ShareThisBy JOHN HAYES
Thursday, October 26, 2006
She's an actress _ sort of. She has massive Internet exposure _ so to speak.
Mostly, Pamela Anderson is one of those tabloid stars who's famous for, well, being a star.
With her graphic unauthorized sex video still floating through the ether, Anderson says she'd like to have some level of control over her Internet presence. So the former "Baywatch" cast member star who starred in the short-lived Fox series "Stacked," recently teamed with one of the leading online poker companies to launch PamelaPoker.com.
Anderson is more than a figurehead _ every Sunday from 6 to 7 p.m., she's at the Texas Hold 'em table in real time. There, fans can virtually sit in on a poker game with Anderson, her rocker-husband Kid Rock and their friends, to play for money or just for fun.
Q: You say on the site that you're not much of a poker player.
A: No, I haven't been in the past ... I've played enough in my life to know how to play. . . . I'm learning, though.
Q: Why did you get involved in a poker site?
A: I've been asked to do online poker for 12 years. I just wasn't convinced at that time that this was popular with anybody, that this is something they'd want to do on their computer and why would I get involved in something that I didn't do? But they kept asking me.
Q: Are you a gambler?
A: For a long time I went back and forth on this because I'm not a real gambler. I didn't really believe in it. But I've looked at it and it's a game of skill. Poker seems to be almost like a sport.
Q: Were you concerned that this company wanted you as a figurehead because people searching the Internet for your pictures would land on their site?
A: I don't mind having sexy pictures on the site ... I think people know I'm a free spirit and like to have fun, and there's nothing really racy (on the site).
Q: I mean people searching the Internet for photos of you.
A: Well, I can't control the Internet, and believe me I've tried. I have had a love-hate relationship with the Internet.
Q: What's your favorite game?
A: Texas Hold 'em is the only thing I really know. I don't want people to be intimidated, thinking, well, if I've never played poker before I can't play poker online. But it's actually easier. You can play on the free tables. People learn about it; you can make mistakes. It's interesting.
Q: Got any poker advice?
A: I always say you gotta gamble responsibly. Everything in moderation. I hate to see anybody lose too much money. I just want people to have fun.
(John Hayes can be reached at jhayes(at)post-gazette.com)
