Tiffany "Hot Chips" Michelle

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!