If you would have told 21-year-old me that I’d someday get to be in the same room with those two legends, I’d be beside myself. Hell, 41-year-old me typing up these words still can’t believe I had that opportunity just a few short hours ago.

You might be asking yourself, “what was so special about that opportunity?”

There’s an old saying that you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. As much as the 2023 WPT Honors ceremony was about the honorees, in my eyes it was similarly about the group that assembled to pay tribute to said honorees.

A Ceremony Like No Other

A good deal of pomp and circumstance went into the ceremonial aspects of the event, with numerous individuals stepping up to the podium to “make the case” for each nominee’s worthiness of receiving the WPT Honors to the dutifully bespectacled and robed WPT President Adam Pliska. The World Poker Tour might be unrivaled in our industry when it comes to putting on special events like these, and to have had a seat at the ceremony was akin to witnessing a very special episode of poker’s greatest show.

After Angelica Hael officially nominated Vince Van Patten, a parade of World Poker Tour stalwarts including Matt Savage, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, and company Founder Steve Lipscomb ascended to the mic to heap oodles of praise upon their longtime colleague and friend. Beyond their obvious outpouring of love and appreciation for the man, what stood out to me from the speeches about Vince was his colleagues’ admiration for his work ethic. Plainly speaking, the man showed up every single day and just put in the work. But Vince hasn’t just “clocked in” for 21 years; he’s done so with the same vim, vigor, and joie de vivre with which he showed up on his first day. A rare quality, to be sure.

Ever humble, Vince deflected the praise to in turn show appreciation for his World Poker Tour colleagues and the late Mike Sexton; the people who helped and supported him along the way. In response to the deluge of kind words spoken about him, he humorously quipped that “this is like attending your own funeral.”

I couldn’t help but draw direct lines of comparison to the reactions when Cal Ripken Jr. broke Major League Baseball’s consecutive games streak years ago; a veritable poker Iron Man was getting his due. How sublime for someone who has worked so hard for so long to enjoy such a special moment of public appreciation.

A similar cavalcade comprised of Jeffrey Haas, Hermance Blum, Lance Bradley, Israel Rosenthal, and Sven Stiel took to the stage one by one to express their gratitude and appreciation for Isai Scheinberg’s contributions specifically to their careers as well as to poker on the whole.

From my perspective, it was astounding to note the attendance of so many former PokerStars employees who had worked under Scheinberg until the then-privately owned company was sold in August 2014. It’s simply surreal to think that one man was ultimately responsible for putting together such an impressive array of talent. All of those people have since moved on to other successful endeavors and roles in the subsequent years, many still within the poker industry. But witnessing “the old PokerStars family” reunite under one roof felt like watching the Avengers assemble.

They spoke of Isai’s three simple, straightforward rules: never lie, never cheat, and always do the right thing. While simple, rules like those aren’t always easy to adhere to in an industry with billions of dollars at stake, as history has taught us.

Scheinberg has always been notorious for his preference of privacy. The entire poker world knows of his accomplishments, but the great man rarely, if ever, surfaced publicly. Being at the 2023 WPT Honors ceremony to see Isai accept his award felt like being transported to PokerStars’ headquarters prior to 2014; a place full of people who never lied, never cheated, and always did the right thing. No wonder it proved to be such a successful venture.

While fish may be surrounded by water, they still rise to the surface when it rains to welcome new droplets. So, too, the entire room full of luminaries could be seen leaning in to listen closely to the soft-spoken Scheinberg during the latter’s acceptance speech. It was a telling moment.

Reflections From Fellow Attendees

Reader can clearly identify my long-held esteem for both the World Poker Tour and PokerStars, but I’ve always been an outsider and independent media voice. So, in order to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what I had borne witness to, I asked a few insiders who worked with Vince and for Isai, to share their thoughts and perspectives on the evening. Here’s what they had to say:

“There are two men in my life who have been incredible role models of what it means to be an honest entrepreneur. One of them was my late father; the other is Isai Scheinberg. I didn’t think that I was going to get into the world of gambling and learn more about honesty than I had learned before in my life as a journalist. Isai taught me that you can be a good businessman and you could be a good person at the same time. He was more generous with me than any other boss or company owner ever has been, and I think he is worthy of every honor he’s been given and more.”

Brad Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Poker.Org, formerly the Head of Blogging at PokerStars

“Both of these gentlemen have meant so much to me in my poker career. Isai doesn’t realize it, but of course being a part of the poker industry just would not have been the same without Isai Scheinberg. I want to thank him. He hasn’t received the accolades that he deserves; I think he should of course be in the Poker Hall of Fame.

And I think that Vince Van Patten deserves recognition for all that he’s done for the game. It’s not very often that you see someone who has been around in the game for as long as he has been. He’s become like family to me, so I speak from the heart: we’ve spent a lot of time together sharing our passion for poker. I really appreciate everything both of these guys have done.”

Matt Savage, Executive Tour Director of the World Poker Tour

“I’ve been in poker for just over seven years. It’s incredible to hear the historical stories and learn how our industry has evolved. We get into our positions these days and de facto only think about our current time and present roles. To go back and see the history is just incredible. There are so many stories from the people who came before us, and it’s important to appreciate them.”

Eric Lusch, Media Relations Manager with the World Poker Tour

“I have not been to a poker event since 2016. The only reason I came tonight was because of Isai Scheinberg. All the things that have been said about him; it wasn’t enough, about what this man taught me and what he taught everybody in the room. Not just about business and about poker, but about life and how to treat people the right way.

The emotion that I feel tonight is because of the sense of community that I’m feeling and don’t remember poker having had for a very long time. I miss it. The World Poker Tour was always the rival to the organization that I worked for… and I didn’t realize until tonight just how super cool the people who work for the World Poker Tour are, from the top down… and there’s no such thing as ‘down’ with them! Everybody’s got an important role to play in the World Poker Tour. I’m so impressed with the WPT, what they’ve done tonight, the sense of camaraderie they have, and the love they have for each other.

When we talk about playing poker, sitting around a table, and competing to take each other’s money… the game is about more than that. It’s about the friendships, and the love, and the trust, and the lessons you learn from one another. Even though I was here for just two hours tonight, I came away with a great sense of energy.”

Nolan Dalla, former Director of Communications at PokerStars

The Coolest-Ever Poker After-Party

Poker.org owner Eric Hollreiser, himself a former PokerStars employee, hosted a swanky afterparty in one of the Wynn ballrooms that featured an open bar, flowing chocolate fondue fountains, and the most succulent strawberries to delight our tastebuds as we mingled to mellifluous music. Designed to orchestrate a reunion of former PokerStars employees, many World Poker Tour personages could also be found among the attendees.

You can tell a lot about people by the folks they surround themselves with.

I hesitate to use the word “magic”, but there was something indescribably unique in the air throughout last night’s festivities.

I suppose that’s what happens when the spotlight shines on poker’s best. The entire room lights up.

Robert, in the number two seat, asks “Who do you want to meet the most?”

I grin, happy to play along. “My ultimate dream is to meet Doyle Brunson. But Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Vince Van Patten would be amazing, too. It’s not very likely.”

“You never know,” Robert replies.

