Vince Van Patten Continue to Passionate About Poker as Earth Poker Tour Turns 20

Twenty a long time in the past, tv producer Steve Lipscomb launched to the American audience a poker event present identified as the Earth Poker Tour (WPT). Two a long time afterwards and the WPT is nevertheless flourishing and remains a fixture in the poker neighborhood.

In 2002, Lipscomb employed poker execs Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, a tennis star and the son of actor Dick Van Patten, who hosted the Environment Collection of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN from 1993-1995, to provide commentary. Collectively the dynamic duo aided set poker on the map at least a Tv audiences were anxious.

Legends of the Recreation

Sexton, who in 2017 remaining the WPT broadcast booth after 15 seasons to return to his roots at partypoker, passed away in 2020., but Van Patten is still commentating on WPT gatherings, and he has no programs to retire any time quickly.

“I will always like poker,” Van Patten, 64, advised PokerNews in the course of a Steve Aoki property match party last week. “I don’t know specifically in which I’ll go with the commentating and internet hosting down the street and all that, but I just appreciate the activity and the Planet Poker Tour, and am energized that it grew like this.”

When Van Patten and Sexton have been hired as the faces of the WPT, the activity of poker nevertheless hadn’t gone mainstream. The local community was a great deal lesser at the time than it is currently and the tour’s initial episode aired a year right before Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Key Celebration.

“That would be a a person out of 52 out of the deck prolonged-shot,” Van Patten stated when questioned if he thought in 2002 the WPT would continue to be about 20 a long time later. “Neither one particular of us considered it would previous. Mike always thought in the game and believed it was going to be large. I liked the game, but we experienced no views that we wouldn’t be carrying out three displays and that would be it.”

Van Patten praised his primary boss, Lipscomb, for introducing hole playing cards (not “maintain playing cards,” Joe Stapleton) to the U.S. poker market place. Many credit score the WPT founder’s modern mentality for the early 2000s poker growth as a great deal or much more so than Moneymaker.

“The genius of Steve’s thought to display the cards was right. He made a video game out of it.”

Van Patten has been partnered with poker pro Tony Dunst in the broadcast booth for WPT occasions on Fox Athletics and now Bally Sporting activities since 2017. Dunst, who started doing the job for the WPT in 2009 as the host of the “Uncooked Deal” segment, understands he’s experienced some large footwear to fill replacing a legend like Sexton, a Poker Corridor of Famer and a single of the game’s greatest ambassadors of all-time.

But he is dealt with that role marvelously, and the viewers feel to appreciate his commentary and chemistry with Van Patten. He promotes the WPT in the identical method in which Sexton did for so several a long time.

Verify out the PokerNews WPT Homepage below!

Generating Poker Super Stars

Significantly like the WSOP, winning a WPT title is 1 of the most prestigious honors in poker. The prime functions around the many years have been televised and lots of of the tour’s champions have turn out to be poker legends.

The 1st-ever WPT event, the May possibly 2002 5 Diamond Globe Poker Vintage, was gained by none other than Gus Hansen, who quickly turned one particular of the most well-liked gamers during that era. The “Great Dane” beat out a industry of 146 gamers in the $10,000 get-in match, the most important field of any event at that selling price place at any time at the time, outdoors of the WSOP Major Celebration.

Winning a Planet Poker Tour title has never been uncomplicated, and only 40 players have gained a number of situations. Hansen is a single of a few men and women to win a few WPT tournaments. Darren Elias, who has attained notoriety simply because of the WPT, is the only 4-time champion. He also retains the file for most closing table appearances (12).

The WPT has advanced around the several years, but the exact standard concept however applies — appease the informal viewers and bring in a combine of prime-notch professionals and leisure players. Demand from customers to contend in the WPT’s Primary Tour events (and also the WPTDeepStacks tour) has gotten so high that approximately 2,000 players are signing up for some of these situations.

In January at the $3,500 purchase-in WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Florida, Alexander Yen conquer out a discipline of 1,982 players to gain $975,240.

Up following for the tour is the $3,500 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in April at the identical location — Seminole Tough Rock Hotel and On line casino. There is certainly a superior probability that this party will have a related sized industry as the Blessed Hearts.

Foreseeable future of the Earth Poker Tour

Globe Poker Tour Time XX only has three occasions on the US routine, therefore far, but WPT CEO Adam Pliska informed PokerNews that further functions are on the horizon. It’s all about locking up some dates and moments with companion venues.

The WPT produced a splash amid the house music crowd last month when they signed celeb DJ Steve Aoki as a model ambassador. Aoki, as Pliska defined, will help the WPT attain out further than the poker neighborhood to appeal to new followers and viewers.

We caught up with Aoki all through his WPT dwelling game at his Las Vegas “playhouse.” He manufactured it very clear he is not just collecting a test and is passionate about advertising and marketing the Earth Poker Tour.

It truly is that type of enthusiasm that is saved the WPT heading robust for 20 yrs!

_{*Images courtesy of WPT/Joe Giron.}