With a nickname like "the Unabomber" there just has to be a story behind it. As often happens in the world of poker nicknames are assigned by fellow players; if the name sticks it becomes recognizable often before a poker pro's given name.
In the case of Phil Laak, the Unabomber moniker serves as a verbal shortcut, but anyone who has watched him play would just as easily associate the name Laak with the antics that accompany it. If Hold'em and other poker games have become a spectator sport in recent years thanks to shows like World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and Celebrity Poker Showdown, it is characters like Laak who make the players as interesting to watch as the play. Of course, having a girlfriend like Jennifer Tilly does wonders for your reputation as well.
The Dublin, Ireland born former market speculator won the World Poker Tour invitational in 2004, a sure sign that he was to be reckoned with for his poker game; players and poker fans alike had decided long before that they had to at least endure his behavior. Many are divided over whether this handsome, blonde fellow is entertaining or just irritating when he gets up from his seat to dance around the table shadow boxing, or hits the floor for a series of calisthenics.
As for the nickname? Laak earned that one night when, wearing his trademark grey sweat jacket and sunglasses, he pulled the hood low and the tie strings back, creating a ninja mask effect that reminded players at the table of infamous sketches and photos of the real Unabomber. The name seemed just crazy enough to stick to the wacky Laak.
In a great example of his characteristic behavior, Laak looked into the cameras during a heads up match against Johnny Chan, who was in pursuit of his record breaking tenth WSOP bracelet, and said he should let himself be blinded off and give Chan the win, just to tick off Phil Hellmuth, who was also in the running for a tenth bracelet. In the same game, in the final hand, he ran around the table, asking the dealer which way the cards would be turned over for the flop so he could crouch nearby and get the first look.
His displays have inspired the Travel Channel (the broadcaster of the World Poker Tour) to put up video of Laak in the "Go All In With The Unabomber Challenge" game, and probably contributed to him being selected to play the world's toughest robot poker player. A competition was held in which various computer robots battled it out, with the victor taking on a professional poker player. At the end of that match, which had audience members chanting "Humans, Humans!) Laak emerged victorious.
In addition to his poker performance, Laak is also known for dating and coaching movie star Jennifer Tilley, who learned her lessons well enough to win two bracelets almost right out of the gate, one at the WSOP and one at the WPT
As is frequently becoming standard operating procedure for the big names in pro poker, Phil Laak has been enjoying success based on his image as well as his play. In a recent poker show on the GSN network Laak won the Poker Royale: Comedians Versus Pros, taking home the $50,000 pot. The success of that show spawned a reoccurring spin-off, The James Woods Gang VS. The Unabombers In Poker Royal, (http://www.gsn.com/specific_page_elements.php?link_id=S73) where he and actor James Woods act as team captains, picking six dream-team players to compete for a team victory with a shot at $75,000.
In his pre-poker life Laak has been a real estate investor and a stock market speculator, perhaps building up the necessary fortitude to make a life from gambling. He is a proponent of an esoteric theory where he believes he can make a mental connection with the other players at a table, getting a sense of not only how they will play, but their actual cards. Had anyone else espoused that belief around a poker table he might have gotten laughed out of his seat, but with the Unabomber explaining it, it almost seems normal.
Phil Laak can now add "TV Host" to his list of credentials, running the show at E! Holywood Hold'em, which has been described as a cross between MTVs' Cribs and Celebrity Poker Showdown. The camera crew follows Laak as he pops in on celebrities, takes a tour of the house, and then to a poker rooms set up for a game, where the celebrities and their friends play for the cameras.
In a recent interview about the show, Laak confided in the three motivating factors that influence the decisions he makes in life; having fun, freedom and fulfillment. Poker is the way he manages to do all three at once.
Regardless of how Laak does on the professional poker circuit in years to come, as long as he shows up at the table, fans will show up to watch him, if only see what he does next.
Phil Laak Update
From his tourney record it would seem that Phil has lain low this year (2007), although he did manage third in his own invitational event, scored two cashes at the WSOP and won a round of Poker After Dark to the tune of $120k. Once again the Unabomber was tapped to take on a robotic poker player when he and Ali Eslami recently worked over the AI poker program Polaris in a public exhibition. Way to stick up for the humans, Phil!