Building My Poker Career with Doyle Brunson

I’ve been watching poker’s stars on ESPN for more than 20 years now. They are my ultimate poker heroes. Doyle Brunson, who wrote Super System and Super System 2, is why I became a professional poker player in 2002. Poker was a hobby until I read those books. I started playing at age eight. In my early 20s, I was the ultimate recreational player, playing home games at other people’s houses for low stakes. While I had some natural skill, I hadn’t considered trying to make real money playing.

Poker in 2005 wasn’t glamorous or respected in Indiana, where I lived, and Doyle helped me see poker in a whole new way. The bar circuit is where I became a tournament player. I lost count of how many final tables I made, along with a few big wins. I cut my tournament teeth in some of the most grueling environments you can imagine. Most of them are places no female in her right mind should be. Doyle even prepared me for that.

I lost count of how many men told me I didn’t belong at a poker table. Thanks to Doyle, I knew better. Besides live tournaments, I was playing a lot of online poker. I won a seat to the 2007 WSOP Main Event via an Absolute Poker satellite tournament, beating thousands of players, but couldn’t go because I was pregnant.

Doyle changed my life. Phil, Daniel, and Vince all made it feel possible to be a winner. Thanks to them all, that’s what I became, time and time again. When other people told me I couldn’t, I looked at them and said, “Watch me.” That’s why I took my chance finally — 15 years after winning a seat to the WSOP Main Event — to play in the WPT World Championship series. Little did I know, I would have a one-of-a-kind experience.

A WPT Meetup Game (MUG) to Remember

A few minutes later, a voice comes over the speakers, telling us that the WPT ambassadors have arrived and Matt Savage — THE Matt Savage — begins announcing. He explains that during the meet-up, every time you go all in, win or lose, you’ll receive a ticket to the drawing for a seat to the $15 million guaranteed Main Event. They’re giving four away. The room erupts in cheers and clapping so loud you can’t even hear Matt. My heart is like a kangaroo in my chest, jumping hard and fast.

We see Tony Dunst, in his trademark gray suit, head to the table in front of us. A tall blonde man in a white t-shirt heads toward us and I freeze. Is that Vince Van Patten? It can’t be! He greets the table, and I’d know that voice anywhere. It’s him!

Playing Against Vince Van Patten

Vince sits down, buys in for the maximum, which I can cover with my stack, and I’m so star-struck, I’m tongue-tied. I have to be dreaming! I’m in the number nine seat and I can almost reach out to touch him. He’s really tan and even more handsome in person. We start playing and Vince asks everyone where we’re from. I volunteer first that I’m from San Antonio, Texas, and we go around the table. There are players from the UK, Asia, and the US.

Our play relaxes as everyone settles down and into a comfortable, chatty vibe. Vince is a nice guy and I’m watching him through my sunglasses intently. The rest of the players have disappeared — Vince is who I’m here to play and I’m determined to get involved in hands with him. There are a few light skirmishes, but Vince folds most of the time. No one is giving him any easy wins, least of all me, that’s for sure!

Then, Vince raises to $25. I look down at pocket queens. Seats six, seven, and eight all call, so I raise to $150. I watch Vince as he eyes me, looking for clues, but I’m giving nothing away. His eyes drop to my chip stack and I see him calculating. The action folds to him. He smiles at me and flicks his cards away. Damn it, I think; I wanted some Vince dollars and smile at the Brad Owen-ism. I didn’t expect everyone to fold. It had been a high action table all morning.

The game moves on and the conversation flows. But I’m watching Vince and he seems to be card dead. He’s not getting involved in very many hands he wants to fight it out with. Seems he’s waiting for a good hand, so I put pressure on him, raising often, especially if he’s in a hand. I keep waiting for some aggression, but it seems I’m the most aggressive person at the table. I work up my courage and ask Vince if he’ll let me take his picture. He agrees, and it’s the perfect photo of him with a Wynn poker room chip.

Vince Van Patten is the coolest guy! So much better in person! <3 Can’t believe he sat at my table during the 2022 #MUG at the Wynn! #pokerlife #pokerdreams #bestpokerdayever pic.twitter.com/FKd6Iegllo

— Charity Marie | #Author | Colorist (@Charity_Marie_) December 8, 2022

His easygoing nature makes him so easy to like. We are laughing and joking like old friends when they announce that it’s time for ambassadors to change tables. Vince is kind enough to sign a chip for me and away he moves along to his next table. We’re all sad, but the table enthusiastically thanks him as he leaves. What an amazing session, and it was over in a blink! I could have hung out with him all day.

The Greatest of All Time Comes to Our Table

A few moments later, a crowd descends on our table and we’re all distracted again. There are cameras, boom mics, cell phone cameras everywhere, and people all talking at once. Brad Owen sits in the five seat at a nearby table and Robbi Jade Lew sits at the table right behind us. Then, as if royalty has appeared, the crowd parts and Phil Ivey swaggers over to sit at our table. I am holding two hundred dollar stacks of $5 chips and they explode from my hands to scatter across the table. I’m embarrassed and flustered, but laughing at myself. All I can think is, “Damn, Phil is taller than I realized.”

It seems like an eternity later, I look at Phil, pull my sunglasses down and say rather stupidly, “I am sorry, I just have to say, I fricking love you!” I’m so star-struck I almost can’t speak, a first for me. But it breaks the ice. Everyone laughs, Phil gives me a megawatt grin that melts my knees, and I can’t believe Phil Ivey is at my table! He buys in for $500 and goes all in first hand. The player next to him calls and they flip their cards over. Ivey has pocket fours, and the caller has AhKh. The overcards win the hand. Phil rebuys for the maximum.

Phil is quieter than Vince and seems busy with his phone. A little time goes by. I look down at KdQd. I think, “Bingo. Let’s go.” I look across the table at Phil. The action folds to me and Phil’s on the button. It’s not a great position for me, but I don’t care. I may not get another chance. Phil looks at me, grins again, and says, “Are you ready?”

I can’t contain my glee. “Hell yeah, let’s go!” I say and together we push all our chips in. We flip our cards and he has pocket 10s. My stomach is doing somersaults as I groan. There’s two diamonds in the flop. “Oooh, I’ve got a ton of outs now Phil, you better watch out.” Any king, any queen, any diamond, plus there are some backdoor straight draws, too. He’s still a strong favorite on the blank turn.

Sadly, the river is a brick. Phil scoops the pot, but not before saying, “That was a poker sweat, huh?” I laugh and feel it’s worth it to have lost $1,600 but gain the priceless story of a lifetime. I get my consolation raffle ticket and rebuy for $200. We play a few more hands and I’m having the time of my life. I’ve never been on such a poker high and I never want it to end. Eventually, it does, but I still get a great photo with Phil. He heads to the next table.

I played against @philivey! My KQ of diamonds didn’t hit against his pocket tens but I had a lot of outs! #Pokersweat Just getting to play a hand with him was the chance of a lifetime but then I got a photo and a signed chip! <3 #pokerlife #pokerdreams #GOAT #biggestfan pic.twitter.com/vXdd9lrlGL

— Charity Marie | #Author | Colorist (@Charity_Marie_) December 8, 2022

Matt Savage: All in, All the Time

Matt Savage walks up to our table, grinning, and puts down his very short stack of chips. He barely has time to greet people, and he’s all in for $32. Four of us call. The other players at the table, who didn’t remember that an all-in gets you a raffle ticket, are disappointed. Matt’s not happy to realize he’s outnumbered as we turn the hands up, but he somehow wins the hand. Matt now has around $137 and announces he’s all in again! Now we’re talking!

