Poker Player - Vince Van Patten
Vince Van Patten is heralded on the professional poker circuit as “King of the Hollywood Home Games” and is host of the World Poker Tour, as well as the brother in law to Shana Hiatt, former presenter of the World Poker Tour. The nickname came about as he played home games all over Hollywood, tutoring and competing against a large majority of celebrity opponents. As well as being a professional poker player, having played in big money games all over the world, Vince Van Patten’s talents are not limited to the card tables. His roots lie firmly in entertainment, his father being the famous actor Dick Van Patten who is known for his role in the sitcom Eight is Enough, as well a multitude of other roles in film and television.
With his partner, Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten offers commentary on the World Poker Tour and loves the poker with a passion. He believes that the World Poker Tour will grow in popularity, and will bring poker to a wider audience as viewers will become fascinated with the game, even if they are unfamiliar with poker. Unfortunately, being the commentator means that he is unable to take part in the World Poker Tour events, but if he could, he would compete in his favourite games of Pot Limit and No Limit Hold’em.
Vince, the youngest son, first appeared in the limelight aged nine, when he took part in a commercial for Colgate toothpaste. This was only the first of many, and Vince followed up with more than 30 other commercials before developing a rising career as a child actor. In the 1970’s Vince appeared in a wealth of television series, including Bonanza, High Chapparal, Medical Center, as well as several made for television movies. Aged 14, Vince started to make way onto the big screen starring in the Disney film “Charlie and The Angel” with Kurt Russell and Fred MacMurray, “Chino” with Charles Bronson, and “The Time Forever.”
His next move was into tennis, a sport he played and still plays with passion and competitiveness. Playing in LA, he moved swiftly through the junior ranks, using his own personally developed style and techniques to his advantage. He was desperate to play and win the greatest tennis tournament in the world – Wimbledon, and in 1978, he went to England to give his dream a go. He recalls “I spent three months practising on grass and never won a match!”
With typical determination however, Vince Van Patten returned to the States and within a year he was ranked in the top 30 of professional tennis players in the world. Over an eight year period, he played and won against some of the greatest names in the sport, including John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase, Tom Okkor and Bob Lutz. It was unfortunate then, that a persistent back injury ended his professional tennis career early, before he could have made a position in the Top Ten.
Vince then restarted his career in film, not only as a actor, but also a producer. In recent years has appeared in films such as “The Break” with Charlie Sheen, “The Flunky” which was written and directed by Vince, and stars Gena Lee Nolin, Farrah Fawcett and Dean Stockwell, and Vince also has had a recurring role on The Young and The Restless.
Vince’s Poker career has continued throughout his other projects, having been taught by his father how to play at an early age. By the time he was fifteen, he was starting to play at the Gardena, sneaking in with a fake moustache and beard to make him look older! He has also played in every poker environment from smoky backrooms in pool halls to illustrious casinos, meaning that he is usually well prepared for every type of player from every type of background. He says of poker “For me poker is the ultimate game. It is something I am good at and a pastime I truly look forward to. Most of all it is matching wits, heart and money against your fellow man. It is a complete game.”
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