‘7 Days to Vegas’ Adam Weinraub Producer Talks About His Viral Video and New Film

By Sean Chaffin

Even those who may not be golf fans may have seen Adam Weinraub’s video this week of Tiger Woods. Weinraub, a businessman and poker player from the Los Angeles area, made some news at the Tiger Jam charity fundraiser earlier in the week.

As Woods was preparing to tee off, Weinraub asks: “Tiger, what do you think about the guy who bet $85,000 for you to win the Masters?”

“It was a fucking great bet,” he quickly responds before sending the ball down the fairway.

Those in attendance burst out in laughter. So far, the video has produced more than 6 million views on Twitter and Instagram. The question refers to an $85,00 wager in April on Woods to win the golf tournament. The bet was made by Wisconsin’s James Adducci, 39, and brought odds of 14 to 1 (+1400) and a tidy profit of $1.19 million.

When Woods took down his first major tournament victory in 11 years, Adducci certainly cashed in. The bet became the largest liability for an individual golf wager in William Hill US history.

“I wanted to ask the question, I just didn’t know if I was going to have the opportunity,” Weinraub says. “It was just perfect timing. It was nice and quiet, he could hear me, and he didn’t miss a beat. He should send me a thank you card for all the comments I’m seeing.

“I think it really increased his fan base because he’s humorous and likable. I think it did a lot for him and it was just funny. You couldn’t have scripted his response, it was perfect.”

The video helped promote the new film produced by Weinraub, 7 Days to Vegas, co-written and co-produced by longtime WPT commentator Vince Van Patten, who also stars in the film.

ESPN and other media outlets asked for permission to use the Tiger Jam video, and Weinraub granted permission only if 7DaystoVegas.com was used as a credit. He’s hoping that kind of guerilla marketing helps get the word out about the film.

7 Days to Vegas debuts in September at select theaters around the country, and the comedy revolves a former actor who runs poker games for rich Hollywood actors and producers in Beverly Hills. Things turn strange when he makes a huge prop bet that he can walk to Las Vegas in seven days with many interesting and humorous experiences along the way.

Plenty of Van Patten’s own life is weaved into the story. Actress and poker player Jennifer Tilly even plays a role in the film as does Champions Club member Antonio Esfandiari. Watch the 7 Days to Vegas trailer here. 

“Vince sent me the script and we met at dinner at the Legends of Poker a few years ago,” he says. “I read the script and it was great. I think it’s a movie that everybody’s going to want to see. But if you’re into poker or gambling, this is going to be one of those must-see movies. It’s just a fun movie.”

Beyond playing here at the WPT Tournament of Champions at ARIA this weekend, Weinraub has some other tour connections. He is the owner and founder of the ShopWPT.com website, and makes his way to the Tournament of Champions after winning the WPT Celebrity Invitational at the Commerce Casino in Season V (2007) for $100,000.

The WPT online store came about two years ago after he reached agreement to license the brand for clothing and other items. Fans and players can order items ranging from T-shirts and caps to poker chip sets and shot glasses.

At the poker table, Weinraub has $686,795 in live tournament winnings. His biggest score came in 2015, when he finished runner-up in the $1,675 WSOPC Main Event at the Commerce for $127,295.

The last few years Weinraub hasn’t been able to play as many WPT events as he’d like because of his involvement with the movie. With filming and production complete, however, he’s now looking forward to playing more especially in California and Las Vegas. What does he think of the field here in the Tournament of Champions?

“I love this tournament,” he says. “Other than the invitational tournament that WPT used to have, this is the next best tournament that I enjoy playing the most.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.