I have J10 offsuit and figure, why not? As the last to act, I see there are six players including me who all call. That sixth sense of mine indicates things are about to go down. “If anyone raises, I’ll go all in and protect Matt’s hand,” I think to myself. I don’t know why but I don’t want him to lose. My chip stack was around $800, so it would be enough to protect with. I’ve put Matt’s hand as AK or AQ, and in a six-way pot, that’s not good.

The flop comes out A49. I look at Matt and see his shoulders relax ever so slightly. The action checks around to the number 8 seat, a guy named Scott who owns a farm up north. Before he even moves, I know he’s going to raise it to $50 because he has a pair, and he does. I figure he’s got an ace with a weak kicker maybe, or middle pair. I turn toward the dealer and say, “All in,” which the dealer confirms. Matt groans and says, “I guess I know what that means.” I think, “No, you don’t Matt. But you will soon.”

After some grumbling, everyone, including Scott, folds and Matt flips up his hand: AQ. I look at him and say, “I told myself if anyone raised to go after you, I would protect your hand.” I turn up my cards and he grins at me. Everyone else at the table is ragging on me, especially Scott, but they’re good natured about it especially when I say, “Y’all didn’t have jack, you were just being bullies.” Scott says at least he had a pair, to which I shrug, laugh, and say, “Guess you should have called. Then you would have lost more than $50 because you couldn’t beat his ace.” Scott tells me he had a weak ace.

The rest of the hand plays out and Matt’s hand wins. But then he’s gathering chips and says he has to leave for another table. Just like that, our time with poker legends is over. The seat stays empty the rest of the meetup, but we realize, thanks to Matt announcing, that Doyle Brunson has entered the room. The cheering and clapping when the room realizes Doyle is among us is so deafening, people outside in the casino turn to watch. Doyle sits at a table close to the entrance, a straight line across the room between us.

The room at the @WPT @WynnPoker Meet Up Game broke into applause when @TexDolly arrived! pic.twitter.com/NglfxL7ZUb

— PokerNews (@PokerNews) December 1, 2022

Making Impossible Poker Dreams Come True

My table mates encourage me to go say hi to Doyle. I want nothing more than to thank him for changing my life. My throat is dry and I’m not sure I’ll be able to talk. I’m sure Doyle hears it all the time, but I can’t help myself.

My knees are wobbly as I make my way across the room to stand beside him. He’s in a hand and doesn’t notice me. He’s quiet and focused on the game, so I say nothing. I stand off to the side a bit, hands clasped behind me as I wait for him to acknowledge me. Except he doesn’t. Someone else at the table does and offers to take my photo with Doyle. More than I ever could have hoped for, I take him up on it. I try to thank Doyle, but I’m not sure he can even hear me over the noise.

The WPT After Party for the Meetup Game

When it’s over, there’s an after party where I meet even more of the poker elite: Phil Hellmuth, WPT President Adam Pliska, Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme. I meet the only female to win the raffle, Katrina, and we have a delightful conversation. Everyone’s having a great time — free drinks are flowing, the energy is high, and it’s over way too soon.

The World Poker Tour Inspires a New Dream

I head back to my hotel room, giddy and exhausted. I will never forget this day. Best poker day ever. I have lots of other adventures, including meeting Doyle a second time and getting a free autographed copy of his autobiography. I realize a few days later it’s not my last Vegas adventure when hubby encourages me we should move to Vegas. We plan to be there in May 2023. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be someone’s Phil Ivey or Doyle Brunson.

1. Welcome Party

After flying 7,500 miles halfway around the world for 22 hours, the thought of attending a party a few hours later might seem a little much; but this one was not to be missed. The World Poker Tour went all out with a fantastic welcome party at Area 15. From an open bar and full dinner buffet spread to virtual reality (VR) experiences, fire dancers, rides, WPT Passport giveaways, and more, hundreds of poker players got to experience the finest in Vegas-style entertainment.

Dad and I had a really great time at the @WPT Players Party at @AREA15official tonight.

After 20+ hours of travel and a day full of errands, seeing and reconnecting with so many familiar faces was an awesome way to end the day.

Props to the organizers for a phenomenal party! pic.twitter.com/C4lhlRXttq

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) December 12, 2022

2. Isai Scheinberg and Vince Van Patten Recognized with WPT Honors

While it’s a no-brainer that the World Poker Tour would use its grandest showcase to inaugurate new members into the WPT Honors club, and that highly deserving 20-year WPT veteran commentator was tapped as one of the latest honorees, the other honoree was a shocker – and in the most positive possible way.

Image courtesy: World Poker Tour

PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg was long-overdue major official poker industry recognition for his incredible, one-of-a-kind contributions to the game. it was heartwarming to finally see him get his just dues and a massive round of applause and appreciation from a packed ballroom of poker players, as well as industry and media professionals.

On a personal note, it was exceptionally cool to wish him “mazel tov” and say a few words to him, his wife Dora, and his son Robert in our common language of Hebrew.

3. My Dad’s Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

I’ve waxed poetic about my father, Dr. Josef Strazynski’s journey as he prepared to play in the WPT World Championship Main Event and take his seat as a WPT Global prize package winner. Throughout his week here, I documented the continuation of that poker journey every step of the way: from tournament registration to his 10.5 hours of playing in the tournament itself to the fact that he wanted to squeeze one last 3-hour cash game session in before heading home.

“We have 3 hours after Shabbat ends until I have to take you to the airport, Dad. Anything specific you’d like to do?”

Look what you’ve created, Vegas?!

He says he wishes he could stay another month or two and that this entire experience has been out of this world. pic.twitter.com/scVp51OvE3

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) December 18, 2022

Beyond my own coverage, Dad’s WPT World Championship experience also got chronicled by other poker media outlets including by my new friend Landon Blackhall here and this deeply touching feature by my longtime friend Poker.org Editor in Chief Brad Willis here.

Being at Dad’s side throughout was just plain awesome, and I want to publicly express my thanks to the Good Lord Above for having handed me a golden opportunity to fulfil the Torah’s Fifth Commandment in the most special of ways.

4. The Poker Media Dinner

It’s no secret that I love what I do and that I’m also a huge fan of other poker media outlets and the many wonderful people who work alongside me in this great industry. Opportunities for us to socialize and gather together without needing to simultaneously be working are relatively few and far between – and that much rarer when you live thousands of miles away from everyone else.

The World Poker Tour kindly treated assembled media to a first-class dinner that I thoroughly enjoyed. As an extra added bonus, I was delighted to discover that the Wynn’s SW Steakhouse had a kosher meal option (massive shout out to Head Waiter, Corey!), but the evening’s main course was undoubtedly our opportunity to engage in camaraderie.

This

My inner poker fanboy still doesn’t believe I get to be part of this #WPTWCWynn festival.

Nor that I got to sit next to 2 people I consider industry legends.

I’m having an absolute blast. Thank you, @WPT!

