Infamous poker player/railbird/groupie Brandi Hawbaker (who recently changed her name to Naami Dea) is the subject of another wild series of threads on internet poker forums, but for a very serious situation this time.
The 26-year-old who has had her named dragged in and out of the mud by notable pros such as Tom Franklin, David Sklansky and Brian Micon, among others, reportedly committed suicide on Sunday.
Given the woman's history of alleged scamming, stripping, drug abuse and fraud, the report could be just another swipe at the reputation of the aspiring professional poker player. However, professional player Alex Jacob, who may not have any personal involvement with Hawbaker, has said in the twoplustwo forums, that he had heard, and also could confirm, that this was true.
Hawbaker's place in the poker world has come from her association with many mid-level professionals, and her antics have been widely discussed on internet forums, including many posts by Hawbaker herself.
She has been accused of swindling players for staking, performing sex for staking, and stealing from people she befriended. The first, and maybe most famous incident, when she came forth in the forums, was when Franklin apparently started mentoring Hawbaker. The pair were going to rest in the same bed when Hawbaker said Franklin asked her to snuggle. She later said that as she slept she could "feel his penis on my back."
Other notable incidents include a bizarre mentor relationship with Sklansky, and the posting of a youtube video of Micon showing Hawbaker's stripper license, which he tried to sell on Ebay, and a very publicly discussed relationship with a man that ended up posting most of his feelings on the relationship in the posting forums.
There is also the famous picture of her with the FullTiltPoker logo exposed on her breast. There are several interviews of her on the internet during breaks of tournaments she has played in, although her official major tournament stats show just four cashes for a total of approximately $40,000.
Because of all the stories and burned bridges, the apparently sad story has erupted into another flaming war on the popular poker forums.
The story could end up so bizarre and has so much published information that it could easily make a national news story or even a movie.
The 26-year-old who has had her named dragged in and out of the mud by notable pros such as Tom Franklin, David Sklansky and Brian Micon, among others, reportedly committed suicide on Sunday.
Given the woman's history of alleged scamming, stripping, drug abuse and fraud, the report could be just another swipe at the reputation of the aspiring professional poker player. However, professional player Alex Jacob, who may not have any personal involvement with Hawbaker, has said in the twoplustwo forums, that he had heard, and also could confirm, that this was true.
Hawbaker's place in the poker world has come from her association with many mid-level professionals, and her antics have been widely discussed on internet forums, including many posts by Hawbaker herself.
She has been accused of swindling players for staking, performing sex for staking, and stealing from people she befriended. The first, and maybe most famous incident, when she came forth in the forums, was when Franklin apparently started mentoring Hawbaker. The pair were going to rest in the same bed when Hawbaker said Franklin asked her to snuggle. She later said that as she slept she could "feel his penis on my back."
Other notable incidents include a bizarre mentor relationship with Sklansky, and the posting of a youtube video of Micon showing Hawbaker's stripper license, which he tried to sell on Ebay, and a very publicly discussed relationship with a man that ended up posting most of his feelings on the relationship in the posting forums.
There is also the famous picture of her with the FullTiltPoker logo exposed on her breast. There are several interviews of her on the internet during breaks of tournaments she has played in, although her official major tournament stats show just four cashes for a total of approximately $40,000.
Because of all the stories and burned bridges, the apparently sad story has erupted into another flaming war on the popular poker forums.
The story could end up so bizarre and has so much published information that it could easily make a national news story or even a movie.
