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Dan Bilzerian

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Dan Bilzerian
Born
Dan Brandon Bilzerian[1]

(1980-12-07) December 7, 1980 (age 43)[2]
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Other names"Blitz"[3]
"Instagram King"[4][5]
"Instagram's Playboy King"[6][7]
OccupationProfessional poker player[8]
Years active2007–present[9]
Parent(s)Terri Steffen (mother)
Paul Bilzerian
RelativesAdam Bilzerian
Websitewww.danbilzerian.com

Dan Brandon Bilzerian (Template:Lang-hy, born December 7, 1980) is an American professional poker player, actor and internet social media personality.

Early life, family, and education

Dan Bilzerian was born in Tampa, Florida, to Paul Bilzerian and Terri Steffen, and has a brother, Adam. He claims that half of the Bilzerian family were killed during the Armenian Genocide.[11] His father, who is of Armenian descent,[12][13] was a corporate raider on Wall Street and set up large trust funds for both of his sons.[14][15][16]

A four-year Navy veteran, [17] Bilzerian entered the Navy SEAL training program in 2000.[18] After several attempts, he did not graduate the program. The reporter who conducted the interview of Bilzerian for SOFREP.com confirmed his participation in the SEAL program and stated that according to his research Bilzerian was dropped "for a safety violation on the shooting range".[18] After his military career, Bilzerian enrolled at the University of Florida, majoring in Business and Criminology.[19]

Career

Gambling

As a professional poker player, Bilzerian's most notable cash was in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, for which he appeared on six episodes of the show's television broadcast. He finished in 180th place and won $36,626.[20] He is also a co-founder of Victory Poker, an online poker room.[21] In 2010, he was voted one of the funniest poker players on Twitter by Bluff Magazine.[22]

In November 2011, Bilzerian, along with ten others including actors Tobey Maguire, Nick Cassavetes, and Gabe Kaplan, were asked to pay back winnings that they had won in poker games against Ponzi scheme operator Bradley Ruderman after Ruderman was sentenced to prison, to help pay back some of the victims Ruderman had stolen from over his criminal career.[23] That same year Bilzerian defended Alex Rodriguez publicly against accusations that he had gambled illegally, claiming that he was present when the alleged gambling event had taken place and Rodriguez was not present.[24]

On March 9, 2011, Bilzerian raced fellow race car enthusiast and Supreme Court Litigator Tom Goldstein for a wager of $385,000 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with Bilzerian racing a 1965 AC Cobra and Goldstein behind the wheel of a Ferrari 458 Italia. Bilzerian won the race.[25]

Acting

Bilzerian appeared as a stuntman in the 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen[26] and as Sr. Chief Healy in the 2013 film Lone Survivor.[27] The following year he appeared in the films The Other Woman, The Equalizer and Cat Run 2.[28] Bilzerian will appear in the 2016 Bruce Willis film Extraction.[29]

Personal life

Starting in 2013, Bilzerian gained media attention from photos posted on his Instagram account. Although as early as 2012, website TheDirty.com founder Nik Richie began to document Bilzerian's lifestyle via his website.[30] Because of his lavish lifestyle and heavy drug abuse, he reportedly suffered three heart attacks before the age of 32.[31]

In 2014, Bilzerian sued the producers of the film Lone Survivor. His lawsuit states that although he loaned the production of that film $1 million in exchange for a minimum of eight minutes of screen time and 80 words of dialogue, his role was reduced to less than one minute and has just one line. His lawsuit demanded $1.2 million (the original loan amount plus a 20 percent penalty).[27]

In December 2014, Bilzerian was embroiled in a legal matter with pornographic actress Janice Griffith, whom he threw off the roof of a house and into a pool as part of a photoshoot for Hustler magazine in April 2014. She fell short of the pool, hitting the edge, and broke her foot. Then, 18-year-old Griffith asked Bilzerian for $85,000 for her injuries, which was rejected. Later, Griffith filed a lawsuit against both Hustler and Bilzerian to which Bilzerian's attorney responded that Griffith was under contract for the event by Hustler, that Hustler hired Bilzerian for the event, and that Bilzerian was not at fault.[32] In January 2015, Hustler's attorney claimed that the toss was an "act of God" and stated that it was not the publisher's fault that Griffith suffered injuries as a result.[33]

