Jean-Robert F. Bellande (; born September 17, 1970 in

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) is an

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professional

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player, reality TV contestant, and a

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owner and promoter.

Background

Bellande was born in Long Island, New York to parents who emigrated from

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. When Bellande was five years old, his family relocated to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

where his mother was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

missionary. He spent the next thirteen years of his life in an expatriate community before returning to the United States acquiring a

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from

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...

. He is a native French and English speaker, who learned to be proficient in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

. He now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bellande is a Republican.

Poker

Bellande first gained public exposure during a

World Series of Poker circuit event The World Series of Poker Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos since 2005 as a build-up to the World Series of Poker (WSOP). All Championship events are competed in no limit Texas hold 'em; preliminary even ...

in March 2005. He finished 3rd, behind Doug Lee and

Jennifer Harman Jennifer C. Harman (born November 29, 1964) is an American professional poker player. She has won two World Series of Poker bracelets in open events, one of only four women to have done so. Career Harman won her first World Series of Poker brac ...

, winning $210,900. Bellande is noted for his aggressive table banter throughout this televised event. A week later, Bellande defeated John Phan to win first prize at the 2005 Winnin' o' the Green tournament, earning a further $148,000. Bellande has also finished

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World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada and, since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker pla ...

(WSOP) and

World Poker Tour The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...

(WPT) events, and appeared in the WPT Bad Boys of Poker II invitational event won by

Tony G Antanas Guoga (born 17 December 1973), more commonly known as Tony G, is a Lithuanian-Australian businessman, poker player, politician and philanthropist. In November 2020, Antanas was elected to the 2020–2024 legislative period of the Seimas ...

. At the

2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30th, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All ...

, Bellande came close to capturing his first

bracelet A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a wikt:supportive, supportive function to hold other items of ...

when he finished runner-up to

Matt Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer. Matthew or Matt Graham may also refer to: *Matt Graham (Scrabble), American comedian and Scrabble expert *Matt Graham (skier) (born 1994), Australian freestyle skier * Matt Graham (poker player), Am ...

in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em - Shootout event, earning $173,564 then later he finished in 442nd place out of 6844 entries at the Main Event that same year. At the

2015 World Series of Poker The 2015 World Series of Poker is the 46th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). It was held from May 27 – July 14 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Paradise, Nevada. There were 68 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold ...

, Bellande finished 2nd in the $50,000 Player's Championship for $784,828. At the

2018 World Series of Poker The 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the 49th annual tournament, and took place from May 30 to July 17 at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was a record 78 bracelet events. The $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ...

, Bellande won his first World Series of Poker bracelet and $616,302 in Event #58: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed. As of 2018, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,800,000.Hendon Mob tournament results
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World Series of Poker bracelets

''Survivor: China''

Bellande was a contestant on '' Survivor: China'' as a member of the Fei Long Tribe, and later Hae Da Fung. Noted was his conflict with fellow contestant Courtney Yates and his numerous gaffes. He was voted out 8th, becoming the 2nd member of the jury. He cast his jury vote for Todd Herzog to win the million dollar prize, which Herzog ended up achieving.

Notes

External links

World Poker Tour profileJean-Robert Bellande biography
for '' Survivor: China'' at

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellande, Jean-Robert 1970 births Living people American people of Haitian descent Sportspeople from New York City People from Hollywood, Los Angeles People from the Las Vegas Valley American poker players Survivor (American TV series) contestants American expatriates in Taiwan