Preliminary efforts to verify the allegations of Botox abuse encountered friction, misinformation and outright denial from poker's biggest names. However, continued investigation --- and incontrovertible photographic evidence --- finally wrested the truth from some of those involved. With credit to the staff of Awful Plastic Surgery for excellent photographic references on the Hollywood celebrities depicted (in order, Joan Rivers, Sophia Loren, and a before-and-after comparison of Nicole Kidman), here are a few of the first photographic comparisons that started the unraveling of Botox-in-poker's veil of secrecy. Note the easy comparison to the stony countenances of leading poker stars Phil Ivery and John Juanda:
Reports of the "Ivey Connection" were among the first to surface regarding the hidden Botox game. While it's obvious that the Hollywood types above have undergone rampant forehead smoothing, courtesy of the needle (not to mention other plastic-surgery adjustments), the skilled and rather more thorough work on Ivey's and Juanda's behalf befits the high-stakes nature for all involved. Even more stunning is that the Ivey and Juanda images aren't just still photos, but rather short film videos... their faces, one can see, just do not move. However, we note that not a single one of the players has officially admitted to the practice. Still, we can just tell...
Indeed, the ramifications of Botox's use within poker's highest reaches has sent a shudder through the profession. In fact, though the "what" and "why" of the situation were self-evident, the "how" remained a mystery, until the threads of the high-stakes "Tox" network behind the scenes began to reveal themselves to our efforts.
Legality, of course, was not the issue --- nor was there any shortage, we were soon to discover --- of cosmetic "specialists" ready to ply their trade. It turned out that Botox-injection services (as modified for poker's needs) are now available in at least three major metropolitan areas: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and just outside Atlantic City. Tips from a couple of Europe's biggest names (who chose to remain anonymous) suggest that the practice is growing on the other side of the pond as well. But while this specialized cosmetic service was seemingly available, it wasn't easy at all to find. The investigation had uncovered not one, but two brand names of the specific botulism toxins used --- "Emote-E-Kalm" and "Eversmooth" --- but we remained lost in a network of 800-number referrals and missed connections... until we accompanied a sometimes-player in the Big Game at the Bellagio as he went for one of his "upgrades." "Been a bad run," this again-unnamed player offered, as we drove to his physician's W. Sahara location. "Time to plug a different sort of leak. Gettin' too easy to read."
Fortunately, the specific procedures differ only minutely from what the Hollywood types undergo, that being a matter of location. Rather than focusing on the crow's-nest and forehead-line regions, the poker players tend to worry more about the cheek and jaw muscles involved in facial expression. (The requisite Oakleys still work well for the other stuff, though, as the physician wryly noted, it's kind of a "pick your poison" business, meaning that many top pros are reportedly experimenting with the "eye work" as well.) This physician's standard "stone-face special" is a series of four tiny injections, matching pairs near the base of the upper jaws, and rather more forward under the chin, to influence and limit twitches around the mouth and lips.
Overdoses and other side effects have seemingly been rare, though rumors have swirled for months about one superstar's extended and uncontrollable drooling episode at the Mirage. Some players have reported difficulties with speech and chewing for the first 48 hours or so after the injections take hold, yet say it's a relatively minor nuisance in the search for a big win. ("Bottled beverages" was one insider tipoff we received.) But some third parties suggest that it's yet another instance, as with steroids in sports or cosmetic fixes in more glamourous lines of work, that's it's yet another case of a competitive edge and a will to win taken a step too far.
On the other side are the pros who swear by the practice. "What's the big deal?" offered one. "Say you've got a bad hangover, and you dry-swallow a few Tylenols to take off the edge. It's medicine, right? And if you've been grimacing from the pain of the headache, then taking something for it is really doing the exact same thing, making your play smoother and better. You won't wince or grimace, either. This is different only by a matter of degree. It's just fixing what's wrong so you can go about your business to the best of your abilities."
Limiting the practice doesn't seem to be a viable alternative, given the independent nature of so many of poker's biggest stars. And as for the claims of a hopeful few that the practice is "incredibly isolated... only done by a few..." well, we're not so sure. As in the examples of Ivey and Juanda above, the proof is in the pouting... or lack thereof. In fact, one need look no further than the gallery of images of top poker pros assembled below to see how widespread the "poker face" game has become. Each image rests on its own laurels; collectively, they suggest a package of medically acquired non-emotion that, until recently, was beyond the grasp of anything outside the realm of fiction. The evidence, as they say, speaks for itself:
So what's next, as poker players search for the ultimate edge? No one quite knows. It's sure, though, that poker players will continue to improve themselves as long and as well as they can. Maybe it's just a reminder that the game is in some ways the ultimate competition.
Photo sources: Awfulplasticsurgery.com, Wikipedia, the WPT, the WSOP, Pokerbabes.com, Poker Player Newspaper, Paramount, Poker-pro.com, the official websites of Phil Ivey, Liz Lieu, John Juanda, Chris Moneymaker, Lou Krieger, and Chris Ferguson.
2 comments:
Is the green guy a sign of Botox gone wrong, or gone right?
This botox thing is funny as hell its making me laugh www.mikescasinoblog.com
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