Chris Tessaro
Encyclopedia
Chris Tessaro is a radio personality
, journalist
, and actor
in Canada
. Born in Hamilton, Ontario
, he now makes his home in Toronto
. He hosts the North American wide The Hardcore Poker Show along with his co-host, Rob Pizzo, on Hardcore Sports Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio
Channel 98, and also writes a national newspaper column for the Toronto Sun
called That Poker Dude.
in print and on the airwaves since 2003. He wrote a column
for American Poker Player magazine called The Canadian Corner, until the magazine became defunct in 2007. In the fall of 2008, he created and launched The Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius Satellite Radio. With co-host Rob Pizzo, the show features interviews with the biggest names in poker. Well known pros such as Phil Hellmuth
, Daniel Negreanu
, and Doyle Brunson
appear regularly on the show, which is broadcast Monday night at 8 P.M. ET
.
In 2008, he began writing a column for the Toronto Sun called ‘That Poker Dude’, a weekly op-ed
feature on his take on the poker world.
In 2010, he began writing feature stories for 'All-In' Magazine, a North American distributed glossy poker magazine.
Tessaro is responsible for the prop bet that forced Kara Scott to make a television appearance wearing a fuzzy bunny suit, with the resulting clip getting worldwide recognition in the poker world.
He is also a certified poker tournament director (TDA) and hosts many celebrity/charity poker events in the Southern Ontario region.
Tessaro also plays poker, and has played in the European Poker Tour
in Bahamas and Monte Carlo
,the World Series of Poker Europe in London, England, and also participated in the 2009 World Series of Poker
Main Event, lasting until late on Day Three of the event. He documented his journey through that event in a daily diary in the Toronto Sun.
and Hockey Business News; and is a former editor of Urban Male/Bobbi magazines. He is also a frequent writer on golf
topics for magazines such as Beyond the City and The Muskokan, as well as a feature writer for ClubLink Life Magazine. He writes his own op-ed golf column called 'Chip Shots'.
. He played the role of Marshak, a player on the fictional NHL team upon which the series was centred. He also appeared alongside Mariah Carey
in the 2001 movie Glitter
, as the producer of the American Music Awards. He is also a regular guest on sports talk shows such as TSN
’s Off The Record
and SunTV’s
The Grill Room.
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Born in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, he now makes his home in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He hosts the North American wide The Hardcore Poker Show along with his co-host, Rob Pizzo, on Hardcore Sports Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
Channel 98, and also writes a national newspaper column for the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
called That Poker Dude.
Poker
He has been covering pokerPoker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
in print and on the airwaves since 2003. He wrote a column
Column (newspaper)
A column is a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. Columns are written by columnists.What differentiates a column from other forms of journalism is that it meets each of the following criteria:...
for American Poker Player magazine called The Canadian Corner, until the magazine became defunct in 2007. In the fall of 2008, he created and launched The Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius Satellite Radio. With co-host Rob Pizzo, the show features interviews with the biggest names in poker. Well known pros such as Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
, Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
, and Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson
Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
appear regularly on the show, which is broadcast Monday night at 8 P.M. ET
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
.
In 2008, he began writing a column for the Toronto Sun called ‘That Poker Dude’, a weekly op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
feature on his take on the poker world.
In 2010, he began writing feature stories for 'All-In' Magazine, a North American distributed glossy poker magazine.
Tessaro is responsible for the prop bet that forced Kara Scott to make a television appearance wearing a fuzzy bunny suit, with the resulting clip getting worldwide recognition in the poker world.
He is also a certified poker tournament director (TDA) and hosts many celebrity/charity poker events in the Southern Ontario region.
Tessaro also plays poker, and has played in the European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour
The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity...
in Bahamas and Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
,the World Series of Poker Europe in London, England, and also participated in the 2009 World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
Main Event, lasting until late on Day Three of the event. He documented his journey through that event in a daily diary in the Toronto Sun.
Other Writing (Golf, Hockey, Lifestyle)
Tessaro has also written for The Hockey NewsThe Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
and Hockey Business News; and is a former editor of Urban Male/Bobbi magazines. He is also a frequent writer on golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
topics for magazines such as Beyond the City and The Muskokan, as well as a feature writer for ClubLink Life Magazine. He writes his own op-ed golf column called 'Chip Shots'.
Television and Acting
Chris Tessaro appeared for two years in the Canadian television series Power PlayPower Play (TV series)
Power Play was a Canadian television drama series, which aired on CTV from 1998 to 2000. The series was filmed at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario....
. He played the role of Marshak, a player on the fictional NHL team upon which the series was centred. He also appeared alongside Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
in the 2001 movie Glitter
Glitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
, as the producer of the American Music Awards. He is also a regular guest on sports talk shows such as TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
’s Off The Record
Off The Record (TSN TV series)
Off the Record with Michael Landsberg, a.k.a. Off the Record or OTR, is a Canadian sports talk show on TSN hosted by Michael Landsberg...
and SunTV’s
CKXT-TV
CKXT-DT was a broadcast television station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and serving much of southern and eastern Ontario, owned by Quebecor Media through its Groupe TVA unit. At the time of the station's closure on November 1, 2011, the station was serving as an over-the-air simulcast of...
The Grill Room.