5 Minutes With...Jean-Robert Bellande
It seems like Jean- Robert Bellande is always popping up in the poker media so when we spotted him in the Aces Club during a WSOP break we couldn’t resist stopping to ask him a few questions. The Survivor contestant and borderline giant is one of the biggest personalities on the circuit and his popularity amongst his peers was evident as soon as we sat down. While we interviewed Bellande, the other pros in the room were eager to share their thoughts as well, most notably Gavin Smith who takes great pleasure in taking jabs at Bellande.
BLUFF: What’s your least favorite thing about being a professional poker player?
JRB: It would have to be dealing with all the fans. Getting stopped and asked for your autograph and the pats on the back, it gets annoying. Can’t even walk anywhere without getting stopped. I’m sure you can write that in a way that it’s obviously tongue in cheek.
BLUFF: Which pro player would do the worst on Jeopardy?
RB: Layne Flack would be the worst on Jeopardy. He would come up with all these… (Bellande is interrupted by Gavin Smith who suggests Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.) Wait, well, Grinder is pretty dumb. You could ask him, “Who’s on Mount Rushmore?” and he would be like, “What’s Mount Rushmore?"
BLUFF: Name the last three pros you’ve crashed with.
JRB: Do you mean hotels or houses? Because there’s like thirty (laughs). I’ll say Layne Flack, Joe Cassidy, and Jeff Lisandro.
BLUFF: Would you spot Teddy “The Iceman” Monroe and extra card in No Limit Hold’em?
JRB: I would never spot anybody a card in Hold’em. Teddy’s mom wouldn’t get an extra card in Hold’em. I’m the guy that gets spotted extra cards.
BLUFF: What was your first car?
JRB: My first car was a Mercedes sedan.
BLUFF: In hindsight, what’s the dumbest prop bet you’ve made?
JRB: I can’t even think of a dumb prop bet I’ve made. (Everyone in the room besides Bellande starts to laugh. Smith has to leave the room.)
BLUFF: What other reality show do you think you have the best chance of winning?
JRB: I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
BLUFF: What’s your biggest pet peeve at the table?
JRB: When the winning player in a hand asks the loser what his hand was after scooping a big pot. That’s so brutal, it pisses me off even when I’m not in the hand.
(From the back of the room) “You used to do that all the time when you started out!”
JRB: That’s because I was young and dumb and didn’t know any better. I’m a pro now. (More laughter.)
BLUFF: If you could pick one player to beat heads up for a bracelet, who would it be?
JRB: It would have to be Phil Hellmuth. I’m certain I’m a favorite over him if we ever played heads up.
BLUFF: What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
JRB: I’ve had a lot of great jobs, but the worst job I ever had was selling women’s shoes at Nordstrom’s, but I still kind of enjoyed it. I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t have shoes that fi t the woman’s feet so I just stretched them out in the back. I would just tell them, “Oh, it looks good, they’ll stretch out.” I can’t tell you how many times women bought shoes that were way too small for them but they bought them anyway because they liked me.
BLUFF: Finish this sentence: Right now I really need…
Gavin Smith: Money!
JRB: (After laughter subsides) A little bit of good fortune so I can knock out one of these bracelets.
BLUFF: Who would win a 100-yard dash, you or Gavin Smith?
JRB: I’ll lay 2-1 that I could beat him.
BLUFF: What was the best Christmas present you got as a kid?
JRB: My Atari 2600 system.
BLUFF: What’s the weirdest thing someone has asked you this Series?
JRB: Sam Grizzle asked me to play him heads up.
BLUFF: What’s the most embarrassing album that you’re listening to?
JRB: I’m not sure if the Pet Shop Boys are embarrassing, but I have Ne-Yo’s album playing in my car right now.