Before I left , Miriam said: “go live your best life!”

https://t.co/ESwX84oICD

— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) December 16, 2022

5. The Awesome “Halftime Show” Performances

The World Poker Tour is known for not just hosting poker tournaments and events around the world, but rather for quite literally putting on a show. This was no truer than the outstanding halftime show performances staged on no less than three separate occasions throughout the WPT world championship festival.

Image courtesy: World Poker Tour

From inspired musical performances to jaw dropping physical feats, the “halftime shows” helped add to an already “major event” type of feel in the Encore Ballroom; even WPT CEO Adam Pliska got in on the act!

Image courtesy: World Poker Tour

6. Molly Bloom

I’ve had the opportunity to interview Molly Bloom in the past. Her 2018 appearance at a Unibet Open poker event in Romania was her first at a major poker event. She hasn’t really been seen in poker circles since then, so it was surprising and delightful to see her make a big public poker appearance here in Las Vegas.

The World Poker Tour had already fully decked out the VIP Lounge for ClubWPT and WPT Global Package Winners, as well as WPT champions. From copious amounts of food and drink to pinball machines and air hockey tables, an A+ player experience was already guaranteed. To have added in a special “fireside chat” with Molly Bloom just took the proceedings to the next level for all in attendance to enjoy.

7. Ladies MUG + Championship Event

One of the pillars of our approach to poker media coverage here at Cardplayer Lifestyle has always been the proactive advocacy for increased women’s participation in poker and the spotlighting of successful players and initiatives in that realm. So, it was fabulous to see that the World Poker Tour really took things to the next level here.

The Ladies Championship was not relegated to being a sideshow but rather it took center stage with a televised final table (won by Lina Niu). Already prior to the ceremonial “shuffle up and deal” – delivered with great gusto and visible emotion by Poker Hall of Famer and the first WPT Honors recipient Linda Johnson ­– the event had exceeded its $200,000 guarantee and with 578 players it stood tall as the second-largest Ladies event of the calendar year.

Image courtesy: World Poker Tour

Moreover, the Ladies MUG, hosted by Jamie Kerstetter, was an unabashed success. Numerous current (and future!) Women in Poker Hall of Famers showed up to play low-stakes Hold’em and H.O.R.S.E. alongside many successful female pros and recreational players. That – and seemingly endless mimosas and candy-filled gift bags – resulted in a fun-filled raucous atmosphere that brought smiles to the faces of every dealer and staff member in the Wynn Poker room. The only question on everyone’s lips was “why don’t we have these things more often?!”

Image credit: Christina Bradfield for PokerNews

8. A $29 Million Main Event Prize Pool

Back in summertime, when the World Poker Tour first announced that it would be staging a $15 million Guaranteed World Championship Main Event at Wynn Las Vegas, there was some quite obvious concern about hitting that number, as such an ambitious goal had never been set before in the poker industry. Moreover, far lower guarantees had unfortunately been missed quite badly by other venues at other festivals in years prior.

The Final Numbers @WPT @WynnLasVegas
2,960 Entries
$29,008,000 Prize Pool
Televised Final Table Payouts
1st $4,136,000 + $10,400 Seat to 2023 WC
2nd $2,830,000
3rd $2,095,000
4th $1,608,000
5th $1,301,000
6th $1,001,050

370 Players In The Money
370th $17,400#WPTWCWynn pic.twitter.com/ZgePI86dXd

— Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) December 15, 2022

Wynn and the WPT didn’t just hit the $15 million guarantee (by Day 1B!); they absolutely obliterated it and blew it out of the water, creating a $29 million prize pool – nearly double the stated goal! That’s got to rank up there as one of the most prominent and impressive achievements our industry has ever seen.

9. Final Table Set/Production

Every magnum opus has a grand finale, and the World Poker Tour certainly knew how to showcase the conclusion of this incredible World Championship festival.

The move from the Encore Ballroom to the Latour Ballroom at Wynn marked the transition of the events “from stadium to center stage”, and what a hell of a stage they constructed!

With poker’s most ardent fans railing the action and rooting on their heroes at the felt, they’ve constructed the perfect conduit for the atmosphere at the three televised final tables to be nothing short of electric. I can only imagine how it’s going to look and play out on the broadcast in the coming months.

Our @WPT Televised Final Tables are open to the public and located in Latour Ballroom #6!#WPTLadiesChampionship FT – Dec. 18th 4pm#WPTPrimeChampionship FT – Dec. 19th 4pm#WPTWorldChampionship FT – Dec. 20th 4pm

We highly recommend arriving early to secure a seat! pic.twitter.com/NixpK2i2PU

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 17, 2022

10. A Winter Poker Reunion

There’s perhaps no better sign that poker is finally booming once again than the emergence of a brand new, must-attend festival on the yearly calendar. As the WPT World Championships draw to a close, there comes with it a slight feeling of sadness that over the holidays we’ll all really be missing the buzz that’s accompanied these incredible past couple of weeks at Wynn Las Vegas.

Much as everyone in the poker world always looks forward to our annual summer reunion, I’m beyond ecstatic that we also now have an annual winter retreat to eagerly anticipate. That the WPT-Wynn partnership is a multi-year affair is perhaps the best news our industry could have gotten in 2022.

Especially post pandemic, we’ve all come to value just how important and special real-life engagement and interaction is and how that enriches our lives. As great and critical as “Poker Twitter” and other social media platforms are to the building and maintenance of our wonderful community, there’s simply no substitute for winning moments at the felt, hugs and smiles away from the felt, and life’s in-person beauty through poker’s prism to be felt.

After 20 years, we are so grateful to @WynnLasVegas for hosting our 20th Anniversary celebration!

We’d like to officially welcome all of our players and partners from all over the world to the #WPTWorldChampionship #WPTWCWynn!

Here’s to another 20 years! #TheBestIsYetToCome pic.twitter.com/GzP8PJW4S9

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) December 8, 2022

In this article, we’ll look at who has signed with Team WPT this year and who currently rules the roost on the World Poker Tour. We’ll also speculate as to which players might be the next addition to a roster that boasts more strength and depth than a long pass from Tom Brady at his peak.

A Party of Five

The current World Poker Tour roster is the envy of other poker brands, with a great mix of trending players, fresh faces, and Poker Hall of Famers. When the WPT named Steve Aoki as their Brand Ambassador early in 2022, it sent shockwaves through the industry. Aoki was an award-winning DJ, used to winning a Grammy or two, but what would he bring to the party? It turned out… the party itself! Aoki has been a great name to be linked with the WPT and has spent a fair amount of time at the tables, too, meeting hundreds of players of all levels at multiple WPT stops in 2022.

“The passion and energy in which Steve Aoki approaches every aspect of his life is both inspiring and very much in line with the new vision of the WPT,” Adam Pliska, the World Poker Tour CEO, said at the time of Aoki joining the brand.

When the WPT announced their next acquisitions, no-one was surprised when Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme were unveiled as new ambassadors. The pair of YouTube vloggers and MUG hosts have helped revolutionize the way we watch poker, and the World Poker Tour is embracing new technology and innovations like never before. Owen and Neeme’s exclusive NFT series and the growth of their online WPT Global brand are indicative of this, and having Neeme and Owen at the forefront of new WPT developments can only strengthen their global brand.

