“I think it was two months later we were up in Reno and the first show aired and from that show people everywhere were talking there was real buzz about this new show, World Poker Tour. That really put poker on the map once it aired,” said Van Patten. Gus Hansen really stood out because he was playing such unorthodox hands.

“So we did the show and it was this fun thing. The pair had played some poker together over the years and Van Patten was looking forward to hanging out with him. Van Patten knew Mike Sexton, the other commentator working the booth with him that day at the final table of the very first World Poker Tour event, the Five Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio. I thought, you know, this is another silly gig, I’ll do a little hosting,” said Van Patten. “I drove in that same day, that’s how important it was to me. He didn’t exactly have sky high expectations. It was Jand Van Patten was on his way to work a gig that he only recently booked to do commentary on a televised poker tournament. Vince Van Patten jumped in his car and made the nearly five hour drive from his house in Beverly Hills to the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Vince Van Patten was recognized by the WPT as one of two recipients of the 2022 WPT Honors.