen for the week’s Player Spotlight, you’ll win Hollywood Poker gear!

In this week’s Spotlight, meet xSheFoldsx!

I've had to rethink my poker strategy recently. My whole "call anything" tactic wasn't panning out anymore - and it was understandably upsetting people at my table. My main problem is being patient. My second problem is regret. You know - that stomach turning ache when you see the cards fall for a hand you should have been in. Both of these factors contribute to my "call anything" syndrome. And it DID work for awhile. As luck would have it, I seldom lost a hand and always left the table in the money. Now, though, the tables have turned and I'm being shunned by Lady Luck - the most fickle woman I've ever had the misfortune to come across. I'm being forced to actually think about the hands I play. This said, other players aren't cringing as much when I show up at the table and I'm pretty sure any petitions to have me banned from poker have been put aside.

I've started on a few books and hope to improve my game considerably in the near future. Stranger things have happened!

See you at the tables!

~xSheFoldsx



Words from Vince Van Patten, WPT Host and Commentator

I think tournaments are great for new players. They really help refine and broaden playing skills. When you’re dealing with sports the luck factor is pretty small. When two football teams go at it or when two tennis players that are comparable, you know, there’s not that much luck involved in that match. It’s like a 5 or 7 luck factor that you got lucky. In poker tournaments, there’s a huge luck factor. Maybe up to 50%. I would say 50-60% in a tournament. That’s the best thing about it. It gives everybody a chance. It makes it so difficult for anyone to really dominate the game.

Read Vince's WPT Poker Blog.

Read another Hollywood Poker exclusive Celebrity Poker Blog by our very own James Woods.

To learn more about Vince Van Patten, visit the Famous Faces section of our 'Green Room'.

Poker Humor

Hollywood Poker Contests

The Hollywood Poker Quiz

Every week, tons of players flock to the site to take Hollywood Poker's Quiz and are automatically entered in a draw for Hollywood Poker gear. All answers are on the site and about the site, so it's fast and easy.

Take the quiz now for a chance to win Hollywood Poker gear!


Write to Win

POKER OUTDRAWS ROMANCE - A REAL BAD BEAT

Dear Abby:

My girlfriend broke up with me. She says I play too much poker.
I bought her a set of Doyle Brunson poker chips for Valentines Day and even wrote her this poem:

Roses are Red and
Violets are Blue
I love straights
And flushes too

Violets are Blue and
Roses are Red
I like when opponents
Are drawing dead

Roses are pretty
And also smell sweet
Four of a kind
Is always a treat

I like when you smile
I like when you blush
Almost as much
As a royal flush

I'm glad I found you
No ifs ands or buts
You make me feel
Like I flopped the Nutz.

What am I doing wrong?

~Bluzman9

Congratulations Bluzman9! You've won a tournament ticket!

Express your creativity by entering Hollywood Poker's popular Write to Win contest. If your entry is chosen as a finalist, you could win a tournament ticket to one of Hollywood Poker's Celebrity Tournaments.

All you have to do is write about anything poker related and send it to hollay@hollywoodpoker.com. I’ll post all articles that qualify in the ‘Center Stage’ section of the Lounge where your fellow players will vote for their favorite article. Aside from the prestige and praise you’ll receive for your rhetorical brilliance, if you win you’ll also score a Hollywood Poker tournament ticket. It gets even better: Every week, one random voter will win Hollywood Poker gear.