Player Profiles

Jennifer Tilly: The Queen of Hearts

Since the 1980s Jennifer Tilly has been best known as an actress, having appeared in well over 100 movies and television shows such as Bound, Bride of Chucky, Monsters Inc., and Liar Liar, including an Oscar nomination in 1994 for her role in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway.

Tilly is quickly become better known in recent years, however, for her work at the poker tables instead of her movie roles. After appearing on the televised poker shows Celebrity Poker and Hollywood Home Game she began dating poker pro Phil Laak, who began to teach her more about the game.

The pair proved to be a powerful duo during the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Tilly entered the Ladies Event on the same day that her boyfriend Laak was playing in the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. Each powered their way through their respective tournaments until they were both heads-up with only one opponent, battling for a coveted WSOP bracelet.

Laak lost his battle with Johnny Chan (who claimed his record 10th WSOP bracelet that day) but Tilly held on and won the Ladies Event, taking home $158,000 and a gold bracelet. While some tried to chalk her victory up as a lucky fluke, she’s continued to play well after her WSOP win, including a victory in the World Poker Tour’s annual Ladies Night episode.

Tilly has claimed that winning a WSOP bracelet felt better than winning an Oscar, so we’ll likely continue to see the lovely actress at the poker tables in coming years.