Online Poker: Introducing the Bodog.com Poker Rat Pack

This is the photo shoot for the new Bodog.com poker marketing initiative introducing the Bodog.com Poker Rat Pack.  The Rat Pack is the hippest party pack in the poker world.  No party in the poker world is complete unless the Bodog Poker Rat Pack is holding court. 

Photos by Christopher Costigan

The Bodog.com Poker Rat Pack consists of (from left to right) Evelyn Ng, David Williams and Josh Arieh

Online gaming giant Bodog.com announced today a deal that makes former poker dealer and current poker professional Evelyn Ng the newest member of Team Bodog. Ng, one of the top female players in the game, will join poker pros David Williams and Josh Arieh online at the Bodog.com poker tables and at Bodog.com events around the world.

"It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Evelyn to our team," says Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog.com, and the subject of a recent Forbes magazine cover story. "Evelyn lives and breaths the Bodog lifestyle, and I can't think of a better fit for our poker team."

With her stunning looks and aggressive play, Ng has proven over and over again that she is a formidable force within the professional poker circuit. Ng made an immediate impact on the game when she first appeared on the poker scene at the 2003 inaugural WPT Ladies Night event. She finished in second place, and has gone on to an extremely successful career, including a recent 11th -place finish at the WPT Borgota Poker Open, earning her just under $65, 000.

David Williams

His initial foray into Magic's Pro Tour came in the late 1990s. He had already won over $30,000 playing Magic when he made the cutoff for the final day of competition of the 2001 World Championships in Toronto. However, he was disqualified without prize because a few of the cards in his deck were bent slightly. They were all copies of the same card, Accumulated Knowledge. The tournament judges were able to cut the deck to one of them every time they tried. Williams disputed this, saying that he had simply borrowed those cards and not noticed the bend. Williams was suspended by the Duelists' Convocation International from sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournaments for a period of one year.

During this suspension, Williams started to play high-stakes Texas hold 'em, especially on the Internet. He made a successful comeback after his suspension was finished, and won money at several more Magic events, though his focus was mainly on poker.

Williams was mentored in poker by "The Flying Dutchman" Marcel Lüske, with whom they both had a mutual friend in Holland, Noah Boeken.

Williams's poker success was capped at the 2004 World Series of Poker. He qualified through an online poker site and made it to the finals of the main event, ultimately finishing second to Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, but still winning $3.5 million for the runner-up prize, the highest by an African American in a WSOP Main Event, besting Phil Ivey's 10th place finish a year earlier.

Four months later, he finished second at the Borgata Open World Poker Tour where he collected $573,800. David Williams was accepted into the Team Bodog after his exceptional performance at the 2004 World Series of Poker, where he enjoys the company of other high profile poker players such as Josh Arieh.

In March 2006, Williams made a second WPT final table, finishing 4th for $280,000.

As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $4,600,000.

Even though there is more money that can be made in professional poker than in professional Magic, Williams has said he will continue to play both games, although poker will take precedence. Like many who play both, he has asserted that the two are for different purposes: he plays Magic to have fun, and poker to make money.

Williams is currently a student of Economics at Southern Methodist University.

Evelyn Ng

Evelyn "Evybabee" Ng (born in 1975 in Toronto) is a Canadian professional poker player.

She began her gambling career playing pool at age 14, then later expanded her career by dealing blackjack and poker at age 17 in her hometown of Toronto.

Ng achieved fame when she placed second in the World Poker Tour Ladies Night event, where she placed ahead of other famous female poker players like Annie Duke and Kathy Liebert. She was also included as one of the characters in the Xbox video game Daniel Negreanu's Stacked.

As of 2006, her total live tournament winnings exceed $110,000. She also has been tagged with the nickname "Champagne". She has appeared in the Wayne Allyn Root produced "King of Vegas" series on SpikeTV.

Josh Arieh

Josh Arieh (born September 26, 1974 in Rochester, New York) is an American professional poker player.

With winnings of over 3 million dollars, poker tournament player Arieh has been featured on ESPN, FSN, The Discovery Channel, The Travel Channel, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution and Atlanta Magazine.

Arieh is considered to be an aggressive player who uses subtle gear changes to keep his opponent guessing and to maximize profit potential. Like David Williams, as a member of Team Bodog Arieh routinely plays on his own table at Bodog's online poker cardroom.

Arieh finished 3rd in the 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) main event and has a World Series of Poker title in limit hold 'em in 1999 and a 2nd place finish at the 2000 World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha event to Johnny Chan. At the 2005 World Series of Poker, he earned his second bracelet by defeating Chris Ferguson in a Pot Limit Omaha event. He has numerous other tournament victories and final table television appearances. Arieh has played for over 12 years in the Atlanta area and has garnered a reputation as a tough high limit player specializing in all games.

He has played in over twenty big buy-in poker tournaments ($10,000 or higher buy-in) and has earned the respect and friendship of fellow touring poker pros. However, he is also well-known for a televised incident late in the 2004 WSOP main event where he lambasted Harry "Wise Owl" Demetriou, who had put him all-in, after Arieh luckily hit a flush to win. It is generally considered a serious breach of etiquette to mock the loser of a hand, especially for such a critical pot, and Arieh apologized after busting Demetriou out on the next hand.

During 2005 he hit a royal flush in a game of video poker and won $100,000.

A self-proclaimed sports junkie, Arieh's success has allowed him to pursue his non-poker passions, including golf and pool.

He is married to Angela Arieh, with whom he has two children.

As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,600,000.

Calvin Ayre

Calvin Ayre (born May 25, 1961) is the founder and CEO of the Bodog Entertainment Group, which he launched in 1995. A resident of Costa Rica, Ayre earned his Bachelor's Degree in General Sciences from the University of Waterloo and his MBA in Management Finance.

In 1996 Calvin Ayre reached a settlement without a hearing with the British Columbia Securities Commission for numerous violations of the Securities Act, S.B.C. 1985, c. 83. The complete undisputed settlement agreed to by Calvin Edward Ayre and the Securities Commission can be found here. The violations are in relation to Calvin Ayre's management of Bicer Medical Systems Ltd.

Shortly after university, Ayre sold everything he owned and with $10,000 to his name he started the Bodog Group of Companies. Originally envisioning the creation of a software company, Ayre instead set out to create an organization and brand that could cross over into any industry: The Bodog Entertainment Group. Valued at over US $1 billion and ranked in the Power 25 online companies by eGaming Review, the Bodog Entertainment Group is now a mainstream, multi-channel business organization.

Personal Life – Calvin Ayre Foundation:

Founded in 2005, the Calvin Ayre Foundation is a private and independent foundation duly registered in Costa Rica with a charter to do charitable work worldwide. With Ayre as Chairman, the Foundation has pledged millions of dollars in support of individuals, communities and charitable organizations throughout the world. Included among those charities are the Fisher House Foundation, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation, the Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Animal Avengers Organization, and the Sean McCauley Hope Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.

The Calvin Ayre Foundation’s own initiatives include the Sponsor a School Project, which provides students living in underdeveloped nations opportunities for a quality education, and the Sponsor a Family Project, which provides financial support for the immediate families of sponsored students.

Gambling911.com Founder and President, Christopher Costigan (middle), flanked by Arieh and Williams

---------

Originally published April 12, 2006 2:42 pm ET

© Costigan Media LLC, All Rights Reserved