Poker Pro Jen Harman to Star in New Reality TV Series on TLC ‘Vegas High Rollers’
A new reality TV show on the American cable network The Learning Channel (TLC) will chronicle the lives of five high-powered women in Las Vegas, including professional poker player Jennifer Harman.
The show, called "Vegas High Rollers," is set to debut later this year, TLC announced.
Harman, considered one of the top female poker pros in the world, has won almost $2.5 million in her career playing live tournament poker, according to official tournament statistics.
She's also won two World Series of Poker championship gold bracelets.
But there are lots of good women poker players in Vegas, so why was she selected for the show?
Her interesting personal life was likely a factor: among other things, she's survived two kidney transplants and appeared nude in ESPN the Magazine.
She also had a long estrangement from her father over her choice to become a poker pro (she has a degree in biology), but they reconciled after she started to win.
And she's married to another poker pro, Marco Traniello.
In addition, she's an animal lover who holds an annual charity poker tournament to benefit the Nevada SPCA.
And if that's not enough, she's also an author--she wrote one of the chapters in Doyle Brunson's book "Super System 2."
So who else will be appearing on the new show with Harman?
According to TLC, the other four female stars will be Lana Fuchs, Amy Hanley, Alicia Jacobs and Lori Montoya.
Who???
(Another factor in Harman's favor--she's easily the most famous of this quintet.)
Fuchs is a local multi-millionaire businesswoman who runs a slew of companies, including a clothing line, a record label and a concierge service.
Hanley is the daughter of local mob boss Tom Hanley.
Jacobs is a local TV reporter.
Montoya is also a local businesswoman, running a cosmetics company and planning to open a local nightclub.
So will the trials and tribulations of an infirmed, dog-loving, 47-year-old bleached blonde poker pro and her pals make for riveting television?
Who knows?
It's Vegas, so anything could happen.
Who would've thought five years ago that the daily transactions at a seedy Las Vegas pawn shop would become the basis for cable television's highest-rated program?
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
