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Jean Robert Bellande

John Robert (Bobby) Bellande, also known as “Action Bob” or “Broken Record Bob” for his fiercely aggressive play and the constant running of his mouth, already had a reputation as one of poker’s bad-boys—but his 2007 appearance on the hit reality TV show Survivor: China set it in stone. He had hoped to be the “bad boy” that everyone would love—turned out not enough people loved him and he was voted off the show halfway through.

Bellande, born Jean-Robert Bellande in Long Island, New York on September 17th 1970, and his brothers were raised in Taiwan, where their father worked under contract for the U.S. government. After finishing high school Bobby returned to the U.S. to attend Azusa Pacific University in California and graduate with a degree in marketing.

It didn’t take him long to meet all of the right people in the Los Angles nightclub scene and he was soon a top promoter for the areas top clubs, including the Roxbury, the Gate and Tatou of Beverly Hills. Bobby was a very successful promoter, setting up private functions and rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebrities and the area’s elite, he even opened his own club called Sky Sushi, which he ran for five years.

Bellande started dabbling in poker at the area casinos, often playing limits higher than his bankroll could afford, and often finding himself broke—but broke was only a word to Bobby, he knew he could always make more money—his real challenge was to master the game of poker.

Many might think that losing $20K in one night to Jeff “Iceman” Lisandro was a run of bad luck, but to Bobby it was a blessing in disguise. Jeff became his friend and mentor and invited him to Prague to become his business partner—running a poker room that boasted the best No-Limit Hold’em game in the area. Bobby stayed in Europe for half a year, honing his poker skills by playing live and on line at PartyPoker, before returning state side, determined to become a notable presence on the tournament circuit.

With his 6ft. 6 in tall frame, a mouth that spills out more trash talk than a dumpster, and his brash-aggressive play, it wasn’t hard for Bobby to get noticed, but to keep their attention he had produce and in 2005 he did just that. Bellande finished 3rd behind Doug Lee and Jennifer Harman at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) circuit event in March, and a week later he placed first at the Winnin’ o’ the Green tournament, defeating John Phan and pocketing $148,000.

Bobby has finished in the money several times at World Poker Tour (WPT) events, including his 4th place finish in the Bad Boys II in 2006 which was won by Tony G. In 2008 he was denied his first WSOP bracelet with a 2nd place finish to Matthew Graham in the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout event.

If you want to see Bobby in action, look for him at his own table, online at the Bodog Poker Room, maybe you will catch him playing his favorite game, 2-7 Triple Draw.

Tournaments and Winnings

Jean Robert Bellande

Details

Jean Robert Bellande
Action Bob, Broken Record Bob
Los Angeles, USA
39
2-7 Triple Draw

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