John Hayes' interview with Pamela Anderson

October 01, 2006
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With her graphic unauthorized sex video still floating through the ether, Anderson says she'd like to have some level of control over her Internet presence. The former "Baywatch" star who starred in the short-lived Fox series "Stacked" (which was canceled in May), recently teamed with one of the leading online poker companies to launch PamelaPoker.com. Anderson is more than a figurehead -- every Sunday from 6-7 p.m., she's at the Texas Hold 'em table in real time, where fans can virtually sit in on a poker game with Anderson, her rocker-husband Kid Rock and their friends, to play for money or just for fun.

Q: You say on the site that you're not much of a poker player.

A: No, I haven't been in the past. I grew up around it. I've played enough in my life to know how to play. I don't believe I can play so well. I'm learning, though. We have a lot of fun on Sundays over here. We have friends over -- real characters -- making spaghetti and playing poker. This is fun.

Q: Why did you get involved in a poker site?

A: I've been asked to do online poker for 12 years. I just wasn't convinced at that time that this was popular with anybody, that this is something they'd want to do on their computer, and why would I get involved in something that I didn't do? But they kept asking me. Finally, Doyle Brunson, who -- I think he [practically] invented Texas Hold 'em -- said he wanted to make poker an international sport and thought I was a good figurehead for that because I like to have fun. It's edgy, it's fun. There's a whole new world on the Internet. I've had somewhat of a presence on the Internet [but] haven't really created a business on it. But this is a business, too. I get to meet my fans on it in the chat rooms. It's really fun.

Q: Are you a gambler?

A: For a long time I went back and forth on this because I'm not a real gambler, I didn't really believe in it. But I've looked at it and it's a game of skill. Poker seems to be almost like a sport. It's grown so much in the last five years. You can play for free [on the site] and get your skills up. I have an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old boy and a stepson who's 13 who are on the computer all the time. All the money I've spent on Xbox games and all the other kinds of games. Adults want to be entertained, too. Poker is a real sexy sport, and you can make money. And if you lose a little here and there, well, how much do you spend on your kids' games?

Q: Were you concerned that this company wanted you as a figurehead because people searching the Net for your pictures would land on their site?

A: I don't mind having sexy pictures on the site. ... I think people know I'm a free spirit and like to have fun, and there's nothing really racy [on the site].

Q: I mean people searching the Internet for photos of you.

A: Well, I can't control the Internet, and believe me I've tried. I have had a love-hate relationship with the Internet. I said I wanted nothing to do with it -- I don't even want a computer. But again, you have to have some dignity and grace about yourself and keep going. If those people want to go off and find those pictures or that kind of video, they have to live with it. In the meantime, I have a great Web site that I'm proud of. ... It's great to have options. If I can find options out there, it's better than searching for something that I have no part in.

Q What's your favorite game?

A: Texas Hold 'em is the only thing I really know. I don't want people to be intimidated, thinking, well, if I've never played poker before I can't play poker online. But it's actually easier. You can play on the free tables. People learn about it, you can make mistakes, it's interesting.

Q: Got any poker advice?

A: I always say you gotta gamble responsibly. Everything in moderation. I hate to see anybody lose too much money. I just want people to have fun.