First, Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso signs up to be a judge on the E! reality competition show “Bank of Hollywood.” Now, Absolute Poker Pro Matt Vengrin is following suit and branching out, serving as a judge in the upcoming Miss California Teen USA pageant. The event, which wraps up Sunday, will determine who will succeed reigning Miss California Teen USA Chelsea Gilligan of Beaumont.
“As a poker player, I know how fierce competition can be,” said Vengrin in a statement from Absolute Poker. “Just like playing in the World Series of Poker (WSOP), these girls are in for a grueling, but fun weekend, and I’m excited to be an integral part of the experience.”
Fittingly for Vengrin, the event is taking place at the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage. The casino’s theater, called “The Show,” played host to the preliminary rounds of the competition on Saturday and the finals are taking place Sunday afternoon. Though the completion did not get underway until this weekend, the pageant contestants have been preparing for the event for months, including an October orientation in Palm Springs and preliminary interviews at the Riviera Resort this past Friday.
According to the Miss California organization’s official website, Vengrin and the other judges will be evaluating the contestants based on their performance in the interview, evening gown, and swimsuit competitions. The site lists judging criteria as “character, poise, confidence, and personality.” The winner will represent the Golden State at the Miss Teen USA pageant, which will take place in the summer of 2010. The current Miss Teen USA crown holder is Stormi Henley of Tennessee.
This latest appearance is another boon for Vengrin in what has been a landmark year for the online poker pro. Earlier this year, he parted ways with Full Tilt Poker, which signed him to a Red Pro sponsorship agreement. In June, news broke that Vengrin was a new spokesperson for Absolute Poker. Other sponsored pros on the Absolute Poker roster include Lacey Jones and recently-signed “Real World: Las Vegas” alum Trishelle Cannatella.
In September, Vengrin, who plays online under the screen names “plattsburgh” and “vengmoney,” made waves in this year’s PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) by making three final tables, which was enough to tie him with WCOOP Player of the Series Dan “djk123” Kelly for most in that department. Over the course of 2009, Vengrin has racked up more than $250,000 in online tournament winnings and recently had a deep run in the Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, where he finished in 27th place and won $21,327.
The New York native has had his fair share of live poker success as well, most notably a third place finish in a $3,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Event at the 2008 WSOP. Vengrin netted $167,973 for his finish and his lifetime live poker tournament winnings are at almost a half-million dollars.
Vengrin’s participation with the pageant is not the first time poker and beauty queens have crossed paths. Poker players like Clonie Gowen and Tiffany Michelle are both former pageant contestants; Gowen held the title of Miss Teen McAlester, Oklahoma in her youth.
