Full Tilt Poker Signs NFL Legend Emmitt Smith
In recent news, Full Tilt Poker announced that they have signed Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Joining Full Tilt Poker, Smith will be representing the online poker room at a selection of live events throughout the year.
As the latest "Friend of Full Tilt Poker", Smith took his first opportunity to represent the site by playing at the $25,000 National Heads-Up Poker Championship event, which was an invitational heads-up tournament held at Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas. It was a very respectable performance in his debut event, managing to knock out David Williams in the first round before losing to Andrew Robl in the next heads-up match.
And theimpressive list of poker achievements don't stop there either. Smith scored a heads-up victory against a heavyweight in the high stakes poker world, that of Phil Ivey at a Celebrity Invitational Charity Tournament, to win a $10,000 seat to the 2025 WSOP Main Event. Unfortunately he wasn't so lucky in the main event and was eliminated after a few hours of play on the first day when his three tens ran into three jacks.
Commenting after his exit from the WSOP ME, Emmitt Smith said:
"I'm learning more about the game. From that last hand, I learned a little bit, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. You've got to be able to get the cards. You've got to be able to understand when to bet, when not to bet. And then you just go from there."
The three-time Super Bowl champion had an illustrious NFL career, scoring a total of 175 touchdowns and owning 18,355 career rushing yards. Last year his footballing achievements were acknowledged when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Outside of his sporting accomplishments, Smith was a successful real estate developer and an accomplished dancer, with an appearance and victory on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
The 41 year-old NFL star now joins a long list of other celebrities to represent Full Tilt, including UFC fighter Matt Hughes, Indy Car champion Mario Andretti, Tennis Pro James Blake, ring announcer Bruce Buffer, actors Don Cheadle and Mekhi Phifer, and writer Jim McManus.
Smith has already made a good start as a representative of Full Tilt Poker. It will be interesting to see how he fairs in future live events.