We love informing you of the weird and wonderful things that go on in the world of Poker and gambling. The odd stories that can link up to the industry seemingly come from out of nowhere, and they make for great entertainment. Freaky Fortnight is back in 2024 to provide you with these tales, which feature the amusing and the outright strange. Fortunately, the enjoyable stories and anecdotes just keep on coming.
Frank “Franco” Bonacci Wants “Every F***ing Dollar”
Every now and then, a poker player comes along who provides an insight into an intriguing life. Franco Bonacci, going by the name of “Franco” comes from Pittsburgh, PA. He first became intrigued by poker in 2002. At that time, he made a deep run in a $10 tournament, and now, two decades later, he is continuing to outdo his opponents. This has led to him winning a third and a fourth World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring via WSOP Pennsylvania.
Without a doubt, Pennsylvania has a fantastic poker scene these days, and Bonacci is a big part of that. Last summer, he finished 44th in the WSOP Main Event, achieving a career-best cash of $229,000.
Franco was born and raised in Pittsburgh as well as the Richmond area of Virginia. His first taste of tournament success came about when he was just 16 years old. It was at that point that he drove his drunken uncle to a home game tournament. In exchange for driving him there, his uncle said he would buy Bonacci in to the tournament as well. He achieved second, and from that moment on, he was hooked on the game.
It didn’t take him long to discover online poker when it became popular, and he won a few satellites that way before earning his way to a live final table. He soon built up $12,000, and at the age of 21, he dropped out of Virginia Tech and quit his bartending job to move to Atlantic City. Learning from some of the best in the poker world, Bonacci heightened his knowledge of the game, and went off on his winning ways.
In quite a candid moment during his interview with PokerNews>, Bonacci said he only had one goal when playing poker – to win “every f***king dollar”. He noted that if the dollars come with trophies or rings or bracelets, then that’s all fine and dandy. That being said, he isn’t “overly excited about the rings.” Bonacci spoke of them being one of “the most diluted trophies in poker.” He should know, holding four of them himself.
Yet it’s clear Bonacci enjoys the poker world, stating that there’s “nothing like that sleep after you’ve been at war for 30+ hours straight every now and then” in the interview. It’s good to have goals of course – winning every dollar available is just as good as any other!
Barbra Streisand Admits to a Viagra Gambling Addiction?
Barbra Streisand is known to many people around the globe as an American singer, actress and director. Her career has spanned more than six decades, and she has achieved a high level of success in various areas of the entertainment world. She is actually one of the few performers to have earned the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (EGOT) quadruplet.
Yet recently, the decorated entertainer admitted that she became addicted to gambling on the Stock market. Between 1998 and 2000, she invested millions of dollars in various stocks, with Viagra being one of primary opportunities she focused on. Viagra creator Pfizer was also responsible for launching a number of products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Streisand eventually managed to tone down her hobby, citing how stressful it became, marking it as being like a full-time city job. Yet during her time gambling on the markets, she said that it gave her a thrill that she was looking for. Her trading hours would usually be between 6:30 AM to 1:00 PM from Monday to Friday. According to the 81-year-old, “At 6.25 AM my eyes would open wide, without an alarm,” knowing that she was ready for trading on the stock market.
She announced that she would “throw on my bathrobe, sit down at my new desk with a cup of hot chocolate, and start trading.” Streisand said that she likes gambling, noting that whenever she performed in Las Vegas, she would engage in blackjack, but trading stocks was “a whole new learning experience.”
Speaking on her decision to trade certain stocks at the end of the '90s, she said, “I read about this new drug for men called Viagra and thought ‘That’s going to be very popular!’ It was made by Pfizer, so I immediately bought some shares.”
According to the singer and actress, she also once picked a stock simply because it utilized her initials as its stock name. She can’t have been that out of her depth with trading this way though, as she made $1.8 million in five months via the stock market. These days, she isn’t gambling in the same way, though. Streisand noted how she was “burned” on several occasions, losing her nerve in the financial meltdown of 2008. As a result, she opted to stick with investing in bonds.
