“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” Thanks to Kenny Rogers and his hit song “The Gambler” , those words will forever be ingrained in the game of poker. The song is more than 30 years old, but its popularity has maintained throughout the years as a staple in the ever-expanding poker community. Phil Bellante hopes his new poker-themed song will have the same impact on the new crowd of poker players. The musician, songwriter, and producer from Cleveland released a new album in 2009, and on it includes the track “All In” , a catchy tune that he’s attempting to market as the new theme song of poker. He’s already receiving rave reviews from the poker media. (The song can be heard at http://philbellante.com/ ) Bellante has been busy promoting “All In”, and Poker News Daily had a chance to speak with him about the song, his poker history, and his friendship with a well-known poker pro. Poker News Daily: So Phil, can we assume that you’re a poker player and fan? Phil Bellante: Absolutely, a poker player and a huge fan! Poker News Daily: How long have you been playing and which game(s) do you prefer? Phil Bellante: I have been playing for at least 10 years and I would have to say that No Limit Texas Hold ‘em is my game of choice. Poker News Daily: You recently did an interview with your friend and Full Tilt Pro Phil Gordon on ESPN Radio’s “The Poker Edge” . How did you become close with Phil? Phil Bellante: Phil is my good friend’s brother in law so every year for the past several years we all get together at their place for Thanksgiving and have a poker tournament. It’s a lot of fun, especially when Phil doesn’t win and somebody that hardly knows what they are doing wins the whole thing. Part of the mass appeal, I think, to the game is the ability for anyone to win at any time because of the luck factor and getting dealt the right hand. Poker News Daily: Are there any other poker players you like or admire? Phil Bellante: I admire people like Annie Duke who has also heard the song and given it a nice review on my site. She is a forerunner for woman poker players who are now becoming more involved in the game. That takes some fortitude and guts when it’s a male dominated sport. I also think the old timers like Doyle Brunson are to be admired as they started playing the game when very few people could make a living at it like they do today. I think now the appeal is more the big winnings for people rather than a true love for the game. Poker News Daily: What was your influence for creating the song “All In” and what are your aspirations for it? Phil Bellante: To be honest, it wasn’t planned, which is usually the underlying ingredient to a great song, because it comes from something beyond the intellect and usually connects with people on a deeper level. I was sitting around watching a tournament one afternoon and just put myself in the mind of one of the players who went all in with his hand and then managed to write the song in less than 10 minutes. I then produced the song with a Grammy Award winning engineer a few months later.
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Phil Bellante is “All In” With Poker Themed Song
