Vince Van Patten has described the appeal of poker to him and his fellow actors, telling USA Today that bluffing is just like acting.
Van Patten, who has featured in numerous films and TV series, including Baywatch and Wonderwoman, also presents the World Poker Tour Telecasts and has written a number of books about the subject of poker.
He says his obsession with poker began when he saw his father, Dick Van Patten, another character actor with hundreds of appearances to his name, playing poker with legendary stars of the screen in the family's kitchen since the 1970s.
Don Adams, Richard Dreyfuss and Walter Matthau were among those who joined young Vince's father at the table. "They would yell, laugh, throw pizza boxes across the kitchen," Van Patten told USA Today, adding he thought: "Hey, I've got to get in that game."
Now Van Patten is lining up for the World Series of Poker's main event in Las Vegas and says he understands the attraction of poker for actors. "As an actor, you thrive on that, to defy the odds. You have to have deception, and you have to have the heart to come back the next day and believe in yourself. Like an audition. That's why actors love this game," he said.
Van Patten also compared poker to sport: "A true sport takes hand-eye co-ordination and sweat. In poker you can sweat, but throw out the hand-eye. To me, it's a game - but it's a game that plays better than most sports. It's the only sport, and let's call it a sport, that celebrities can play in a world-class arena and compete," Van Patten concluded.
Vince Van Patten has described the appeal of poker to him and his fellow actors, telling USA Today that bluffing is just like acting.