AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker
TITLE: Annual Dick Van Patten poker tournament hits Fantasy Springs Casino
DATE: 8:26 AM
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BODY:
<p class="mobile-post">You might not be able to hold 'em - they'd probably call the police - but
you can definitely see 'em. TV stars Connie Stevens, Eileen Davidson, Vince
Van Patten, Adam Rich and some celebrity surprise guests are expected to
compete in the second annual Dick Van Patten No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em
Celebrity Poker Tournament Friday-Sunday, Nov. 10-12, at Fantasy Springs
Resort Casino. Just how good are these players? We hope good. Proceeds go to
underwrite a special holiday party supporting the U.S. Marine Corps
Community Association at Twentynine Palms. We wanted to pick the brains of
some of the celebrity players to try and figure out what kind of poker
player they really are. Dick Van Patten Dick Van Patten was one of TV's
all-time favorite dads on the 1977-81 family drama Eight Is Enough. Lately,
Van Patten has kept busy by lending his name to a line of high-end dog food,
Natural Balance, intended to be indistinguishable from stews and other
dishes and suitable for human consumption. After suffering a diabetic stroke
in January 2006, he sustained some speech impairment and paralysis but says
he's in fine fettle to compete in this year's poker tournament. How many
years have you been playing poker now? I started playing poker when I was 9.
I think my son, Vince, is better than me because I'm much more obvious. When
Vincent was 12 years old, he would play poker with me and other old men up
until 11 p.m. or later. And he would say, "Dad, I gotta go to bed." And I
would say, "Shut up and deal."</p>
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