It will be Ladies' Night in LaLa Land Aug. 31 when Hollywood actress and Oscar nominee Jennifer Tilly defends her championship as five poker starlets attempt to earn their way into next year's World Poker Tour Championship at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The seat is valued at $25,000. Tilly will be joined by a field of leading Season IV WPT female money winners as well as a qualifer from the host Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, Calif. Tilly, who has played a lot of poker over the last several years, originally became intrigued with the game in 1989 when she was filming the hilarious gambling comedy "Let It Ride." Her instructor and boyfriend, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, sped up her learning curve and Tilly has won more than $200,000 to date along with a gold bracelet at the 2005 World Series of Poker in the No-Limit Hold'em Ladies event. The Bell Gardens tournament won't have well known Annie Duke in its field, but it will have Duke University graduate Vanessa Rousso. Rousso, a dual citizen of the United States and France, earned a full scholarship to the North Carolina school, finishing in 2 1/2 years and subsequently being awarded a full-tuition scholarhip to the University of Miami Law School. Rousso, known as the "Lady Maverick of Poker" because of her quirky style, still is a law student and also has amassed more than $360,000 in earnings. Last season, Rousso finished seventh in the Bellagio event and one seat away from the TV show, garnering more than $260,000 in the process. She recently signed a contract with PokerStars.com. Joanne "JJ" Liu, another of the chosen five, began playing professional poker in 1996, learning the ins and out in her brothers' home games. That year, the former computer engineer made her first Final Table in a Limit Hold'em at the World Series of Poker. She has cashed more than 30 times in major events, earning $800,000. Liu placed fourth in last season's WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic at Bellagio, collecting more than $360,000. Former model and professional blackjack player Erica Schoenberg, another of the five, has been involved in poker since childhood, mainly wagering with family and friends. Schoenberg, who possesses an affinity for math and logic, checked in 16th at last year's WPT Championship, winning $117,000. The fifth invitee is Anahit Galajian of Glendale, Calif., a relative newcomer to tournament poker who has been playing professionally since the Millennium. She has amassed more than $275,000 in a short amount of time, including a seventh-place finish in Season IV's WPT L.A. Poker Classic that was worth $166,000. Galajian has cashed four times in this year's WSOP in various Limit and No-Limit events. Women interested in registering for the Bicycle Casino's Ladies Poker Party Aug. 19-20, where the sixth player will be chosen, should call (562) 806-4646 The show will be taped Aug. 31 and fans should arrive by 3 p.m. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. |
