Should poker celebrities be considered role models? It’s a question that many would answer, “Absolutely not!” And watching poker tournament pro Phil Hellmuth throw a temper tantrum at the poker table may not help the case much either. But before you rush to judgment, consider some of the other poker celebrities. For example, five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Chris “Jesus” Ferguson earned a Ph.D. in computer science from UCLA before hitting it big in poker. He used his knowledge of game theory and computers to run simulations that helped him net the big bucks in poker tournaments. Not too shabby, and not usually what one would imagine when the thought of a poker player comes to mind.

Then there’s 23 year old internet poker sensation Tom “durrrr” Dwan, an engineering major who dropped out of college to pursue poker full time. He made over 5 million dollars playing online poker in 2008 alone. And let’s not forget poker tournament and cash game player Phil Laak, who has worked as a mechanical engineer and a day stock trader prior to his poker career. Not only that, but he is currently dating the beautiful movie actress and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Jennifer Tilly. Not bad, and in addition to all of that Laak also has his own television show that he co-hosts along with his best friend and fellow poker pro Antonio Esfandiari. And even the “Pokerbrat” Phil Hellmuth, whom we mentioned earlier, has launched numerous entrepreneurial endeavors in addition to his poker tournament career, including his own clothing line and energy drinks.

So as you can see, poker celebrities can come from many various and diverse walks of life. Gone are the days when poker players are only seen as macho, cigar chomping chauvinists. Today poker is for everybody and with options available to play free poker people are quickly able to learn it and shed their fear of getting involved with this game. And in many ways a poker tournament is an apt metaphor for life, teaching skills such as: being good at reading other people; being able to assess risk in relation to reward; and how to not just survive a situation, but how to thrive. All of these qualities that make poker great also make for an admirable set of skills when it comes to entrepreneurship and the pursuit of new ventures. Poker celebrities as role models you ask? It’s not as unlikely as you might think.