Owen and Neeme are guaranteed to bring in a new wave of poker players, but what about the old guard? The WPT would never abandon those who have been with them since the first card came off the – literal – deck back when the WPT cruise set sail.

The WPT introduced Doyle Brunson as a new ambassador by featuring the 10-time WSOP bracelet winner and back-to-back WSOP Main Event champion (in 1976 & 1977) in a highly amusing advert for the WPT World Championship. Texas Dolly arrived a month early for the celebrations in the video as he rolled towards Vegas ahead of time in the hilarious take on early registration. Pliska commented about the poker legend: “Doyle has been a part of the World Poker Tour from the very beginning.”

Another WPT jewel pic.twitter.com/xPETljk3oh

— Doyle Brunson (@TexDolly) November 1, 2022

This advert was one of many towards the latter end of the year that have demonstrated just how on trend the WPT are. Hiring Phil Ivey to be their fifth new brand ambassador in 2022 was a masterstroke. Not only was Phil also a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner, but Ivey’s mystique is legendary. He promptly appeared in a self-deprecating video where he and Tony Dunst were answering calls in the WPT office. To bring Phil Ivey back in a big way on the tournament circuit is to WPT’s credit.

WPT Summer Festival now at @wpt_global including the $1 buy-in $1 million guaranteed event. See you there pic.twitter.com/OrL3cXOOJE

— Phil Ivey (@philivey) July 23, 2022

The Legends Behind the Mic

It’s not only the mix of Ivey and Dunst that reminds us just what a strong team all those new ambassadors are joining. Vince Van Patten and Tony Dunst have been the WPT’s co-anchors since the late, great Mike Sexton left us. Sexton’s many friends still miss his effortless grace and humor. Van Patten and Dunst deserve huge credit for filling the enormous loss of Mike, producing content that retains Sexton’s wit and wisdom.

Image Credit: WPT

Presenting coverage of all the big events where players have the chance of getting their name carved into the WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup is the Australian broadcasting hero Lynn Gilmartin. A mainstay of the WPT for many years, Gilmartin’s easy charm and whip-smart personality make her someone WPT relies on. Fans love seeing her on the screen wherever she goes.

Tournament Director Matt Savage is another powerhouse personality in his own right, having won the Global Poker Award for Poker Industry Person of the Year this year. His relationship with players and fans is second to none. It’s impossible to think of someone in poker who has welcomed so many people to the game. It’s continued growth is in no small part a direct result of Savage’s skill and presence.

Who Could Be the Next WPT Ambassador?

There are so many players in poker who offer so much in terms of success, brand growth and an online presence. To pick only a handful inevitably misses hundreds of perfectly suitable candidates. That said, this is exactly what we’re going to do. So let’s start with tour favourite Dan Smith.

Image courtesy: PokerGO, HendonMob

Known as ‘The Cowboy’, Smith might be used to playing high roller events, but he’s happy to mix it up in $10,000 MTT fields too. Dan won his first WSOP bracelet in the summer of 2022, rubber stamping what everyone in the game knows; Smith is a winner both on and off the felt.  His Double Up Drive has raised millions for charity, too, and the World Poker Tour’s own efforts in this area would complement Smith’s charitable ethic.

Darren Elias is already a bona fide World Poker Tour legend, having won more Main Event titles on the WPT Tour (four) than any other player in history. What better way to promote the brand than by making the most successful player ever to sit at the WPT felt a top ambassador? Elias isn’t just a great poker player, he’s also a wholesome family man who has proven that you can become a ruthless winner while being a nice person.

With poker props running in the family, one player who we think would add huge value to the WPT is Natasha Mercier. With husband Jason taking more of a back seat in recent years, Natasha’s propensity for making it through tough fields and juggling motherhood alongside her poker success is inspiring. With the poker industry always looking for ways of bringing more women into a game still dominated by men, what better person to inspire others to take up the game than Natasha?

Image credit PokerNews, Drew Amato

Finally, with two friends for the price of one, we think that genius minds Erik Seidel and Maria Konnikova would be a great fit for the World Poker Tour. Both are hugely consistent players, and with the backgammon and chess respective passions of the pair, the duo could bring other mind sport players to poker. Seidel’s background in stocks and accounting, coupled with Konnikova’s literary and psychological background offers a true meeting of intelligence that could only benefit the changes any poker brand will go through.

The World Poker Tour has made giant leaps in 2022 – who knows what 2023 will bring for the biggest poker tour in the world?!

“It is my privilege to share that this year’s WPT Honors Awards recipients will be Vince Van Patten and Isai Scheinberg,” said World Poker Tour CEO Adam Pliska to a captive full Encore Ballroom as Day 1A of the WPT World Championship Main Event was briefly paused for the announcement.

“These two men have both made transformational contributions to the poker community. Isai as a pioneer with his incredible ingenuity and boldness, and Vince with his love and dedication to expanding the game of poker. Both honorees are truly deserving of the award.”

Vince Van Patten: 20 Years Of Poker Broadcast Excellence

Native New Yorker Vince Van Patten teamed up with the World Poker Tour in 2003, and has represented the brand ever since through his unique presentation of poker content and high profile tournaments in the broadcast booth.

Originally introduced to the game of poker by his father, Dick Van Patten, Vince has been around the game since he was a teenager – even managing a Hollywood home game in the 1990s.

Van Patten expressed gratitude towards the WPT family and executive team upon receiving the WPT Honors nod saying “I am so fortunate to have been a part of this amazing company for 20 years and I have never been more proud of what the WPT has become, than here at the first-ever WPT World Championship at the Wynn. It is an incredible site.”

Isai Scheinberg Receives Long Overdue Poker Industry Recognition

Poker player, fan, and former online industry executive Isai Scheinberg began heading PokerStars operations in Q3-2001, and quickly elevated the company to a brand name that would become synonymous with “poker greatness.”

Through his leadership, aptitude, and love for the game, Scheinberg would go on to vault the online poker business into a worldwide phenomenon during the early to mid-2000s.

The PokerStars online poker business, and subsequently their live events series, became a logical next step for both casual and serious card playing fans around the world who had – up until the early 2000s – dreamed of the online, real money potential of card games after cutting their teeth on the popular offline, click-and-drag Microsoft Solitaire game over the prior decade.

By the time Scheinberg sold the company in 2014 for $4.9 billion, PokerStars had amassed a player base that exceeded 100 million individuals across the globe.

The PokerStars co-founder was on hand to receive the WPT Honors recognition and spoke to the assembled crowd of players and poker media outlets, most of whom had never seen his face or heard his distinct voice before. He fondly recalled that “the first TV advertising PokerStars did was on WPT programming on the Travel Channel. It had a major impact that led to millions of players joining us.”

READ ALSO: WPT World Championship Opens to Massive Turnout Numbers

Legacy WPT Honors Awards Recipients

This year marked the fourth time the World Poker Tour has recognized the ground-breaking achievements of poker players, personalities, and industry executives.

In 2017, Bruno Fitoussi, Linda Johnson, and Mike Sexton became the inaugural recipients of the WPT Honors. The following year, the WPT paid homage to its founders: Lyle Berman and Steve Lipscomb, while industry trailblazer Deb Giardina and tournament director Matt Savage were exalted in 2019 for their leadership in live, on-site poker operations.

