What sort of birthday present do you get for your showbiz partner who already has everything? Well, if you are actress Portia de Rossi, and your wife is chat show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, it just has to be a poker lesson from WPT commentator Vince van Patten.
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A Special Birthday Gift for Ellen DeGeneres
DeGeneres, who has just turned 62, has long been rumored to enjoy private home games. Van Patten can be seen trying to distill some age-old poker advice in a bid to help Ellen up her game.
“Usually when a player acts strong, they’re weak: and when they act weak, they’re strong,” explains the former tennis pro and actor. He is the frontman for the WPT’s televised show for more than a decade.
DeGeneres impressed her new poker coach. He described her play as “tougher than a steak at Denny’s!”
I was impressed by Ellen’s poker skills ..She played tougher than a steak at Denny’s ! Happy birthday again Ellen! @TheEllenShow @portiaderossi #7daystovegas #wpt https://t.co/Eluh5pN0YD
— Vince Van Patten (@VinceVanP_WPT) January 27, 2020
Whether that’s true or just Vince being kind, there’s no denying that the showbiz world had supplied a seemingly endless line of stars who have fallen in love with poker’s green felt.
Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tobey Maguire have all hit the headlines for their poker exploits and antics, particularly their involvement in the infamous ‘Molly’s Game’.
The private highstakes poker games run by Molly Bloom was recently made into a blockbuster movie. The three famous actors above rolled into one character, Player X, with Michael Cera cast in the role.
Affleck, a recovering alcoholic, was in the news late last year after falling off his sobriety bandwagon and indulging in a quick hit and run at the Commerce Casino.
He apparently bought in for $20k and left after 12 minutes with a $1500 profit.
Lots of Hollywood celebrities enjoy playing poker
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart is another well-known poker fan, once sponsored by PokerStars and taking on the likes of Daniel Negreanu and Liv Boeree in a Cash Game Challenge in 2018.
Actresses Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly have both made a name for themselves at the poker table. The pair is among the best of the bunch when it comes to poker skills and winnings.
Tilly, however, will perhaps be best remembered for an embarrassing hand played against Patrik Antonius on Poker After Dark, number three on our list of Biggest Poker Fails.
More recently, Hollywood producer Randall Emmett seems to have spent more time at the tables than his job. However, it hasn’t always been easy going for the celebrity player.
It was a quieter than usual Emmett who appeared on Poker After Dark last April, and Farah Galfond actress and wife of RIO boss Phil Galfond, who explained why.
I was wondering what it could be that got Randall so quiet at the poker table last night! As we now know, he was having a little text convo with @50cent ..I’m sorry for his financial woes but happy for me, as I won fofty-nine thousand last night
— Farah Galfond (@Farah_Galfond) April 28, 2019
A highly-publicized $1million debt owed to rapper ‘50Cent’ was the reason, and if you missed that story you can read all about it here.
So, plenty of competition for Ellen DeGeneres in the celebrity poker stakes. But if she is serious about the game she may need a few more lessons from Vince – perhaps on how to keep her away from the tabloid headlines.
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