All right, we've already discussed the smaller field (see my "Size Does Matter" blog), so what else happened on day one of the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship? First, Brandi "brandirose" Hawbaker resurfaced after months of...well, I'm not really sure what she's been up to but I can tell you she resurfaced. I know this because we interviewed her on PokerWire.com.
Here's what I figured out following the interview...
Brandi Hawbaker is poker's Paris Hilton. Think about it, she's essentially accomplished nothing (in terms of a professional career), people love to hate her, and controversy follows her everywhere. She's a bona fide drama lighting rod. The only thing separating her from Paris Hilton is a hotel magnate father and a "leaked" sex tape. The girl made ONE semi-deep run at a WPT event, and there was a six-page thread less than twenty-four hours after we put up the video. Not even "Doyle Brunson Caned To Death By Jaded Ex-Midget Lover" would receive that much attention that fast. We live in a celebrity obsessed society and, love it or hate it, Brandi Hawbaker is a celebrity...too bad it's for all the wrong reasons.
On a happier note, David Benyamine and Erica Schoenberg are engaged. We interviewed them as well (pretty funny story about how David proposed), and l say congrats. It's not easy to maintain a relationship on the tournament circuit, but these two look like they're doing everything right. In the tradition of high-profile couples like "Bradgelina" and "Bennifer" I originally dubbed them "Daverica," but PokerWire Radio host Joe "The King of Hairy Italian Comedy" Stapleton came up with the much funnier "Schoenmine."
I think that one will stick.