The revelation about her gambling addiction is revealed in her 992-page autobiography entitled “My Name Is Barbra,” which was released towards the end of 2023. It took her 10 years to write, and there is also a 48-hour audiobook version, which she recorded herself.
Streisand isn’t the first celebrity to admit their enjoyment of gambling. At ProfessionalRakeback, we have highlighted numerous times when stars have been spotted out and about engaging in poker or casino gaming. In a previous edition of Freaky Fortnight, for example, one story centered on avid gambler Ben Affleck returning to Las Vegas with his wife, Jennifer Lopez – the scene where they almost split up 20 years prior!
Betting on…the Next Celebrity to Die!
It can’t be said that sports bettors are boring. They’re always looking for something new to wager on, whether that be someone to play the next James Bond or which candidate is likely to win the next U.S. Election. Yet from time to time, there can some quite odd and frankly macabre betting options provided.
In fact, at ProfessionalRakeback, we have highlighted some of the online world’s weirder bets possible. Yet these still remain mildly entertaining as well, such as betting on the next lover of Justin Trudeau or the color of the first alien to invade Earth. To find something a little more outrageous, you may need to turn your attention away from the online scene.
How would you feel about placing a stake on the next celebrity superstar to die? It’s a little grisly, but one pub in the United Kingdom has a huge blackboard on the wall, where the regular visitors can both nominate and bet on such an outcome. For the moment, it is focusing on the celebrity who they believe is most likely to pass away first in 2024. While there may be a certain amount of amusement in placing such bets, it does also have quite the dark side to it as well.
The landlord of the pub is supposedly always keen to add more names to the blackboard. Yet while a large number of the celebrities on the list at the moment are quite old anyway, there are even some former footballers, boxers, and rugby players noted there too.
Oddly enough, the phenomenon of betting on the next celebrity to die isn’t something altogether new. If you look online, you can actually see the internet DeathList for 2024, featuring 50 celebrities who are most likely to pass away as the year proceeds. While this isn’t there for people to get an insight into who they should wager on in relation to the subject at hand, it remains quite macabre in its own right.
With former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in first position at the age of 100, followed by actor Dick van Dyke at age 99, things start out on a certain level of distaste. Yet there are also some people who aren’t out of their 50s, 60s or 70s on the list, too. Take former German professional footballer Franz Beckenbauer, aged 79, or former boxer Joe Bugner at the age of 74. Even British broadcaster James Whale is on the list at the age of 73.
Perhaps even more bizarre is that the DeathList has archives dating back to 1987, which featured Ozzy Osbourne when he was 39 and “Any One Beatle,” who were all in their 40s at the time.
So, what do you think? Is it all fun and games to have a bet on the next celebrity to pop their clogs? Or do you think it’s a little too outrageous and in bad taste for the pub to have its own blackboard of names?
What About In-Flight Poker as Entertainment?
Whoever you are, wherever you’re located, you can’t deny that interactive gaming is on quite the upward tangent with players. Yet one area that you may not have considered is in-flight entertainment. Thanks to the rise in mobile gaming, passengers on flights aren’t limited to reading or listening to music or watching their favorite movies. Now, there are many games available at their fingertips, covering a wide range of genres and interests.
While it’s true that compelling video games, puzzle games, and strategy games are available this way, it’s also true that the scope of games is broadening too. Thanks to the improved accessibility of Wi-Fi in the skies, players are no longer limited to having an experience as a lone gamer. It is highly possible that while at 30,000 feet in the air, you can connect with others, compete with them and even collaborate. And all that will take place in real time.
Imagine being in the sky and having the opportunity to play a few rounds of Texas Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha poker at your favorite online casino. The former is recognized globally as a very popular variant of poker, providing easy-to-understand rules and a variety of strategic possibilities during gameplay.
How would you feel about playing a few rounds of poker while you’re settling back on a flight to your next destination? You could win a big pot while being served up your in-flight meal!
