Bill Perkins Brings Bikini Dan to the Bahamas

7 years ago
Perkins Brings Dan Jones to the Bahamas
13:45
09 Jan

(Photo: Pokerstars.com)

Billionaire Bill Perkins, the Bahamas and a bikini has a familiar ring to it, not at all out of place in the life of the poker-playing fanatic who mixes with world’s biggest high-rollers on an off the felt. This particular tale, however, has a twist to it – and I’m not talking about his favorite cocktail either!

As I wrote last month, the successful hedge-fund manager decided to throw out packages to fans of his new Twitch channel The Thirst Lounge, offering 20 lucky lucksters ‘a six night stay in the Bahamas, with $1500 thrown in for tournament buy-ins and coaching from a field of experts to help them along the way, the pro coaches including the likes of Ike Haxton, Antonio Esfandiari, Samantha Abernathy and Jeff Gross.’


(Photo: Twitter.com)


Amateur poker player Dan Jones from London, however, was not one of the lucky score - revealing in the PokerStars blog:

"Time and time again I tuned in with hopes of winning. I watched every stream, followed Bill's movements on every social media outlet, re-tweeted like a madman, subscribed to his Twitch channel, and typed in any and every code into the Twitch chat box as many times as I could to be in with a chance. But as five packages turned into 15, my hopes were disappearing fast. Until... towards the end of one of many streams, Bill announced at that he would give away a package to whoever posted the funniest comment on his girlfriend's Instagram by the end of the day.”

“With an offer this good, surely hundreds of people would write hilarious comments. How could I top them? Could it even be done?” he wondered.

Struggling to think of the most humorous thing he could, Dan stumbled upon an idea – although he was worried that it might end in his tragic death at the hands of an iPhone and an unexplainable situation should his girlfriend find him lying in the bath. The reason? “I'd attempt to emulate one of her pictures!”

Not just any old picture as his Instagram post shows…


(Photo: Instagram.com)

"Okay billperkins and larasebastian, you asked for funny so here goes...” Jones wrote, adding: “Here's me doing my best larasebastian impression in a half full bathtub of freezing water. Personally I think I've pulled it off?”


Explaining the image to friends at his local pub poker game wasn’t the easiest of tasks as you can imagine, but Dan’s worries were soon at an end.

"After I'd finished explaining the story I got another notification from Instagram. 'Here we go again', I thought, convinced it would be yet another friend mocking me, or perhaps even a family member scheduling my intervention. Instead I read two simple words: ‘You win!!!’ And just like that I'm on Team Perkins. I'm off to the Bahamas.”

The remarkable story shows Perkins is not what one might envisage a typical billionaire to be like, the philanthropist explaining:

"The way I look at poker is it's kind of a lifestyle. It's not just grinding and a job, it's also traveling to places, meeting people, having fun and playing in a competitive... I'm going to call it a sport."

Of the lucky new members of Team Perkins at the first-ever PokerStars Championship, the old Caribbean Adventure, he says:

"Most of them are playing for a lot smaller stakes, so giving them $1,500 in buy-ins allows them to have that experience. A lot of people who were watching the show trying to get in are poker fanatics or grinders. I thought it was just a great thing to do. Bringing them to the Bahamas... there's waterslides and dolphins and stingrays and turtles and beach and sand and poker and pros. I want everybody to share that experience."
"Just get people excited," Perkins added. "This is what I want to strive for. People might come down to the Bahamas and not bink it but go home and be re-invigorated with either passion for the game or travel."



Dan Jones was still deep in shock as he jetted off to join Billionaire Bill’s club for a week, asking himself:

"So what's in store for me and the 20 other package winners that I'll be with? Are we destined to make some cash? Will any of us bink a tournament? Will we fall into the chocolatey river of failure, or fly off into the sky in a glass elevator (or private jet, perhaps more fittingly) with Billy Wonka himself?”

His PokerStars blog seems set to be an unmissable chronicle of Dan Jones’ adventures in the Bahamas – you’d be silly to miss it!


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Andrew from Edinburgh, Scotland, is a professional journalist, international-titled chess master, and avid poker player.Read more

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