It isn't easy for me to come on here and say what I am about to. I know many of you are going to laugh...and that is fine. I expect it and I know I deserve it. If I can however stop this from happening to anyone else, even if its just one other person, it will be worthwhile to me.

Background

My name is Brandon and I have lived in Las Vegas for the past 5 years. As some on here know, I met Brandi Hawbaker around February 2007 basically because of my friendship with Dustin Woolfe.

Brandi is easily the best manipulater I have ever met. Besides being attractive, she is also very intelligent, which only compounds the situation. When I met her it was immediately after the Captain Tom/ Mark Newhouse situation. She was stripping at Spheriment Rhino and had just lost her entire net worth at the Bellagio. I approached her and we started talking. Boy, if I could just change one moment in my life, that would be it.

We started spending every day together from that point on and I soon realized what a mess her life was. She was living in a tiny efficiency behind paradise (for those not familar with Vegas, that is one of the worst neighborhoods. High crime, poverty etc). She had no car. Suspended drivers license. No bank accounts, credit cards etc and warrants for her arrest (traffic violations, bad checks, etc).

Obviously, this should have been the most immediate of red flags, but I didnt listen to my head. As anyone who has ever met Brandi can attest to, she has an uncanny ability to make those around her feel pityfor her. She plays the victim role well.

Even after a almost a year of spending day after day with her, Its still difficult for me to determine what was real and what was an illusion.

What I do know is this. I made a huge mistake. I thought for the past year I was saving somebody worth saving. That is not the case. Brandi is a broken person. There is no saving her or redemption possible. Whatever damage she inflicted on herself years ago can not possibly be undone. I tried very hard.

I stood by her when she told me her version of Captain Tom ripping her off. I even tried to convince myself she never stole from Mark eventhough in the back of my mind I knew the truth. I will say this Mark is an amazing guy. He is basically the type of guy that would give you the shirt of his back. He showed me text messages confirming what he had claimed about her all along and I still tried to justify it in my head. Throughout it all, he still was my friend knowing what Brandi did to him and knowing I never heeded his advice.


When I met Brandi, I was a pitboss in a casino in Vegas. While working one day, something told me to enter her name into a data base that casinos centrally use to collaborate information on cheats, barred patrons, prostitutes etc. I entered her name in hoping nothing would come back. Even expecting the worse, I was still shocked at with was displayed on the screen. Not only had she been barred from several casinos for loitering, bad checks, she had also been 86'd (casinos term for barred) for prostitution. Upon further examination, I found out she had been arrested several times in Las Vegas Casinos for soliciting undercover officers.


I confronted Brandi about this months ago. She cried and told me she had been homeless, she had no way to feed herself, she was on the streets and had no choice. How her mother had kidnapped her when she was young and was in and out of mental hospitals thru Brandi's younger years. Her tears seemed real and made my heart break. I knew how Brandi had attempted suicide several times and was hospitalized on and off since she was a teen. The scars on both her wrists made me cringe. I told myself she was a young girl who made bad choices and wanted to start a new life.

I paid off her warrants, got her drivers license re-instated, got her a bank account, paid off a debt she owed to Steve Zolotow for several thousand, got her on anti-depressants, and paid for her to see a psychologist twice a week.


Throughout this all I never listened to anyone. I wanted to believe in her. I thought I loved her and she was worth saving. My family and close friends (including some 2+2ers) that came into contact with her all tried to warn me over and over. They told me that Brandi was too damaged, been neglected for too long. That there was nothing that could be done. I shut my ears to them.

Throughout the year, she constantly told me how much she hated Las Vegas. Many bad memories she claimed. From Captain Tom, to being incarcarated for a few weeks,etc. She wanted us both to move to Los Angeles where she claimed she would be happier. I just couldnt do it. I should have ended this long ago but the sick thing is I couldnt do it because I couldnt let go. I thought I was protecting her and being a good man. Everytime we broke up, even if only for a week, she would find trouble. Whether it was in Sept when she went alone to the Borgota and called me frantically crying in the middle of the night claiming a well known poker pro who she was sharing a room with tried to sexually assault her, or during the world series when I had to rush to the hospital several times when she had no money for medical treatment or food to eat.