In August 2014, Bilzerian was banned from a Miami nightclub for kicking model Vanessa Castano in the face during a brawl. Bilzerian stated that Castano and another woman attacked Bilzerian's female companion. Castano stated, "There were two girls standing next to me at the table that were fighting. People started getting shoved and I tried to separate them. Then Dan pushed me off the banquette and once I fell he kicked me in the face."[34] Castano later filed a lawsuit against Bilzerian for her injuries.[35] It was also reported that Castano has asked Bilzerian for US$1 million to settle the suit citing the possibility of greater punitive damages based on his income if the suit went to trial.[36]

On December 9, 2014, Bilzerian was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on unrelated bomb-making charges.[37] According to the Los Angeles Police Department, Bilzerian was arrested on a fugitive warrant from Nevada and was booked at the LAPD's Pacific Division around 10 pm; "Bilzerian has been charged with violating a law making it a crime to possess an explosive or incendiary device with the intent to manufacture it."[38][39] He was released from LAPD custody on the day of his arrest after charges were dropped but is scheduled to be arraigned in January 2015 in Clark County, Nevada.[40] In February 2015, Bilzerian pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of "negligently failing to extinguish a fire in the open" and was fined $17,231.50.[41][42]

Philanthropy

In 2014, Bilzerian financially assisted Las Vegas foster parents Brian and Nicole Hammond. The Hammonds are foster parents to six special needs children. Bilzerian learned of their plight via a YouTube video.[15]

Presidential candidacy

In June 2015, Bilzerian announced his bid to run for the President of the United States in the 2016 election. At the time of his announcement, he was not yet old enough to run.[43][44]

