Tiffany "Hot Chips" Michelle

Last you heard from me I had been invited to play in GSN’s 4th Season of the World Series of Blackjack along with 39 other players and a 1million dollar prize pool. It may seem as if I was caught up in a whirlwind and whisked off to Vegas never to be seen or heard from again (not that it would be the first time a poker player disappeared into the black hole that is Las Vegas) but alas I have touched down in Los Angeles only to find that the whirlwind has yet to cease.

I can’t disclose my results since the show hasn’t aired but I can tell you that I played as well as can be expected for a “first time tournament blackjack player” and most importantly I had a blast. I spent the week at the Las Vegas Hilton watching the prelim games, brushing up on my blackjack tournament skills and strategy, shooting interviews for the show and network, wardrobe fittings and hanging out with some of the coolest and most successful and blackjack players on the planet. Oh yes, and lets not forget busting out a game of Chinese poker with any available victim while passing the time in Barry Manalow’s Green Room. Of course there are similarities in blackjack and in poker but these players, hands down are BRILLIANT mathematicians with brains like a calculator. Most importantly, the guys that I hung out with such as Hollywood Dave, ‘Rock & Roll’ Darrell, Ken Smith, Joe Reitman, and Ken Einiger were genuinely nice and humble people. The celebrity players on the show included Penn Jillette, Caroline Rhea, Shannon Elizabeth and Orel Hershizer. Although I’m not a baseball fanatic the latter would definitely win a Hall Of Fame award from me for being an outstanding person, he was so enjoyable to talk to and hang out with. I was such a LUCKY girl to have Lara Miller (my new and amazing publicist) on hand for support and the coaching expertise of Joe and Dave for any and every stupid blackjack question I could think up. Overall the entire GSN and WSOBJ crew, staff, and cast were amazing which made the experience very enjoyable.

During my trip I was able to find a little time to sneak away with friends including dinners at Benihana’s and Drai’s and a trip to Imperial Palace for a night of karaoke. At the end of the week, when my brain could take it no more and had been filled to the brim with blackjack strategy, tips, calculations and numbers I had to find a poker table where I could let lose and regain some of my sanity. Hollywood Dave and I ventured to Binions for a tournament where the “bad boy of blackjack” schooled me at my own game and proved his poker skills by placing 4th… in my defense I wasn’t too far behind!

Upon my return to LA I was reminded that I had left my other career (acting) on hold for the week and I was quickly forced back into my routine of auditions, meetings and callbacks. I begin filming for NBC’s show Identity and Will Ferrell’s new movie Semi-Pro very soon and, as always I must find a way to balance the very odd, very fun and very busy lifestyle as a poker playing actress. I'll see you at the tables... I'll see you on the big screen.

2006 was a good year full of many adventures, opportunites and the occasional heartbreak... or shall I say "bad beat"?! It was a fun year but I was ready to see it come to an end. Instead of joining the masses of people ringing in the new year with the likes of Britney Spears & Tommy Lee in Vegas I opted to stay under the radar on the outskirts of LA and welcome 2007 at home watching movies and soaking in the spa.

After a few weeks resting at home I finally resurfaced last week when I ventured out with Liz Lieu and Jeff Madsen. Post Five Diamond and pre Aussie Millions we all found ourselves at home in LA which is really rare for us. We got a crazy notion to get together and actually GO OUT in our hometown of Los Angeles. We’re so used to frequenting the nightlife in Vegas that we almost didn’t know where to start. The three of us, along with Jen Newell (poker writer), Joy Miller (Jenna Jamison’s publicist and former WSOP photographer) and Glow (Bluff Radio) enjoyed a table at the Cabana Club in Hollywood. We had a very enjoyable night socializing, dancing, enjoying each other's company and running into friends like Joe Reitman and Tom Anderson (or just “Tom” as the millions of Myspace users would know him).

After resurfacing and taking myself off of my self-imposed house arrest I was instantly bombarded with invitations and opportunities to fill up my calendar; Cory Lidle Celebrity Tournament at Hollywood Park Casino, raising money for the former Yankee Pitcher's foundation, Trent Tucker's Hoopology Celebrity Party & Tournament in February at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino during the NBA All-Star week, and of course several meetings and auditions as pilot season kicks off here in LA (rumor has it I might be appearing in Spidey 3). The most exciting invtation came when I was asked to play in the World Series of Blackjack which airs on GSN. It films the 25th-31st of this month with a total of 40 players, vying for the one million dollar prize pool at the Las Vegas Hilton. Details are still being finalized but I've already recruited a few top ranked blackjack players for my coaching staff since I've never played elimination/tournament style blackjack. Of course I'll keep you posted and let you know how that adventure goes. HERE'S TO 2007... it's STACKING up to be a good year!

