Jean-Robert Bellande Joins Team Bodog

This past weekend Bodog announced that professional poker player and reality television star Jean-Robert Bellande has signed on as the newest member of Team Bodog. This accomplished poker players, who recently appeared on CBS’s hit show survivor china, will join existing team members Josh Arieh, David Williams and Evelyn NG at Bodog’s online poker tables and live tournament events.

For those who need a refresher on exactly who Jean-Robert Bellande is. He first appeared on the televised poker scene in March 2005 at a World Series of Poker Circuit event. In this event he finished in 3rd place behind the winner Doug Lee and runner up Jennifer Harman. A week later Bellande was again in poker headlines as he defeated John Pham to win the $148,000 first prize at he 2005 Winnin’ o’ the Green tournament. He next appeared on TV supporting his close friend Jeffrey Lisandro as he defeated Phil Ivey in another WSOP circuit event later that year.

Jean-Robert Bellande is known both as a hyper aggressive player and a smack talker. His constant banter at televised tables helped gain him an invite to the World Poker Tour’s Bad Boys of Poker Two, an event won by Tony G.

Most recently Bellande was a contestant on Survivor China as a member of the Fei Long Tribe, and later Hae Da Fung. He was best known on this show for his conflicts with fellow contestant Courtney Yates and for helping Todd Herzog win as he was voted off in 8th place and became the second member of the jury.

“We’re extremely excited to have Jean-Robert join our select team of world-class poker players,” said Bodog North American CEO Alwyn Morris. “With his charismatic personality and his prowess as a poker player, Jean-Robert embodies the Bodog lifestyle. He is a perfect fit for Team Bodog.”

Bellande is set to make his official Team Bodog debut this weekend when he competes against the world’s best at the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He will also represent Team Bodog at this summer’s World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.