References

  1. ^ Romero, Dennis (December 9, 2014). "Dan Bilzerian Arrested at LAX". LA Weekly. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  2. ^ "Dan Bilzerian Victory Pros". Victory Poker. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  3. ^ Levinson, Sean (March 28, 2014). "All In: Dan 'Blitz' Bilzerian, The Man With The Epic Instagram, Shows What The High Life Is Like (Video)". elitedaily.com. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Collins, Laura (December 11, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE - Sex, guns, cocaine-induced heart attacks and a pet Bengal tiger biting a party girl's breast: The $100m poker playboy 'Instagram King' opens his heart and home to reveal what drives his 'lunatic lifestyle'". Daily Mail. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  5. ^ "Wes challenges Instagram 'king' Dan Bilzerian with wife Rosanna: 'Do you have a Miss World in your pool?'". Irish Independent. June 28, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  6. ^ Fleishman, Cooper (December 2, 2013). "The dangerous life of Instagram's playboy king". The Daily Dot. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  7. ^ Rhoades, Logan (March 21, 2014). "This Millionaire Playboy Is The Most Interesting Man On Instagram". BuzzFeed. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  8. ^ Lee, Chris (August 8, 2014). "DJ Steve Aoki balances decadent party image with business dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 9, 2014. He ordered his friend, the professional poker player/bon vivant Dan Bilzerian....
  9. ^ a b Reagan, Brad (September 16, 2014). "Dan Bilzerian's Life of Partying and Poker". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  10. ^ Quizon, James Patrick (July 29, 2014). "Dan Bilzerian Opens Up to Howard Stern, Poker Pro Admits He Once Had Sex with 16 Women in 12 Days". International Business Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014. Finally, any Bilzerian interview without the topic of sex and women is useless so the Armenian-American touched on that subject as well. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Official Facebook-Account. Post from April 24, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015
  12. ^ "Dan Bilzerian: Fifty Million in Poker Earnings". Unfinished Man. June 20, 2014.
  13. ^ Reed, Ted (January 15, 1989). "Bilzerian Court Fight May Be A Long One". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  14. ^ Whitten, Sarah (December 11, 2014). "'King of Instagram' released from LA jail". CNBC. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  15. ^ a b http://www.lasvegassun.com/vegasdeluxe/2014/dec/24/controversial-playboy-dan-bilzerian-lv-foster-fami/
  16. ^ "Actor, Astronaut, Asshole". bluff.com. BLUFF Magazine. October 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2014. I do venture capitalism work....
  17. ^ Madison, Taylor (January 7, 2014). "Why Wouldn't You Want to Be Dan Bilzerian?". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ a b Webb, Brandon (September 1, 2013)."Dan Bilzerian Talks To SOFREP For The Record". SOFREP.
  19. ^ "Dan Bilzeran poker playboy crowned Instagram King reveals lunatic lifestyle". joesdaily. December 11, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Tournament results: World Championship NL Texas Hold'em 2009
  21. ^ Piero 'Pierelfo' Pelosi (June 17, 2010). "Dan Bilzerian inguaia Victory Poker con la ESPN". Asso Poker. Retrieved September 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "Reader's Choice Nominees: Funniest Poker Twitterer". Bluff. December 3, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Alan Duke (November 28, 2011). "Tobey Maguire settles poker lawsuit". CNN. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  24. ^ Lance Bradley (August 5, 2011). "A.M. SCRAMBLE: Karr's High Roller Rail, Hall Of Famers, November Niners & A-Rod's Alibi". Bluff.com. Retrieved September 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "Ferrari 458 Challenge 1967 Shelby Cobra: $ 400,000 up for grabs". Nano Press Motori. March 22, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Mariano, Kristin Dian (March 27, 2014). "5 Things You Should Know About 'Instagram Playboy' Dan Bilzerian And Why Men Are Envious". International Business Times. Archived 2014-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ a b Couch, Aaron (August 28, 2013). "Actor Sues 'Lone Survivor' Producers After Role Cut". The Hollywood Reporter.
  28. ^ "Dan Bilzerian Net Worth & Top Things to Know About The Millionaire". The Latino Post. July 24, 2014.
  29. ^ "Dan Bilzerian". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  30. ^ Page, Maxine. "Inside The Unbridled Douchebag World Of 'Instagram Playboy' Dan Bilzerian". http://popdust.com. PopDust. Retrieved January 26, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  31. ^ Moran, Lee (December 3, 2013). "Instagram 'Playboy King' who suffered 3 heart failures rebrands as 'gentleman of poker'". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 9, 2014. Dan Bilzerian, who is said to be worth more than $100 million, has built a reputation — thanks to his Instagram feed — of living a lavish lifestyle.
  32. ^ Patrice, Joe (May 15, 2014). "The Most Epic Lawyer Response Ever To A Porn Star Threatening To Sue". Above the Law.
  33. ^ Dowling, Kyle (January 25, 2015). "Hustler Magazine, Roof-Tossed XXX Porn Star Janice Griffith, Dan Bilzerian Lawsuit: NSFW Nude Adult Mag Legal Docs Call Instagram "Biggest Playboy" Throw "Act Of God" Following Sex Lead Injuries". M Star News. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  34. ^ Driscoll, Brogan (August 12, 2014). "'King Of Instagram' Dan Bilzerian Banned For Life From Nightclub For Kicking A Woman In The Face". The Huffington Post.
  35. ^ "Dan Bilzerian Sued Over Face Kick in Miami". TMZ.com. TMZ. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  36. ^ "Dan Bilzerian Lifestyle Could Cost Him Millions In Face Kick Lawsuit". tmz.com. TMZ. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  37. ^ Caulfield, Philip (December 10, 2014). "'Instagram playboy' Dan Bilzerian arrested at Los Angeles airport days after alleged model-kicking incident". Daily News. New York.
  38. ^ Bloom, Tracy (December 10, 2014). "Instagram Celebrity Dan Bilzerian Arrested at LAX: LAPD". KTLA
  39. ^ "Celebrity poker player Dan Balzerian arrested in LA on weapons charge". Tampa Bay Times. December 10, 2014.
  40. ^ Serna, Joseph; Hamilton, Matt (December 10, 2014). "'King of Instagram' freed after arrest at LAX". Los Angeles Times.
  41. ^ Horridge, Kevin (February 9, 2015). "Dan Bilzerian Pays Fine But Avoids Jail Time After Nevada Explosion". Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  42. ^ FERRARA, DAVID (December 10, 2014). "Dan Bilzerian arrested on Clark County bomb-making warrant". LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  43. ^ Sutton, Scott (June 2, 2015). "Dan Bilzerian, Instagram playboy, is running for president". Sun Times.
  44. ^ "Dan Bilzerian Latest Updates: King of Instagram runs for President? American playboy to throw massive party on June 24th". Venture Capital Post. June 3, 2015.
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