Jennifer Tilly is best known as a movie and television actress. She has had a pretty impressive career, working consistently. She has appeared in more then 100 movies and TV shows. Some of her best well known films include Bride of Chucky, Bound and Liar Liar. While she hasn’t had the career of Reece Witherspoon, she has worked consistently and was even nominated for an Oscar for her role in Bullets Over Broadway. More recently, she has developed into a pretty good poker player.
Tilly began her poker career like many celebs, playing in celebrity tournaments. She made an early appearance on Celebrity Poker Showdown and the World Poker Tour’s Hollywood Home Game. Due to her close proximity to the game, she became acquainted with and eventually begain dating Phil Laak, the professional poker player. He would help her elevate her game, giving her books and schooling her on the finer points. Tilly started to play more often, improving her game along the way.
One of the turning points for Tilly’s career was the Ladies Event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. She played so well that the day ended with her at the finals table locked in a heads-up battle. Her boyfriend, Phil Laak, would be fighting for a win as well, playing in a heads-up matchup with Johnny Chan, who he would eventually lose to. Jennifer would fare much better. She beat her opponent, won one of those coveted gold bracelets along with $158,000 in prize money.
There were many people who were skeptical of Jennifer Tilly’s ability as a poker player and even her win at the WSOP Ladies Event. Many shrugged it off as a fluke. However, Tilly would prove her detractors wrong, winning the World Poker Tour’s annual Ladies Night episode, beating out some pretty tough competition. Tilly continues to play, though she hasn’t had another big win like the aforementioned. Chances are pretty good that she will continue to be involved in poker as a player and thrive along the way.