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!

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.