Supermodel Bar Refaeli broke more than a few sports books’ odds Monday when David Letterman announced that she would be this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover model. The 23-year-old Israeli has appeared in the annual bikini extravaganza three years running. But many favored Aussie vixen Jessica Hart for the coveted spot because last year Refaeli let slip weeks in advance that she’d been chosen.

Sports Illustrated is highly secretive about who will appear on the issue’s cover and punished Refaeli for her loose lips by giving the 2008 cover to Marissa Miller. Apparently the spoiler roused so much ire from the magazine’s editorial staff that Refaeli thought her agent was playing a practical joke this time around.

“They just invited me to the agency and told me I had an audition,” Refaeli told Time magazine. “My agent got me into his office and everyone was there, and a camera crew and posters of the cover. My first thought was just like, you know, why is this here? Why are you tricking me? I was speechless for a few long minutes - which doesn’t happen often.”

Bar Refaeli has wasted no time rolling her new position as S.I.’s queen supreme into several new advertising deals. One marketing campaign unveiled Tuesday features her scantily clad likeness and the Sports Illustrated logo on the hull of a Southwest Airlines 737. Meanwhile, the release of her pre-cover-model work on British retailer Marks & Spencer’s Valentine’s Day lingerie collection neatly coincides with the announcement.

This isn’t to say, though, that the press is being entirely kind to Refaeli. Many are calling Southwestern “hypocritical” for depicting her in a bikini after famously reprimanding passenger Kyla Ebbert for dressing provocatively. Some are also criticizing her for reportedly breaking it off with main squeeze Leonardo DiCaprio after the star campaigned heavily to win her her place on the cover.

Whatever the case, though, for now at least Refaeli seems imperturbable.

“My mom cried when she heard,” Refaeli told the Today Show. “My dad said he is the proudest father in the world. They’re all very happy. They know that I’ve been wanting this forever.”

The Russian Poker Tour’s three-day inaugural event in St. Petersburg concluded last week with Oleg Suntsov capturing the series’ first ever first-place prize. Suntsov walked away nearly $300,000 richer after beating out the $1 million Texas Holdem tournament’s 201 other entrants, including Team PokerStars pros Ivan Demidov, Vanessa Rousso and Alex Kravchenko .

Suntsov, a St. Petersburg native, began last Sunday as the nine-person final table’s short stack. Chip leader Dimitru Gaina received the most attention early on as the other players jockeyed to supplant him, and Suntsov took advantage of the fact to make himself nearly invisible. He avoided the frenzy as much as possible and only played a few choice hands to double up twice before the break.

By the time the dust settled, it was Suntsov in heads-up with Belarusian player Vadim Markushevsky. Having played so conservatively, Suntsov led Markushevsky in chips and was able wear the Belarusian down over the next several hands. The final draw saw Markushevsky push after the turn on a K, 9 top-paired against an all-babies board of 6, 9, 3, 5o. Suntsov, in turn, followed him in with a well-concealed pair of queens that went nuclear when the river showed a deuce.

The St. Petersburg tournament kicks off the most recent addition to proprietary sponsor PokerStars.com’s ever-growing list of regional circuits. The RPT’s next event will be held in Moscow Feb. 22 to 28.
Final Results for the 2009 RPT St. Petersburg Open:

1. Oleg Suntsov – $296,635
2. Vadim Markushevsky – $152,816
3. Alexander Pantukhin – $89,890
4. Sergey Solntsev – $66,502
5. Bulat Bikmetov – $53,928
6. Sergey Popuk – $44,931
7. Anatoly Ozhenilok – $35,961
8. Dimitru Gaina – $26,964
9. Evgeny Zaytsev – $17,966