WPT World Championship Main Event To Exceed $15 Million Guarantee?

According to WPT Executive Tour Director and 2019 WPT Honors Award recipient Matt Savage, the largest guaranteed live poker tournament prize pool in history could exceed its own lofty expectations.

VIDEO: World Poker Tour Executive Tour Director Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) thinks that the @WPT World Championship’s prize pool could surpass $20 million.

LINK – https://t.co/wyszIyKUus pic.twitter.com/d0HqFLWU8Y

— Card Player: The Poker Authority (@CardPlayerMedia) December 13, 2022

Savage hinted that the eventual WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas prize pool could turn out to be “over $20 million”, and based on the impressive Day 1A turnout of 615 players that milestone is well within reach.

Last Chance To Qualify For Historic WPT World Championship Main Event

Late registration for ‘Day 1C’ of the $10,400 buy-in WPT World Championship 2022 Main Event will be open up to the start of Level 7 on Wednesday, with a $1,100 Milestone Satellite qualifier available for players inside the Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room on December 14th, starting at 12:00 Noon local time.

The WPT World Championship Main Event – ‘Day 1B’ of which is today – is a “freezeout” poker tournament in which multiple re-entries (aside from a single entry per starting flight) are not allowed.

This means that once the late registration period ends for ‘Day 1C’ on Wednesday (following the completion of Level 6) all remaining participants will be locked in to their current chip counts for the remainder of the showcase event.

It all started in January when Zlatan entered a contest to visit musician and World Poker Tour Ambassador Steve Aoki’s Playhouse. He received a free flight to Las Vegas and a stay at the luxurious Wynn resort. “I thought it was a scam,” he said. “I had to Google and do all kinds of research before I believed it was real.”

Image Credit: WPT Flickr Account

He played the Sit N’ Go in mid-February. The participants were the five lucky winners along with Maria Ho, WPT commentator Vince Van Patten, Steve Aoki, and none other than Phil Ivey, winner of 10 WSOP bracelets, one of the best players in the world, and Steve’s neighbor. The friendly game gave away several prizes, including poker chip sets, $2,500 WPT passports, exclusive Steve Aoki apparel, and a $10,000 WPT passport for the winner.

Image Credit: WPT Flickr Account

Zlatan had a wonderful time: “Steve Aoki’s playhouse event was a one-of-a-kind experience. It felt unreal. Meeting Steve, his friends, and the WPT team was truly a blessing. They are all very genuine people with good hearts who are excited about all the same things, and seeing everyone come together was amazing. Playing the Sit N’ Go was tough, the table was full of extreme crushers, especially sitting between Mario Ho and Phil Ivey. My position was tough to play and Phil was relentless. He re-raised aggressively against me multiple times. I realized I could get away with playing only monster hands in position, which was what I did. I ran K-K into J-J to put me in a position to place third and get a $2,500 passport.”

When asked what it was like to meet Steve Aoki, Zlatan replied that “I was extremely surprised to meet him. He is an amazing soul, a very humble and intelligent human. His position as a WPT Ambassador is perfect, as he knows how to make people excited and feel good. Steve carries a strong aura, and is a great poker player to top it off.”

Klimenta next to Phil Ivey Image Credit: WPT Flickr Account

Zlatan decided to use the $2,500 Passport he won to enter the WPT DeepStacks Thunder Valley tournament. WPT Thunder Valley started on April 28 with 1,414 entries of $1,500. The prize pool was $1,873,550 and the top 179 players cashed.

Prior to Thunder Valley, Klimenta had only two cashes on the WPT circuit, in $150 and $250 tournaments, earning a total of  $1,075. But that was soon to change!

Zlatan survived the first day of play at Thunder Valley and moved into Day 2 with a healthy above-average stack. With aggressive play, he continued to build his chip stack. These were his statements with only three tables left:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by WPT® (@worldpokertour)

Hours later, he reached his first final table on the live circuit.

With the elimination of Adam Duong in 9th place, the WPTDeepStacks Main Event at @TVPokerRoom has reached the final table.

Leading is @KevinODonnell15 with 8,875,000 chips. Zlatan Klimenta also makes the final table with 3,425,000.

– Live Updates: https://t.co/Kinmcl87aI pic.twitter.com/a9TTdLgWq7

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) May 2, 2022

Zlatan exclaimed, “Finishing on the final table was a dream come true for me. Eight years ago I learned how to play poker and I made it a mission of mine to score big in a deepstack event. All my experiences have molded me into a player who is capable of making a deep run in this exact structure. I’m mostly an online poker player, and have had only two live cashes for roughly $1,000. Bringing home a 6th place finish against one of the biggest fields in 20 years feels like a tickler telling me to keep pushing to become better at the game. Playing against that amount of high rollers and pros is a frightening spot for someone who is playing with fear. My intention was to be a chip leader in this event and play poker at a higher level than most people consider.”

The WPT Deepstacks Thunder Valley Finalists Image Source: WPT Flickr Account

The last hand Zlatan played was a brutal bad beat. Being the short stack at the table, he went all-in pre-flop with Q-9s and was paid by the big blind who held 3-2. The board went K-6-4-5-2, giving his opponent a straight on the river.

Zlatan recalls, “During the last dinner break I thought to myself: I didn’t run into a single straight this whole time. I was running so pure and strong that I was able to pick my spots as I wanted. With the big blind coming around and having just roughly 2.5 bigs, I decided Q-9s was a great spot to get it all in. I would not have played my hand in my position differently. A few hands before that the same player could have busted but the run good was weakening for me at the final table.”

Zlatan’s Final Hand Image Source: WPT Flickr Account

Zlatan ended up turning a free contest offered by the WPT into his first final table and the biggest prize of his career: $64,000. “This result opens some additional doors for me in my life, most definitely. I will be appearing at future WPT events thanks to this score,” he told us.

We asked him what he enjoys most about live poker and his answer was “Producing consistency. Much like online poker, creating a table image is extremely important to playing the game. I bask in the techniques that allow me to be an aggressive player and exploit positions as necessary.”

Finally, when asked about his future poker dreams, Zlatan replied that “between winning the Aoki Playhouse invite and freerolling this $1,500 DeepStack event, I could argue that my dream has already come true! Next to wanting to win a WPT event, I have always wanted to win an EPT event. Being that I am German-born, and ethnically from Bosnia & Herzegovina, scoring big in Europe would be my next goal. My dream has always been to win a bracelet or championship. I’m in it for the glory.”

The World Poker Tour is in the midst of celebrating its 20th anniversary. From a new logo to new ambassadors to the same Grade A poker product we all know and love, the WPT is fully woven into the fabric of our industry as the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment.

On this episode, we wanted to take the opportunity to dive deeper into the inner workings of the World Poker Tour, to examine what challenges it faces and its plans for overcoming them, and hear firsthand how it plans to be an even bigger part of our industry over the next 20 years.

To do that, we gathered together an All-Star panel of WPT talents.

PANELISTS

SEAT 1: ADAM PLISKA

Having started out with the WPT as the company’s Legal Counsel, Adam quickly rose within the ranks to become CEO, a title he’s held for over a decade and a half as the “head of the family”.

