I\'m Too Sexy for My Poker

There\’s a fun thread on 2+2 about what it takes to become a Full Tilt pro. In it, online semi-stud Jimmy Fricke, aka Gobboboy, writes in seeking sponsorship in the upcoming Aussie Millions, where he finished in second place last year. Seems a valid enough inquiry for a kid who\’s racked up more than $1 million in poker earnings while still a teenager:

Hi, I\’m Jimmy Fricke, and I took 2nd in the Aussie Millions tournament last year and received a large amount of television coverage. I\’m coming back for all the tournaments this year, and was curious if Full Tilt would be interested in sponsoring me in some of the events or maybe the main event in exchange for wearing full tilt gear and maybe some other things. I\’m unaffiliated with all sites right now and I have a bunch of friends coming to the tournament who are strong online tournament players who also have no affiliation. Let me know if you\’re interested in doing business.

Take care,
Jimmy.

The response Full Tilt sent him was a simple enough thanks-but-no-thanks, with a brief explanation that success at the tables has little to do with it all — it\’s more about who this squad likes to hang with:

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of Full Tilt Poker.

Unfortunately FTP does not take open solicitations from players wishing to join the team. It is an invite only process that does not have set standards or qualifications. In the future, if we are interested in adding you as a FTP representative we will contact you directly. We wish you the best of luck and we hope to see you at a final table soon.

JD

OK, fair enough … but upon scrolling down the email, the great Gobbo discovered that JD had (presumably) inadvertently included an email from Howard Lederer, which has helped fuel a 20-page 2+2 thread: