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Chad Brown (poker player)
Encyclopedia
Chad Lewis Brown is an American
actor
, poker
player and color commentator
, based in Los Angeles, California
.
, New York
in 1961. Brown was raised in The Bronx
, where he began playing poker in Italian
cafés
. He moved to Los Angeles
in the early 1990s where he began working in Hollywood. Brown has had some minor roles in television series and films, including Basket Case 2
and Miami Hustle. He also appeared as an assistant host on the game show
Caesars Challenge
in the early 1990s.
television series. He has finished in the money at several events in the World Series of Poker
(WSOP), including third in the 2002
$1,500 Omaha hi-lo split event, second to Ted Forrest
in the 2004
$1,500 seven-card stud
event and second in the 2005
$2,000 seven-card stud hi-lo event. Brown made back to back final tables at 2005 World Series of Poker circuit events
, including a third place finish behind Chris Ferguson
and Prahlad Friedman
. Brown made another circuit event final table in 2006. Despite making 10 Final Tables at the WSOP, he has never won a WSOP Bracelet.
Brown also made the final table of the World Poker Tour
fourth season
Bay 101 Shooting Stars Tournament, where he finished 6th. Brown won one of the biggest online poker
tournaments in the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker
$5000 H.O.R.S.E. event. He bested 174 other players to take down the $223,125 first prize and a gold bracelet. Brown made the finals of the NBC
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
, defeating Yosh Nakano, Gabe Kaplan
, Brad Booth
, Kristy Gazes
, and Gavin Smith before losing to Paul Wasicka
2-0 in the best-of-three final.
In 2007, Brown cashed in the money
for the first time in the $10,000 no limit Texas hold'em championship coming in 97th place out of a field of 6,358 players, winning $67,535.
Brown's biggest win came at the 2009 Gulf Coast Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Brown and Vanessa Rousso
served as the official celebrity hosts of the tournament. For first place, Brown earned $225,567.
Chad Brown was named Bluff Magazine’s Poker Player of the Year for 2006, and in his own words: “Winning player of the year is like an actor wining an Oscar”.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,100,000. His 30 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,105,361 of those winnings.
Brown is married to professional poker player Vanessa Rousso
.
On 19 February 2011 it was reported on Vanessa Rousso's Twitter account that Brown had 10 pound tumor removed from his abdomen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
, based in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Early life & acting career
Brown was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1961. Brown was raised in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, where he began playing poker in Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
cafés
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
. He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the early 1990s where he began working in Hollywood. Brown has had some minor roles in television series and films, including Basket Case 2
Basket Case 2
Basket Case 2 is a 1990 American comedy horror film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter. It was released on DVD by Synapse Films on October 30, 2007.-Cast:* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley* Judy Grafe as News Woman...
and Miami Hustle. He also appeared as an assistant host on the game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Caesars Challenge
Caesars Challenge
Caesars Challenge is an American game show that aired on NBC from June 14, 1993 to January 14, 1994. Ahmad Rashad hosted the show and Dan Doherty, dressed as a gladiator, served as the show's assistant. Chad Brown and Zach Ruby also served as assistants early in the show. Steve Day announced the...
in the early 1990s.
Poker
Brown is the presenter of the Ultimate Poker ChallengeUltimate Poker Challenge
The Ultimate Poker Challenge was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals.The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD...
television series. He has finished in the money at several events in the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP), including third in the 2002
2002 World Series of Poker
The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event...
$1,500 Omaha hi-lo split event, second to Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest is an American professional poker player, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Tournament Wins:...
in the 2004
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
$1,500 seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
event and second in the 2005
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
$2,000 seven-card stud hi-lo event. Brown made back to back final tables at 2005 World Series of Poker circuit events
World Series of Poker circuit events
The World Series of Poker Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos since 2005 as a build-up to the World Series of Poker ....
, including a third place finish behind Chris Ferguson
Chris Ferguson
Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
and Prahlad Friedman
Prahlad Friedman
Prahlad S. Friedman is an American professional poker player from Los Angeles, California. He has played under the screen names "Spirit Rock" on Full Tilt Poker, "Mahatma" on Ultimate Bet, "Zweig" on Prima Network, and "Prefontaine" on PokerStars...
. Brown made another circuit event final table in 2006. Despite making 10 Final Tables at the WSOP, he has never won a WSOP Bracelet.
Brown also made the final table of the World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
fourth season
World Poker Tour season 4 results
- Mirage Poker Showdown:* Casino: The Mirage, Las Vegas * Buy-in: $10,000* 4-Day Event: May 23, 2005 to May 26, 2005* Number of Entries: 317* Total Prize Pool: $3,074,900* Number of Payouts: 27* Winning Hand: Q-Q...
Bay 101 Shooting Stars Tournament, where he finished 6th. Brown won one of the biggest online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...
tournaments in the 2006 World Championship of Online Poker
World Championship of Online Poker
The World Championship of Online Poker is an online poker tournament series sponsored by PokerStars. It is played on the PokerStars site in September....
$5000 H.O.R.S.E. event. He bested 174 other players to take down the $223,125 first prize and a gold bracelet. Brown made the finals of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
National Heads-Up Poker Championship
-2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat...
, defeating Yosh Nakano, Gabe Kaplan
Gabe Kaplan
Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
, Brad Booth
Brad Booth
Bradley Booth is a Canadian professional poker player known for his appearances on the GSN series High Stakes Poker and buying in for a "cool million."...
, Kristy Gazes
Kristy Gazes
Kristy Gazes is a professional poker player originally from California.Gazes has been playing poker since 1986. She made a living for years as a high stakes cash game player in Los Angeles, California....
, and Gavin Smith before losing to Paul Wasicka
Paul Wasicka
Paul J. Wasicka is a professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada who was the runner-up at the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and the winner of the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship....
2-0 in the best-of-three final.
In 2007, Brown cashed in the money
In the Money
In the Money is a comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on February 16, 1958 by Allied Artists Pictures and is the forty-eighth and final film in the series. It was directed by William Beaudine and written by Al Martin and Elwood Ullman.-Plot summary:Sach is hired to take...
for the first time in the $10,000 no limit Texas hold'em championship coming in 97th place out of a field of 6,358 players, winning $67,535.
Brown's biggest win came at the 2009 Gulf Coast Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Brown and Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Ashley Rousso is a French American law student at the University of Miami and a professional poker player. She is also known by her Pokerstars online screen name Lady Maverick. Born in , Rousso has dual citizenships with the United States and France. Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars,...
served as the official celebrity hosts of the tournament. For first place, Brown earned $225,567.
Chad Brown was named Bluff Magazine’s Poker Player of the Year for 2006, and in his own words: “Winning player of the year is like an actor wining an Oscar”.
As of 2011, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,100,000. His 30 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,105,361 of those winnings.
Brown is married to professional poker player Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Ashley Rousso is a French American law student at the University of Miami and a professional poker player. She is also known by her Pokerstars online screen name Lady Maverick. Born in , Rousso has dual citizenships with the United States and France. Rousso is a member of Team PokerStars,...
.
On 19 February 2011 it was reported on Vanessa Rousso's Twitter account that Brown had 10 pound tumor removed from his abdomen.