SEAT 2: VINCE VAN PATTEN

Vince has been a featured World Poker Tour co-commentator for 20 years, throughout the lifetime of the company. He’s also a former professional tennis player as well as a Hollywood actor with numerous film roles to his credit.

SEAT 3: TONY DUNST

First having joined the WPT as host of the Raw Deal segments, and later moving into the commentary booth upon the retirement of the late Mike Sexton, Tony’s been with the company for over 12 years. Away from the booth, as a player, he’s also won a WPT Main Event title along with 2 WSOP bracelets and close to $4 million in career live tournament earnings.

TOPICS

We start off the show by noting that the WPT is unique in our industry among the overwhelming majority of poker companies in the way it generates revenue; i.e., not from the players themselves. We ask the panelists to describe the way in which WPT makes its money and why that relatively unconventional route has always made the most sense over the course of the company’s 20-year-long history?

Turning to our second topic, we note that just like online poker needs liquidity to flourish, so too does the WPT need viewership growth to keep succeeding. We ask the panelists to describe what sort of challenges the World Poker Tour has faced in that regard over the last two decades — specifically as viewer attention is so much harder to capture in an increasingly divided media space – and how the WPT has overcome it?

In the second half of the show, after viewing a hand showcasing the impeccable WPT production quality, we transition to our third topic. During the pandemic, online poker experienced a bit of a resurgence, and with the pandemic subsiding, live poker seems to really be roaring back. Every poker tour is fighting hard for a big piece of the player pie. We ask the panelists how they see the World Poker Tour fitting into that picture in 2022 and attracting as many players as possible to the felt for its events.

Finally, we end off the show by noting that there have already been some big changes and announcements to mark the World Poker Tour’s 20-year anniversary. There’s a new logo, Steve Aoki has been brought on as an ambassador, there’s WPT Prime now (replacing WPTDeepstacks), and of course the new Player of the Festival award… We ask the panelists to share or tease something extra that viewers and players can look forward to as the WPT’s 20th anniversary year progresses.

Watch Episode #16 of The Orbit now on Twitch.tv/poker.

Mike Sexton

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee honors Mike Sexton as he passed away from prostate cancer on September 6, 2020. Bernard replays a 2016 interview with the premier “Ambassador of Poker” after he captured his WPT Montreal main event title at the Playground Casino. Mike also discusses the support he received from the entire WPT family. This is the last interview Bernard did with Mike Sexton.

RIP Mike Sexton

Tony Dunst

In this episode of The Bernard Lee Poker Show on the Cardplayer Lifestyle Podcast Family, Bernard Lee interviews the 2020 WSOP Online Summer Series Bracelet Winner and WPT commentator, Tony Dunst. He captured Event #21, the $777 no-limit hold’em 6-handed event, earning $168,342 over a field of 1,361 entries, for his second WSOP bracelet overall.  In 2016, Tony captured his first bracelet in Event #63, $1,000 no-limit hold’em, taking home $339,254.

In addition to playing poker, Tony is the lead commentator for the World Poker Tour (WPT), alongside longtime WPT commentator Vince Van Patten. Originally, Tony was the host of the Raw Deal segment on the WPT broadcast, but moved into the booth in 2017 to take over for Mike Sexton after the Poker Hall of Famer’s retirement.

Enjoy the video, below, with a transcript included as well.

Interview Transcript

Hey everybody, Robbie Strazynski here for Cardplayer Lifestyle and I am at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood Florida, joined by none other than Vince Van Patten, co-commentator for the World Poker Tour. Very nice to meet you, sir. How are you doing today?

I’m good.

Okay, so I’ll admit, before the research began for this interview, I really only knew you as one of the voices of the WPT and the son of TV legend Dick Van Patten. Turns out there’s a lot more to you than just those couple of things! 

You have an extensive Hollywood resume dating back all the way to 1970. You’ve been on everything from Gunsmoke to Baywatch and even The Love Boat. How different is working on a traveling program like the WPT than working on a normal Hollywood project?

Well, as an actor, you know, when you do the show—maybe it’s on location, something like that—you have lines. This is actually my first hosting job, commentary, I never did any of that sort of thing. Well, I did one World Series event in ’89. Besides that I’m not really a host or commentator, but I adapted quickly. I know the game so well, and it’s part of my blood, it’s in my blood. So, that’s the difference. This is not acting, this is commentary, and it’s been a blast. It’s been great, great fun.

At some point you co-starred in an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man titled The Bionic Boy, which supposedly was a spin-off attempt for the show. So, you could’ve had your own TV show at some point, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. Tell us about that. Were you disappointed or did you see it as an opportunity for a fresh start?

Good question. No, at the time, you know, you’re always looking to get a big series, as an actor. And yes, I had a two-hour special called The Bionic Boy, and I think I was 19 at the time, and shot it and just ended up doing it. But Lee Majors at the time said, “I just want to tell you, Vince, I’m not going to let this go to series. Because I did it with Bionic Woman,”—and he goes, and that took away a little bit from, you know, his show—“I’m just going to be honest, I’m not going to let it go,” even though the producers were saying that. So at least he told me up front. And then I moved on and I went to the tennis world after that.

Indeed, shortly thereafter, you started playing tennis professionally. How different was that from what you were used to in Hollywood?

Yeah, top 25 in the world, at one time. I never thought I was going to make it. I was self-taught in tennis.

You didn’t have a coach?!

No, I didn’t have a coach. I was self-taught, and that hurt me as a junior tennis player. But anyway, I did make a transition, jumped into that world, played tennis for 10 years on the circuit, traveled the world doing it, and it was a great, great experience.

This was the early 80s and you played on some of the biggest stages in tennis as well, like Wimbledon. You faced John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg! Those are some serious legends! You also won over $400,000 in prize money over the years. Did you have aspirations to maybe win a couple Grand Slams?

Yeah, I wanted to be Number 1, not number 25. When I beat McEnroe, when he was Number 1 and had been twice, I believed I was going to be Number 1 and I trained, I put everything into it. Didn’t make it, for many different reasons. A lot of things broke down in my body—my shoulders, my knees, stuff like that. But it’s all part of it. But I did go for that opportunity, and you’ll get close, you’ll have shots, but it didn’t work out.

At any point did you feel like maybe a different type of training or nutrition—that’s very common today, everyone does the nutrition or getting coaches or reading books, everything they could possibly do to get an edge. What were you doing besides, obviously, practicing tennis?

I did everything, but I also partied a lot. I actually had some free time on the circuit, I’d go out when I was in Stockholm, Sweden, or you know, I didn’t—I couldn’t resist. I enjoyed the life, too, so maybe that wrecked me a little.

So maybe it doesn’t make the Wikipedia page, but you’ve got the memories, I’m sure.

I don’t regret it; I just did the best I could and I had a great time doing it.

In what way did you tennis career prepare you for what you’ve experienced in poker over the last 15 years? There seem to be some parallels.

Yeah, definitely. I think… well, I’ve been playing poker for my whole life, and in high-stakes mixed games and cash games I do pretty well. And to be a great poker player, you have to have all the knowledge, but you also have to have heart. Everyone knows, hey, you should be bluffing this, you should be taking this pot now, but not everybody can do that.

