Jennifer Tilly is also a well known actress and poker player, just like her counterpart Shannon Elizabeth who appreciated Jennifer for introducing her to a pro player like Phil Laak who in turn helped her hone her skills for Texas Hold’em poker – a game that Elizabeth had hated till then. Of course, being Phil Laak’s girlfriend has something to do with getting the ‘Unabomber’ to help her acting buddy, but Jennifer’s one for a good turn always, say her pals and her fans.
It was in 2005 that Jennifer Tilly won herself acclaim as an actress and poker star champ too when she emerged victorious in Ladies Event of the WSOP (World Series of Poker) while also clinching the WPT (World Poker Tour) event titled Ladies Night Invitational the same year!
She became the first female player to win both pro poker titles in one year and also the only one to have done so!
Jennifer got an invite to talk show host Jay Leno’s popular program and was all confidence for her game; as her comments clearly showed her brimming with her post WSOP win feel. She is said to have loved winning 2 grand more than boyfriend Phil Laak and super thrilled over the gold bracelet but that she had to hold back rubbing it in so she feels entitled to being tagged as a pro poker player. She ended off saying she couldn’t care less what other players may say of that, but in her opinion she was a professional.
Her other win had her expressing her self-doubts as Jennifer made a statement about suffering from something she tagged as the ‘imposter syndrome’ but having won the title, was cool because it helped her assert herself as a player among other tough pros. She was positively thrilled to have achieved her goal.
Her other notable PokerStars tourney wins include the WPT Ladies Night III held in CA and the WsoP Ladies No-Limit Hold’em title also in 2005.
Jennifer is also quick to share her relationship’s lighter moments with pro poker champ Phil Laak who is said to go and sulk on a couch, post taking a felting from her (when Jennifer takes Phil’s chips down to felt level on the poker table) during her training session with him.
Cine fans will remember that Jennifer got an Oscar nomination for her acting role in ‘Bullets Over Broadway’ a Woody Allen film and has also given voiceover for lots of lovable animated characters like Celia in the film, ‘Monsters Inc.’ besides that of Bonnie Swanson in ‘Family Guy.’
Thus, the pro actress and pro poker player Jennifer Tilly is an amazing mix of culture, fun, media friendliness, vibrancy and popularity. Jennifer was born on September 16, 1958 in the favorite gambling paradise of LA in California, but transformed her acting stardom into poker accolades with her win at the WsoP title for Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem in 2005 where she loved the feel of raking in $156,825 beating 600 women for the bracelet!
Currently holding the title of being the ‘Unabombshell’ because Phil is known as Unabomber, Jennifer Tilly revealed in an interview held recently that she is focusing on pursuing professional poker rather than acting though her performances in ‘Bride of Chucky’ and ‘Liar Liar’ were highly appreciated.