A Beautiful Move

Lisa Guerrero rakes in offers following Playboy spread

Like all good poker players, Lisa Guerrero knew when to wait.

The onetime co-host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period and a former sideline reporter for ABC's Monday Night Football, Lisa had a chance, early in her career, to pose for Playboy. She passed.

"I had a chance to do it 20 years ago, but I wanted to have a career in broadcasting first," Lisa, who appeared on Playboy's cover in January 2006, said. "With the response I've had, I'm glad I waited."

And since the issue hit the stands, Lisa, now 41, has hit the jackpot.

"I'm surprised. I've had 30 job offers!" Lisa said. "The response has been really, really positive. Playboy was a good opportunity."

Poker Rookie

A relative newcomer to the world of poker, Lisa is just now learning about her opportunities at the table.

"I really hadn't played all that much, but a couple of years ago, my husband (major league pitcher Scott Erickson) started teaching me," she said. "He's been playing for years. Baseball players play a lot of poker on airplanes and on road trips, so he's a pretty good player."

Requests from charitable organizations helped raise Lisa's interest in the game.

"In 2005 alone, I was invited to five or six tournaments," she said. I was at Cory Lidle's tournament the year before, but I didn't play. Last year was actually the first time I participated as a player."

Lidle, a pitcher with Philadelphia Phillies, holds a celebrity poker tourney each January at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The event benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"I'm all about helping charities, it's very important to me," Lisa said. "My dad is a social worker for the Salvation Army, so giving back to the community is just something you do. Ever since I've been able to walk, I've been involved in charity work."

Serious Poker

Irrespective of what brings you to the table, taking a seat there is serious business. "At first, I was so nervous," Lisa said. "I was very paranoid about breaking a rule. I found myself highly cognizant of the rest of the players. Basically, I was just watching and learning. I did, though, go all-in a few times."

As the tournament progressed, Lisa felt more at-home.

"Starting out, I was pretty quiet," she said. "But then I loosened up a lot. The people that come to these tournaments pay to play with celebrities. They pay to socialize. I think it's important for everyone to have fun."

Ironically, despite Erickson's edge in experience, he fared no better than his wife at the Palms.

"We actually went out at the same time," Lisa said. "He's a better player, but I'm better at bluffing than he is."

Bluffing is certainly a major element, but Lisa believes that learning the basics is the key to success.

"Find somebody to teach you the language of poker," she said. "When you speak the language of poker, even if you're not that good of a player, you look a lot more confident. Luckily, I have girlfriends who play, and they also taught me a lot. But with the language factor, every sport is the same. They all have their own distinct lingo."

Poker players, like athletes, may have their own terms and phrases, but for Lisa, the comparisons pretty much end there.

"Poker players are more like entertainers," she said. "I mean, there's a strategy involved, but I wouldn't equate it to a sport. It's a skill, not a sport. Interestingly enough, though, ESPN, a sports network, is carrying poker tournaments."

In addition to getting her first taste of competitive poker and helping out a charity, Lisa got to spend time in one of her favorite cities, Las Vegas, where she and her husband just bought a condo at the Hard Rock.

So it looks like you'll be seeing a lot more of Lisa at the poker tables, and no one's going to complain about that.