If you haven't been keeping tabs on the current action at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic you might like to know that Jeff 'The Kid' Madsen got his 2nd cash (since the WSOP) in the bag... or should I say in the "bank"?! His first post-WSOP cash came in August at the Legends Stud E.O. event when he finished 15th. However that $870.00 payday comes nowhere close to his $90,770 cash on Saturday in the $2500 NL event.

He had a comfortable chip lead going into the final table, double what the 2nd chip stack had. David 'The Dragon' Pham, Nam Le and Rhett Butler (who you'll remember from the WSOP Main Event final table) provided some excellent competition. One of the big blows to Jeff's stack came when he flopped trip 4's and was called down to the river by Danny Wong who was holding top pair, with the 4's on board giving him two-pair. Jeff's boat came on the river but so did Danny's Jack-High boat. Shorty after Jeff got all his money all in with AK vs. K8, once again Danny Wong sucked out by catching an 8 on the flop.

Some players take a 3rd place finish really hard but Jeff was pretty optimistic. In fact, immediately after he treated a group of his friends to room service before getting a table at Light to celebrate the night away. He won a good chunk of change but more importantly some weight was lifted from his shoulders. You can't help but feel the pressure to prove yourself to the critics who'd say that his amazing run at the WSOP was "lucky". With his 2nd cash since the unforgettable summer I think he's well on his way to gaining the respect and longevity in the poker community that he deserves. With this $90k cash putting his total for just the last six months over $1.5mil I think I speak for everyone when I say, "We believe you Jeff... we believe you!"

Just doing a quick blog now that I find myself, once again in Las Vegas. I arrived last night for the Five Diamond World Poker Classic here at the Bellagio which has been going on since December 1st and will culminate with the main event beginning on the 14th. The evening was very chill and I enjoyed relaxing in the Bellagio's piano bar with the likes of Joe Sebok, Roland De Wolfe, David Williams, Bryan "Devo" Devonshire, Chantel McNulty and Brad Booth all of whom have been playing some of the smaller events and, of course cash games! Everywhere I turned I thought I was seeing Hoyt Corkins or Kenna James because of the sea of ten gallon cowboy hats. I was later informed that the RODEO is in town. Yes, the Bellagio has been invaded by cowboys and poker players, both comprised of gambling men, looking for that rush of adrenaline in their chosen fields. More to come from the Five Diamond here on the floor of the Bellagio. Hot Chips... OUT!

I know we're still getting to know each other and you might wonder from time to time, "What does a poker playing actress do on a weeknight in LA?" Allow me to give you a glimpse into my life... or at least what I did last night.

I was invited to play a Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament for the LAPD Memorial Foundation at Hollywood Park Casino. My good friend (actor & former WSOP Bluff Radio host) C. Thomas Howell was hosting the event and invited me to come as one of the celebrity players, which basically means that you get a really awesome giftbag, a photographer snapping your photos all night and the expectation that you will re-buy as many times as you possibly can, afterall "IT'S FOR CHARITY, PEOPLE!" In fact the last celeb/charity tournament I played at Crystal Park Casino for the LA Youth Network (spearheaded by 'Gank') Jennicide and I ALMOST successfuly convinced the tournament director to let us rebuy back into the tournament for 1k when it was down to four tables, we had busted out an hour earlier. Needless to say, these kind of tournies are a lot of fun and (contrary to our poker instincts) they're all about GIVING money instead of making it.

This POKER tournament was more ironic than most since the players were LAPD officers who's job is to crack down on crime and "criminals" like us evil gamblers ;0) However the event raised over $65,000 for the LADPMF and I'm hoping my participation did something for our (poker players) cause. I mean, how could you not warm up to the game of poker after sitting at a table for an evening with a sweet and innocent player like myself? I'm HARMLESS... really! (INSERT 'EVIL LAUGH TRACK' HERE).

Other 'harmless' poker playing actors in attendance were: Mimi Rogers, Willie Garson, Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives), Steve Valentine (Crossing Jordan), Joel David Moore (Dodgeball, Grandma's Boy) & Kristoff St. John (Young & The Restless).

