This author is a pretty religious follower of the CBS reality series “Survivor,” whose 28th season will begin on February 26. Among the cast this time around is poker pro Garrett Adelstein (pictured), a 27-year-old who one Two Plus Two member called “the toughest No Limit player I’ve ever played against.”

On his reason for being on “Survivor,” Adelstein told CBS officials that he wanted to “win enough money to impress girls in LA [as well as] self-growth, as I will be forced to deal with extreme circumstances in a way I never imagined possible.” He said he dedicated over 2,000 hours to prepare for the show.

Adelstein briefly touched on his poker background during the interview, which appeared on CBS’ website, saying, “I’m just gonna go with the odds on this one, as it would be statistically unlikely for me to be the first American survivor to die on the island. With that said, I’m sure I will be completely miserable.” That was in response to why he thinks he’ll be able to tough it out on the month-long show.

This season’s “Survivor” premise is brains versus beauty versus brawn, so we assume the poker player will be on the brains team, although the official lineup has not been released. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors from the University of Arizona.

Another Two Plus Two member detailed how action-oriented Adelstein’s poker game was, perhaps lending to an intriguing approach on the reality franchise: “I remember when Garrett showed up at Casino Arizona after Black Friday. It was extraordinary how many people lined up to play with him because of the tremendous action he put in. I swear it appeared he opened close to half of his hands and 3bet most of them.”

According to the Hendon Mob, Adelstein has three in the money finishes in major live MTTs, including a 24th place in the 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for $48,000 and a 25th place in a Triple Chance tournament during the 2011 World Series of Poker for $25,000. He took 22nd in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

2010 WSOP November Niner Jason Senti posted on Two Plus Two, “I’ve been good friends with Garrett for years and I am very excited for him and the show. I don’t know enough about the show to know his odds of winning, but I know he is very smart and obviously has a lot going for him. I’ll definitely be watching and rooting hard for him every week.”

If you watch “Survivor,” then you know that poker pro Jean-Robert Bellande (pictured) was on the series’ 15th series, which was filmed in China. He was the eighth player voted out and the second member of the jury. Bellande was 36 when the show filmed in 2007.

The upcoming season also features former basketball pro Cliff Robinson and Miami Marlins President David Samson.

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