Images courtesy of Gaby Kosinski, Celebrity Poker Tour
This week, the Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) returns to screens as known poker fans, reality TV Stars, business leaders and sports stars clash at the felt in order to battle for the $20,000 top prize.
With an influx of new fans every single show, the CPT is adding in fans from the TikTok generation to seasoned poker obsessives.
The Celebrity Poker Tour is changing how poker appeals to the masses and one of those improvements is in how many female players are taking to the felt.
We spoke to TV personality and businesswoman Telli Swift, DJ and Music Producer Paige Lopynski, and former CPT winner and model Suede Brooks to find out what the game means to them and how they plan on taking the title this coming Saturday.
The Swift Sense of Success
Like many successful entrepreneurs before, TV personality and businesswoman Telli Swift has her eyes on the top prize. While many of the players CPT invited to play in the exclusive event are playing the game for fun, Telli sees the game like an investment opportunity… and goes all-in.
I’ve always said poker is a strategic investment,” Telli says. “I definitely play to win. Fun comes after character analysis and thought-out hands.
Having previously developed support systems for sports WAGS, she knows all about many of her opponents, and in her words, says ‘If you can’t beat them, join them!’ Having been a key part of WAGS Atlanta, Telli looks back on her reality TV appearance as a huge plus.
Reality TV can be super beneficial if you take your platform and use it to help grow your brand, she says. In correlation to poker, people put on a front when the cameras turn on for TV. I consider myself a good judge of character so more times than most I know when to hold them and when to fold them.
As a proud mom, Tellis says that she is teaching her children the greatest card game on the planet and the next generation are picking up some tips for a life at the felt.
My kids are fully aware I play poker and are intrigued about the game and want to learn. My 7-year-old has the concept to get a hand having high card, a pair, or higher.
She’s still learning lingo, names of hands, blinds, when to bet and call, but in due time, if she wants, she’s smart enough to be a Poker Queen. My son is super into fashion, working, and video games, but also willing to learn!”
When Telli takes on the CPT crowd on Saturday, she’s going to be playing to win and thinks that if she has faced any opponents before, this plays into her skillset.
I’m most confident playing anyone I’ve already played with and can easily read, of course. As far as the toughest, I’m my biggest opponent. It’s always me vs. me at the table, I just have to play the best version of myself.
Turning the Paige
Another hugely successful player among the CPT field on Saturday will be famed DJ and one half of the American electronic dance music duo Bonnie X Clyde with Daniel Litman, Paige Lopynski. Paige is ‘honored’ to be coming back to play on the Celebrity Poker Tour again and hails the game as a love formed in childhood.
I’ve played poker since I was young, and in the lead-up [to Saturday] I’ve been putting in as many hands as possible to sharpen my instincts, she reveals.
At the same time, I’ve made space for family and rest. For me, preparation isn’t only about volume of play, it’s about balance. Coming in mentally fresh is just as important as being technically sharp.
Music is a huge part of Paige’s life and that’s also true for poker players. Just last month, the Horseshoe and Paris casinos in Las Vegas were packed with players grinding live poker to music for up to 13 hours a day.
Music is my world. I’m constantly surrounded by sound through producing, DJing, and traveling. Because of that, when I want focus, I turn to classical music. It’s meditative and creates mental clarity.
Lyrics pull my attention; as a songwriter, I can’t help but dissect meaning and story. But with classical, the absence of words allows me to be fully present. In a long tournament, I’d choose classical to stay calm, focused, and not overstimulated.
When she’s not playing poker or DJing in Sin City, Paige loves Las Vegas for its many quirks and is drawn to a side of the city far from the neon nightlife that the gambling capital of the world is known for.
Vegas is an energy in itself. I enjoy exploring the casinos, sitting at both poker and roulette tables, and taking in the atmosphere. But one of my favorite places is Encore Beach. As a DJ, I really respect how that venue captures sound, light, and energy. It’s an inspiring spot in the city for me outside the poker room.
Poker is all about concentration, once again in a way similar to how Paige creates music. During long hours in the studio, there’s so much focus required, and Paige feels this gives her an ability to ‘get in the zone’ and play her A Game at the CPT felt.
In the studio, patience and decision-making are everything. I’m constantly choosing sounds, structures, and arrangements to build the exact emotion I want to convey, Paige tells us.
It’s hours of trial, adjustment, and refinement until the vision is clear. Poker demands the same discipline. Making precise decisions, staying patient, and knowing when to act. That creative process has trained me to lock in deeply, sustain focus, and ‘get in the zone’ when it matters most.
With such determination and preparation, to us it seems likely that Paige will run deep in the event with a good run of cards.
We put the hypothetical situation to her that she makes heads-up… and her cell phone battery dies. In a tough life GTO spot, would she step out to recharge or ditch the connection to concentrate on booking the win?
I’d stay locked in and ditch the phone. Heads-up with a chip lead is all about momentum and mental flow. Poker – like music – is rhythm. If I’m in sync and the energy is carrying me toward a win, the last thing I’d do is step away and break that. Connection can wait; the opportunity to close out a victory can’t.
Suede Brooks on Hunting Back-to-Back Wins
Back in May, the CPT champion was the social media influencer, model and anti-bullying activist Suede Brooks. Beating baseball legend Jose Canseco heads-up, Brooks bagged the CPT Championship Belt and five-figure win. So… can she do it again? Memories of that victory have come flooding back in recent days.
That night was so surreal, Suede says with a smile. Going heads-up with someone like Jose Canseco felt larger than life, but I reminded myself it was just me, the cards, and my instincts.
Winning wasn’t just about the title, it was this validation that the work I’ve been putting in is paying off. I grew up in Vegas, so poker has always been in the air around me, and to actually take down a title here felt like such a full-circle moment.
After the win, Suede said on camera that ‘Bluffing in lip gloss is a superpower’ and the positivity was inspiring to many female fans watching online.
I really believe women bring a unique strength and intuition to poker and I love celebrating that. My favorite player to play with is Maria Ho. She’s been such a trailblazer for women in the game.
She carries herself with so much grace, but she’s also razor sharp at the table. Watching her succeed makes me want to keep pushing boundaries too.
Coming back to win again is hard – a target might as well be painted on Suede’s outfit. So how can the model make a beeline for the trophy and dodge bullets again?
Poker’s unpredictable, and that’s what makes it beautiful – you can do everything right and still get crushed by one card. I’m proud of the way I’ve been preparing and staying disciplined. My goal this week is to stay present, make good decisions, and if the cards fall my way, I’d love nothing more than to run deep again.
Fashion is all important to Suede away from the felt as a model, and she sees the two industries as highly compatible.
For me, fashion and poker kind of go hand in hand. Growing up modeling, I learned how much confidence comes from what you wear. At the table, comfort is important because tournaments are long, but style matters too.
When I feel like myself, I play my best. It’s not just about looking good, it’s about feeling grounded in who I am, no matter what’s happening with the chips.
Other than winning at poker, Suede loves Las Vegas on its own merits and sees it as a place to call home, both in her life and her heart.
Vegas will always have my heart because it’s home, says Suede. People think of the lights and the Strip, but for me it’s the community, the energy, the sense that anything can happen here.
Growing up in this city, I’ve seen both the glitter and the grit, and that’s shaped who I am today. So when I win here, it’s more than just poker, it’s honoring where I came from.
The Celebrity Poker Tour returns to screens this Saturday – watch all the drama play out via their YouTube channel.