I made it deep in the tournament but didn't stay long enough to see who drove off in the 2007 Ford Grand Prize. My giftbag was enough to keep me happy and I can't wait to put batteries in my new Special Edition handheld WPT game (we won't discuss how much that game realistically cost me in rebuys). IT'S FOR CHARITY, PEOPLE!

Lesson Of The Week: "From high places its easy to fall." Within two days Jeff Madsen, David Williams and myself all learned the hard way about big stacks and chip leads! I realize that the point of poker is to GET ALL THE CHIPS and KEEP THEM but man is it tempting to donk them off.

This week I found myself playing a tournament at Commerce as apart of their Holiday Bonus Tourney, seven tables remaining and I had a beautiful chip lead. SIDENOTE: When you're a female poker player you use adjectives like "beautiful" to describe your chip stack =0) The adrenaline and confidence kicked in (along with the cash game mentality) and I found myself limping into several pots because it was cheap and I was in position. Afterall, I had the chips (god, I hate THAT justification). I was playing cards that I'd never play had it not been for the tower of chips in front of me. I'd quickly slap quiet my little shoulder-poker-angel when she'd pipe into my ear, "Somebody's gonna get in trooooouble." There wasn't even any specific hand that crippled me, it was the constant limps, calls and cash game mentality (opps, I had forgotten to switch gears) that contributed to THE DOWNFALL OF TIFFANY MICHELLE'S BEAUTIFUL CHIP EMPIRE.

Across the country David Williams and Jeff Madsen found themselves in similar situations at the WPT Finals at Foxwoods. I got a message from David on Day 1 of the main event informing me that he was "KILLING IT." Within a few hours of the tournaments start he had over five times his starting chips. He was feeeeling good. Can't we all relate?! Later that evening I arrived home to check the status of the tournament. I was happy to see my friend Jeff's name at the top of the chip/tournament leader board. However, when I went in search of David's chip count I was shocked to find "BUSTED" next to his name. It had only taken him a few hours to completely demolish his chip empire with his self-imposed wrecking ball. Because when you're an aggressive player like myself, David and Jeff our downfalls usually tend to be "self-imposed." Fortunately Jeff escaped Day 1 without a scratch and with a SEXY chip lead (another poker girl adjective for you) to keep him smiling. He felt very excited and confident going into the next day's play. Alas, a few hours into Day 2 I receive the fateful text "F*** me." No translation was necessary, I knew what it meant. Another empire in shambles.

The moral of the story: Its easy to think you're invincible when you have a castle of chips to hide behind but that's no excuse for undisciplined play. If you find yourself gaining altitude take some precautions: strap on a parachute, avoid questionable weather, don't bug out and flip the Auto-Pilot switch to go to the back and get a latte... tighten up your game kids.

I feel like you and I are sitting down at a candlelit, dinner for two at some fancy restaurant who's name I can't pronounce. I'm nervously wondering if you like what I'm wearing and if we're gonna hit it off. I can only manage to pick at my plate since the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach are taking up most of the room that the meal would normally occupy.... ahhh A FIRST DATE!

I'm sure you're a little nervous too, sitting across the table from an attractive young woman who tells you she's, "...an actress and a poker player." GULP! Believe me, this sends most guys to the rails (no pun intended) but I'm glad you decided to stay... at least long enough to see what this fancy establishment is cookin' up for dessert.

DESSERT TRAY: First and foremost I'm an actress who, like the rest of them stumbled into this poker thing after years of playing Hollywood house games and various Celebrity/Charity Tournaments. I live on the outskirts of LA and if I'm not working on a film/tv project you can bet I'm sitting at a poker table somewhere in the country. I've had a lot of success in tournies outside of the pro circuit and after a year of playing under the radar I was recruited to the big leagues when Bluff Magazine asked me to join their national broadcast team (as an On-Air Talent/Reporter/Commentator) for this year's coverage of the WSOP on Sirius Satellite Radio. Thus the journey down the 'Rabbit Hole' that is Professional Poker began and it doesn't look like I'll resurface anytime soon.

Acting, poker, travel... if I'm too much for you to handle then you can breath a sigh of relief as you walk out of the restaurant knowing that you don't ever have to call me again. BUT if you liked our time together you will give me an awkward hug and kiss (ON THE CHEEK, lets not get too crazy here) and let the butterflies take flight as we await...... our second date.

Tiffany 'Hot Chips' Michelle
tiffanyhotchips@yahoo.com