Jennifer Tilly beat out 600 other women to win a WSOP Championship Event, and I have to ask myself, "Is Poker a Shooting Star, or a New Sport?"

By: Patrick Smyth

Monday, July 11th, 2005

Last week I went to an invite-only party at the Wynn Casino sponsored by Full Tilt and witnessed a brand new type of ‘star’ emerge - the Professional Poker Player.

The well-heeled soiree featured a charity poker game in which the common person was able to play against the likes of Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, and Erick Lindgren. There were even some other celebrities including Penn Jillette and Omarosa of the Apprentice fame.

And of course, there was Jennifer Tilly, the winner of the Ladies-Only No Limit Texas Hold 'Em event at the World Series of Poker, becoming the first celebrity to win an open (as opposed to celebrity-only) WSOP tournament and earn a World Series bracelet. She beat out exactly 600 other women to take the championship.

Now is she a ‘movie star’ or a ‘poker star’?

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