DAVID PLASTIK WINS EVENT #7 & CIRCLE OF OUTLAWS CHARITY EVENT

David Plastik is currently a nationally ranked professional poker player. He plays in the largest tournaments around the world and can regularly be seen on the various televised poker shows.

The Photography of David Plastik

Buy Great Shots of Hundred of Artists and Bands At 80sRockPhotos.com

During the 80's, David Plastik was a top photographer for a wide variety of popular music stars. If there was a band that toured in the eighties, chances are that David Plastik photographed them. Many of his candid shots were obtained through his personal friendships with the stars that were his subjects. His work has been featured in numerous books, as well as in publications such as Guitar, Rolling Stone, Cream and Hit Parader to name just a few. If any of these photos rings a bell or looks vaguely familiar, it's likely because you saw it years ago in a magazine.

E-mail David at the Below Address

David Plastik

David Plastik Wins Event #7 + Circle of Outlaws Charity Event

"...and our winner is David Plastik, a player that hasn't won a tournament since 1947," Tournament Director Jack McClelland jokingly announced when the river hit the board of the final hand of event #7 on Tuesday evening. David's pocket Jacks were never behind when Gioi Luong went all in with A,8o. The flop brought the 9s,5d,7c giving Gioi a few outs with a 6 for a straight or an Ace for top pair or runner-runner 8; but, he remained behind needing to catch to stay alive. The turn brought a 9, the river was a 4 and David had won the top prize of $212,730, plus an engraved 2005 Five Diamond gold bracelet and a $25,000 + $500 buy-in seat in the 2006 WPT Championship at the Bellagio next April. Gioi Luong of Westminster, California received $115,645 for second. Robert Durant takes third place money of $57,820 back to Los Angeles, California. Clonie Gowan, the only female at the final table, was eliminated in the 4th spot for $33,035.

Head Outlaw, Marcel Luske, and Bellagio Tournament Director, Jack McClelland.

The complete order of money finishers in all of the events of the Bellagio's Fourth Annual Five Diamonds World Poker Classic are available at PokerPlayerNewspaper.com. A small gallery of photos from Tueday's Five Diamonds is offered in the continue reading section below. The 2005 Five Diamonds Photo Gallery is now being populated with images of the tournament.

Marcel Luske is now in-town and playing in events at the Five Diamond's tournament. He told me about a charity tournament for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that is happening this week at the Morongo Casino in California. Marcel and his 'Circle of Outlaws' will be hosting and playing in the event to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Marcel is one of the most recognizable poker pros in Europe and America, always giving of his time for projects that benefit the greater good.

Gioi Luong takes second and $115,645 in event #7.
More photos from Tuesday at the Bellagio's Five Diamond Tournament.

David Plastik considering his options on way to win at the Five Diamonds.

The gold 2005 Five Diamond champion's engraved gold bracelets are reminiscent of early WSOP Neiman Marcus bracelets.

JJ Liu playing in event #8 on Tuesday.

Men "Master" Nguyen has collected large stacks of chips.

Kristy Gazes playing in event #8 Tuesday evening at the Five Diamonds tournament.

Linda, dealing the Five Diamonds at the Bellagio.

The Fontana Room's patio is a great place to watch the fountain show at the Bellagio.

From Poker Aces Dot Com's Stars of Tournament Poker

"I’m very excitable when I play—at times, a bit too excitable, but all in the art of competition."
   David Plastik

David's Personal Notes

• Born in Queens, New York, 1964
• Graduate of University of Hartford
• Former music photographer
• Former textile salesman
• Partied with Madonna and the Rolling Stones
• Resides in Las Vegas

During his high school and college years David Plastik was living out every teenager’s American dream. With a 35mm camera in hand he traveled the U.S. with his rock and roll idols, making a living as a freelance photographer. “I shot everyone from the Rolling Stones and Metallica to Madonna and George Michael,” he says, “and sold my photos to whoever would buy them”—that includes the big music magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stone.

He also attended the American Music Awards and the Academy Awards in Hollywood. “It was good work for a kid,” he says, “but the magazines didn’t pay well. They took advantage of me, thinking that standing in the front row at a concert was enough to make me happy.”

Partying with the icons of rock and roll also meant descending into a life of serious drug use. For a time, David worked as the personal photographer for comedian Sam Kinison. “I became very good friends with him, and he introduced me to all these famous people. He was a pretty extreme partier, and he got me into all that. It was a crazy life, and after a while it got ugly.”

After moving to Los Angeles David decided to “clean up his act” and “straighten out his life.” He worked as the sales representative for his father’s textile business and became quite successful.The textile business, however, wasn’t his only success. Commerce Casino was in the neighborhood, and David decided to drive over there during his lunch hour one day. “I had played poker in home games before but never in a casino,” he says. “I sat down at a table and won.”

He attributes that first win to beginner’s luck because he wasn’t that good at the game— No Limit Hold’em—just yet. He quickly became a regular at the poker room at Commerce and honed his play. “I just learned the game and liked it.”

In 1997 he discovered poker tournaments. “I liked the competitive aspect of it because I’m an extremely competitive person.”

One manifestation of David’s competitiveness is his table manner. “I’m very excitable when I play,” he readily admits. “At times a bit too excitable, but all in the art of competition.” Although he may not be the biggest “brat” on the professional poker circuit, David compares himself to John McEnroe, known for throwing tantrums on the tennis court. “Like McEnroe,” he says, “I get very excited when I win and very distraught when I lose.”

David’s poker career really took off when his business collapsed. When his father passed away, the company he worked for disbanded, and David went to work for another company owned by his father’s partner. For a few years he was highly successful, bringing in as much as $25,000 a month. But when his mother died, he lost interest in the business and was cut loose. “I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he remembers. “Finding another job as a salesman meant I would have to start all over at the bottom. It wasn’t worth it.”

David had some money saved up and decided to try his hand at playing poker for a few months. He had just won his first tournament and his confidence was high. He flew out to Atlantic City to play at the Taj Mahal. On his third day there he made it to the final table of the big event, which was broadcast on ESPN. “I thought,‘Wow, I’m getting good at this.’ I made $100,000 in my first month on the road.”

The next month he scored again in Vegas. “I had a lot of money, and I owned a house. I was a single guy and had no dependents and no commitments, so I decided to keep doing this. I had the desire to go forward with it—and I did.”

Poker is a game of ups-and-downs no matter how good a player might be, but for David it’s nothing compared to the financial ups-and-downs he’s experienced outside of poker. He invested most of his poker winnings and his business savings in high tech stocks on the market. “I thought I was safe. I thought I was being prudent, that I was investing my money wisely.” Then came the big crash of high-tech stocks. “I lost everything—including my house,” he says. “My bankroll is now very short.” When times are tough financially, David says it affects his game. “I tend to become gun-shy. In poker, you can’t be gun-shy.”

David's Major Poker Accomplishments

• 2004, Seventh place, WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star, No Limit Hold’em Championship
• 2003, Second place, Five Star World Poker Classic, Limit Hold’em
• 2002, Second place, Hall of Fame Poker Classic, No Limit Hold’em event
• 2000, First place, Legends of Poker, H.O.S.E.
• 2000, Second place, LA Poker Classic, Limit Hold’em