Bodog Sponsored Pros Down To Three As Jean-Robert Bellande Quits
November 16, 2009 11:29 amThe number of Bodog sponsored pros has dwindled to three after Jean-Robert Bellande’s contract with the poker site was not renewed. A Bodog spokesman commenting on the decision said:
“Jean-Robert Bellande’s deal with Bodog Poker expired at the end of October and the decision was made not to renew the deal. It has been an absolute pleasure having Jean-Robert as one of Bodog.com’s Poker pros and we wish him all the best,”
The professional poker player Jean-Robert Bellande, originally joined Bodog back in March 2008, and had already earned himself the nickname “Action Bob” because of his fierce reputation as a fast, aggressive player. He has also been described as “the ultimate psychological warrior” as he often badgers the players at the table with “trash talk” so as to throw opponents off their games and thus gain an advantage over them.
Bellande first gained exposure on the poker scene after finishing third in a 2005 WSOP circuit event for $210,900, and a week later winning the ‘Winnin’ o’ the Green tournament’ for $148,000. In 2008 Bellande picked up another $173,000 after finishing second at the WSOP $1,500 Limit Hold ‘em shootout event and up to now has amassed over $1 million in live tournament wins throughout his career.
Bodog is the 14th largest poker site in the world and one of the biggest to accept US players, which also includes PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Belande’s departure from the USA friendly poker site came as a bit of a surprise after he issued a statement back in February stating he was “thrilled to continue [my] relationship with Team Bodog. Bodog is a fantastic organization and [I am] excited to continue with such a select team of world-class poker players.”
Bodog’s three remaining pros include Evelyn Ng, Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, and David Williams, the only player of the three to hold a WSOP bracelet.