It’s the same thing in tennis. When you’re down break point, and you have to serve, you have to have the heart to go for the ace or go for the big shot at the right time. And you’ve got to be able to come through with that. So I think all that training in tennis, I think I played the big points well, and I think in poker, I have good concentration and I put it on the line whenever it’s needed, and I think that’s helped me in the poker world.

You’ve also had a couple of nice runs in WPT events and a cash in the WSOP Main Event. How much poker are you getting in nowadays and how much have you learned from having a front row seat at so many WPT Championship events?

I used to play cash games and home games in Los Angeles, three days a week, basically. But now I’ve cut way back, I’m just not playing as much. You get older, so you want to see the sights more, when I’m out here I go to the beach every day, I play tennis, you know.

When you say Hollywood home games, if I were watching I’d be like OK, who did you play with? Any specific stories or names you might be able to mention at all?

Well, over the years—in the beginning it was the 70s and 80s, when I played in my father’s games, guys like Don Adams, Dick van Dyke, Gabe Kaplan, director John Huston. And then I had games in the late 90s in Beverly Hills, with you know Ben Affleck, Toby Maguire, he played, all these guys. Hollywood people love poker, and they’re good players.

So, Mike has a WPT title, Tony has a WPT title and a WSOP bracelet, and Lynn has a EPT Ladies Event title. When’s it going to be Vince’s turn to score some major poker hardware and what would that mean to you?

Well, you know, I haven’t made a final table yet. In the last five years, before that, we weren’t allowed to play World Poker Tour events, Mike and I. Then they said, oh, you can finally play. So Mike, he plays a lot more tournaments than I do, and he’s done extremely well. He’s a Hall of Famer, he’s made three final tables, he took down a championship—I mean, he’s such a great player. I ran deep in a couple of them, came in 12th and 15th, and I only play about two or three a year. I would like—it’s World Poker Tour, to me, is the one I would like to get to the final table and win, rather than a World Series event. The World Poker Tour means so much to me, so that would be a great honor.

And if you did, you’d be participating in the Tournament of Champions, wouldn’t that be cool?! But who’d take over the commentating duties? You’re out, Mike’s out, Tony’s out… Lynn’s going to do it all on her own?

Lynn’s the one, yeah. Get someone in there, and quick.

We’re going to put you a bit on the spot here. Tell us something about Mike that not everyone knows about. Maybe something that drives him crazy and you guys still needle him about.

Well, Mike’s the greatest guy in the world. But he absolutely—he’s so smart that sometimes, with the bosses and stuff, when he’s talking to him, he says, you know, he might not want to do something, he might not want to go to work next Friday or something like that, so he’ll say, in front of me, “Vince was thinkin’ that we shouldn’t go to work next Friday—well, Vince and I, but mostly Vince…” He’ll twist it, and I’ll go “Mike, what are you talking about?” and then he’s gone. So that’s a little… what do you call that?

But… what else about Mike? He doesn’t leave his room anymore when he’s at the hotels. In the early days we’d play tennis and do some things, and now I’ll say “Want to do something?” and he’s like “Well, I’m fine,” and he’s just kicking back, and I think he’s doing a lot of writing, and stuff like that, but—

And playing, he still plays, right?

Oh yes. And… we’ve played a lot of poker together. I’ve never seen him get upset once, at anybody, never say “How’d you play that?”, just “good hand.” He is the greatest professional player I’ve ever seen. A lot of class.

WATCH: Interview with Mike Sexton

I noticed on your Twitter that each year around New Year’s you post a big group picture of something called a Penguin Swim. What’s that all about? Who are the people? Where does it take place?

Those are my family and friends. It’s in Venice, in Breakwater, it’s called, in Venice Beach. And every January 1st, we’ve been doing it since the early 70s. My father loves the ocean, and you know the water’s cold, it’s about 55, and you run out there and you get a little workout beforehand, and we swim about a quarter of a mile. It’s about 200 people, 250, and you’re iced—you’re freezing at first, but then you numb up, and you’re completely numb. And you walk out, and you feel great for the rest of the day. It’s the Penguin Swim. They do a Polar Bear Swim in New York, but we do our little Penguin Swim. We’ve been doing this—it’s a tradition to the Van Patten family and friends for over 40 years now.

How did it start? I mean, it’s not like you wake up one day and hey, let’s do it.

My father’s always been, and his father, they loved cold water and the feeling you get of going from hot to cold. So he was taught and enjoyed that, and my father embraced it too, so we all followed his footsteps into that and we’re all still doing it today, and my kids are doing it.

OK, so we HAVE to also mention The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Your wife has starred on the show for the last three seasons including this one. You’ve appeared some on the program as well. How does being part of Reality TV compare to working on WPT broadcasts?

Well, I’m just on Housewives as the househusband once in a while, I just duck in. But it’s unscripted, it’s been interesting. They really just go “What are you guys gonna do today?” Well, we’re gonna do… (shrugs) “Well, OK, can we just shoot it?” OK, fine. They shoot a lot of stuff, maybe seven times more stuff to shoot than actually is aired, ‘cause you never know what they’re going to put.

But they’re all real storylines, my wife Eileen is doing a great job, I think. The first season, she was very nervous, she couldn’t sleep a lot because she was, you know, how was she coming off, but now she’s relaxed into it and kind of enjoys it, and a lot of people really like her.

Well, that’s really cool. And you’re happy to be along for the ride?

Exactly. I mean, we’re entertainers. You get into the business to be on TV, to make some money doing that, you do what you have to. Sometimes you have to do shows that are like that… I mean, I don’t think it’s bad to do a reality show, if you have nothing really to hide, and somehow, I think it can change lives in a good way.

Nothing to hide, I like that. That’s really important, because who knows what could come out.

I think also, people see that and go oh, they fight, but look how they’re resolving it, there’s some good that comes out of a reality show. Even though most people go oh, I can’t watch that, how can they do that, I think there’s a lot of good that actually comes out of these shows too.

You’ve been with the WPT from the beginning. 15 years now. You’ve seen it all. So after 15 years in poker, Vince, what’s left on your poker bucket list that you still want to accomplish and achieve?

Well, we’re going to go into Season 16, and Mike and I are the best of friends, and Lynn and the whole gang, so we’re having a great time. You know, I also got a movie that we’re doing in three weeks. And it’s about—it’s based on a true story of my poker game back in LA, but then there’s a lot of fabrication too. But it’s about the high-stakes gamblers—they changed a lot of names—and we make a crazy bet in the desert, in Las Vegas. And that’s all I’ll tell you. We start filming in three weeks.

I’m sure it has a name?

I’m not even going to tell you the name, it kind of, you know, it gives away a lot, and I sort of want to save it for when it comes out in nine months.

Well, we’ll check the IMDB page for Vince Van Patten, I’m sure it’ll appear there at some point. That’s really cool.

Yeah, so I’m doing that, and just living the good life and enjoying family time with my kids.

That’s really awesome.

Thanks again so much to Vince Van Patten for joining us here. You can follow him on Twitter at @VinceVanP_WPT. I’m Robbie Strazynski and you can find me on Twitter @cardplayerlife. Thanks so much for tuning in.