Poker's Smart Blonde

Granted, Joanna Krupa was dealt a winning hand, she's a gorgeous blonde with more curves than the Pacific Coast Highway. But at 25, the Polish-born beauty is savvy enough to know how to play her cards just right.

Beat 'Apprentice' Cast

She got hooked on Texas hold'em by chance in 2005 when she was asked to play in a charity tournament with the cast from The Apprentice and ended up winning.

"The first time I ever played poker was a year and a half ago," said the 5-foot-7 stunner who moved with her family from Warsaw to Chicago when she was just 5.

"I was a spokesperson for Trump World. The magazine had me come in as a special guest. I had no idea I was going to play, and I actually won the whole tournament. I don't know if it was because it was beginner's luck."

If it was luck, her streak continued when she hooked up with a boyfriend who likes to play and whose dad is a regular at the World Series of Poker.

She won't reveal who the lucky guy is, but she says that he and his dad are happy about her deal with TitanPoker. In addition to playing online and chatting with folks who log on the site, she promotes Titan Poker's Million Mania tournaments. She'll also play for Titan at the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.

"My boyfriend and his father will be rooting for me, of course," she said.

Does she think she'll have an advantage because the guys at the table will likely be dumbstruck by her over-the-top sexiness?

"Gosh, it's hard to say," she said with traces of a Polish accent. "At the table, I think I have a pretty good bluff face, so maybe they'll be like, 'Oh, yeah, she's a cute blonde. She can't know anything about poker,' so maybe that distracts them a little bit."

Loose? Aggressive?

Although her male fans might hope she's loose and aggressive, she describes herself as pretty conservative... at the table, at least.

"I basically play it safe," she said. "I'm not a big gambler, so I play it safe. If the cards are all right I usually stay in. If it's so-so, I back out.

"I'm still trying to learn the tricks and ways of being a good player. I'm training with some pros. And I'm sure they'll teach me other strategies. At this point I'm not exactly sure what my strategy will be."

Even so, she thinks her chances are good. As a model/actress, she is encouraged by the success that celebrities like Jennifer Tilly have had at poker.

"Jennifer Tilly is pretty cool," she said. "There are lots of actors who really bring it."

"I'm hoping maybe we can open up the doors for more women to play. It's a great fun game so why shouldn't women take advantage of it? And I don't think men are any better at it than women. So I think it can be a fun game for both."

If she can win a few more tournaments, she could add "Sexiest Poker Player" to the titles she already has: "Sexiest Swimsuit Model" (Playboy) and "Sexiest Woman Alive".

But she takes all the labels in stride. "You know it's obviously very flattering and great and makes me feel good," she said. "But there are so many beautiful women that I work along with on a daily basis. It's a great thing and I love what I'm doing. But I am absolutely very humble and I understand that it's a title one magazine picks."

Another title she could easily get is "Sexiest Businesswoman Alive." She's got her future career strategy mapped out, more poker, more modeling and more acting.

The key, she said is to "just kind of enjoy yourself and make your fans happy."

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