Celebrity Poker Player: Cheryl Hines

Poker has taken off and the number of celebrities who have taken up the game has mirrored that rise in interest. And television can't get enough! With shows like Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, Celebrity Poker Club, Ultimate Poker Showdown, and World Poker Tour and etc.

Few women have made as large a mark on the world of female poker players and one them is this actress and celebrity poker player most famous for her role as Cheryl David on the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, Cheryl Hines. Hines also became well-known in card-playing circles for her role as the trash-talking poker pro in The Grand.

She went to 3 different colleges before graduating with a degree in film and TV production. As it turned out she didn’t need to spend all that tuition, because her real education started when she moved to Los Angeles and joined the renowned improve comedy group, The Groundlings. Some of her fellow alumni include Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman, as well as Lisa Kudrow, who was one of Cheryl’s instructors.

As a Groundling, Cheryl improvised comedy sketches in front of live audiences. It was the perfect proving ground when she became a cast member on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Since none of the shows are scripted, Cheryl makes up her dialogue on-the-fly while the cameras roll. In 2006, she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Cheryl Hines also won the first round of Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker, defeating noted pros such as Erick Lindgren and Humberto Brenes. In 2006, Hines participated in the Pro-Am Poker Equalizer, and she has also competed in the Ladies’ World Championship at the WSOP.

Besides her TV work, Cheryl has appeared in the movies Along Came Polly, Keeping Up with the Steins, and RV. In 2007, she appeared in The Grand, an improvised comedy about a poker tournament at the Golden Nugget. Her co-stars include Ray Romano, Jason Alexander and Woody Harrelson and poker greats such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth and Phil Laak

While Cheryl Hines has played poker for years, she wouldn’t get to put her talents on display until the last few years. And when she appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown, Cheryl won her tournament, beating know-it-all Alex Trebek during heads-up play. Ask her about the victory, and she’ll tell you the tournament played out as though it was scripted that way.

In Logan Hill's interview with Cheryl Hines about her poker career:

Logan Hill: You’re a certified celebrity-poker champ. You once kicked Alex Trebek’s butt.

Cheryl Hines: Yeah. At my first tournament, about four years ago, I got four twos. Now I have a poker problem. I do win every so often, so that’s what keeps me going.

Logan Hill: You love to trash-talk. How calculated is it?

Cheryl Hines: I do have a tendency to talk a lot at the poker table, which throws people off because they spend a lot of time trying to read me. But I talk a lot when I have a good hand and when I have a bad hand, too. Sometimes it annoys people so much they can’t wait to get out of the tournament. And that can only be good for me.

Logan Hill: Was Jose Canseco upset when you beat him?

Cheryl Hines: Jose Canseco may have been one that was really not pleased … But the poker pros are the ones that really may not enjoy me as much, the ones who’d rather sit in silence calculating odds.

Logan Hill: Off set, who was the most hopeless player

Cheryl Hines: He won’t mind me saying, but Chris Parnell had not really played poker before this movie.

Logan Hill: But his character is an expert.

Cheryl Hines: Yes, so he was very stressed during the whole movie.

Logan Hill: And who was the best player?

Cheryl Hines: Well, it’s hard to say. I may have won a tournament … I’m not going to lie.

Logan Hill: How much did you walk away with on side bets?

Cheryl Hines: $500.

Logan Hill: That’s not bad for an indie film. What was the hardest scene to keep a straight face in?

Cheryl Hines: When Werner Herzog goes crazy and starts to attack Chris Parnell, and Chris jumps up on the chair and starts squawking like a bird. Is that still in there?

Logan Hill: Yes.

Cheryl Hines: Oh, good.

Logan Hill: What’s a line that will help an amateur poker player win?

Cheryl Hines: Whenever somebody folds, say, “Good laydown.” It encourages them to fold on a later hand because it makes them feel like you had the best hand even if you were bluffing. It’s an odd form of flattery that seems to work at the poker table.

Logan Hill: You’re a natural underminer.

Cheryl Hines: Manipulating people is what’s so fun about poker. I love that you can just look into someone’s eyes and lie—and it’s perfectly acceptable.

Logan Hill: I guess acting and poker are two of the only times it is.

Cheryl Hines: Yes, but when you’re playing poker, you can drink beer while you do it.

Interview courtesy of http://nymag.com