Two weeks ago, things finally hit a boiling point. There had always been violence in our relationship (never ever on my part) and things were starting to escalate over the fact it was apparent I was not moving to Los Angeles with her. She has no concept on how to survive or take care of herself like most of society does i.e paying bills, managing money, having healthy normal relationships, and especially the tedious every day boring activities that constitute life.

I ended up leaving my own home (huge mistake) because her mood swings and violence were becoming too severe. She agreed that it was best for us not to see each other and she would be moved out the first week of January. Like I had always done in the past, I agreed to give her $5,000 to get her life going in LA. It was always pointless, everytime we broke up I gave her 5k-10k because I couldnt just throw her out on the street dead broke and have it on my conscious. I knew what she would resort to doing to make money. And it was always the same result. She would call me a fews days later telling me she loved me, was broke, and crying asking me to help change her life, how she didnt want to live like this any longer.

Two weeks and she was suppose to be gone. Well, she became very bitter that our relationship was finally ending. She ended up stealing a great deal of my property and belongings from my home and selling it. Probably around 40k or so. She is actually at commerce right now, where she is staying, losing my money one hand at a time. I have filed multiple police reports as well as gathered witnesses (neighbors), that can attest to her stealing property and selling it. I have to wait until the Las Vegas burgulary unit conacts me and advises me the best way to proceed.

I need to apologize to alot of people, mainly my family and close friends. I am lucky that I have amazing family and friends surrounding me. I also need to apologize for the arrogance I displayed on here many months ago when I first started posting. I wasnt even close to fully grasping the situation I was involved in. In my heart I always thought I was really protecting her by keeping her lies (such as the $100,000 cd, stripping during the world series, and so many many many more horrible things I still wont disclose that I know about her).

Brandi, being the excellent liar and manipulator that she is will Im sure deny most if not everything I wrote. But it cant be denied. Anyone who knows me well can attest that although I am definitely a flawed person, I am honest, genuine and good hearted. My reputation is not in dispute. Besides, I have police records, cancelled checks, and other indisputable proof. Knowing Brandi, she will once again claim the victim role.


I realize now she has made her life out of hurting, stealing and lying to people that have cared for her. I take responsibility for my stupidity and for whatever public wrath comes my way. I just hope that anyone ever involved in our poker community that comes in contact with her will please just heed the advice that I was to ignorant to.


Brandon

HERE WE GO AGAIN

edit: how much does she want for head?

Wow. Can't say as this comes as a surprise, but wow.

Brandon......

Adams ?

LOL


why not go play her at the Casino..and take it back?

Over/Under on number of pages for this thread? ~75?

OMFG! Thanks for posting this. I hope youre ok through all of this.

Did she ever sleep with Sklansky?

1) Is this is Brandi you need a new alter-ego coach.
2) If not, ldo?
3) Is this a repost from the old forums or is my mind just saying "yeah we knew all this **** how could someone not have"?
4) Good luck going forward.

pimprexel -- how much would you estimate you spent on Brandi, and how much of your money did she lose gambling?

Is there any truth that about 7 months ago, having lost 80k of your money at the tables, she smashed a bottle of wine and attacked you with it?

I guess 'we told you so doesn't quite cut it'

I'd search through the old thread but I can't find them and even then you are talking 2000 replies.

But hey, when I next check this thread it will probably be epic. So tenth!!!!!!!!

who's brandi?

any pictures of this girl so we can all stay away while in Vegas or LA poker rooms?

2+2's very own Brittany. Someone call the Enquirer!

Can't say I'm all too surprised.

how was she in the sack?

I don't believe a word of this. Brandi is obviously a sweet, caring girl who has been exploited by others.

Thats Hot, LDO

bleghhhh. sorry to hear man.

Lol she does all this **** to you and your still keeping the "horror stories" of her private. Keeping many of her lies hidden still only means your helping her achieve what she wants.

Haha.. This should be good

gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a ****?

*the sound of corn popping*