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No mention of the World Poker Tour can be made without dothing our collective caps to the men who have been the faces of the show from its very first show, Mike Sexton and Vince van Patten.
Abbott and Costello; Hope and Crosby; Martin and Lewis – make no mistake about it, there have been some great American double-acts over the decades. In the world of poker, however, one dynamic duo tower head and shoulders above the rest. With a wealth of experience between them and countless years in the game, WPT Poker took some time out to catch up with commentators Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten at the end of another triumphant season for the World Poker Tour.
WPT: How long have you been doing this together and, more importantly, aren’t you sick of each other yet?
MS: This is our seventh season on World Poker Tour and Vince and I started out from the very first show together. We’re still here and we’re part of a team now that I think is a bit like Abbott and Costello.
WPT: Or a married couple?
VVP: Let’s not get carried away now…
MS: We certainly see each other more than our wives!
VVP: It’s been a great ride on the WPT and we’re really good friends as well. We’ve also been playing in private poker games together on the side – which are always a lot of fun – and it’s all gone really fast.
WPT: So you’re looking forward to season eight?
MS: We are definitely looking forward to season eight and beyond that as well.
WPT: What do you think is going to be in store for next season? Are we going to see the numbers pick up again and more Americans enter the competition?
MS: I think so yes, but so much depends on what happens with online poker in the United States. If it gets regulated and legalised, however many players these venues can hold will be how many players we get entering these tournaments – it could be literally thousands at every event if players can qualify online for $100 or $50 to win seats in World Poker Tour.
I think in terms of the number of entries a lot is going to depend on the legalisation of online poker in the U.S., but even if it doesn’t happen right away I think we’re still going to maintain the numbers we were getting last season.
WPT: How do you see it going with the government?
MS: I think for sure it’s going to regulated and legalised – in my opinion in less than two years time – but hopefully by the end of this year.
WPT: There’s a suggestion that it will happen state-by-state. Do you think that’s likely?
MS: That might be how it happens. I know California have just put in legislation themselves to pave the way for online poker, so if they do it, believe me, all the other states will follow.
WPT: The World Championships were a really exciting finale to season seven - were you secretly a little disappointed that Scotty Nguyen didn’t win the event and become the all-time record money-winner?
MS: Well it was more than becoming all-time money leader; in my mind the guy would have won the three most prestigious events in the history of poker – the Main Event at the World Series of Poker, the Main Event on the World Poker Tour and the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament, again at the WSOP. That is a trifecta which really – for a poker player to win all three – is mind-boggling.
VVP: We’re talking about a time when it’s more difficult to make final tables than ever. There are so many great players now and they can all play so well that it becomes a crapshoot – if Scotty had completed such an amazing achievement it would have been phenomenal.
WPT: Even more so given all the up-and-coming kids and internet prodigies that he had to face throughout the tournament.
VVP: Yeah. They have no fear, they don’t care who they’re playing against and they’ve got a lot of nerve. They’ve got all that going for them – guts, nerve and courage – so they’re very, very tough to beat.
MS: It was no coincidence that the two twenty-one-year-olds came to the final table as the two chip leaders – these young guys are unbelievable. There was also Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier who is a WPT champ himself, so it was huge for us and it made for a great event.
WPT: What do you make of “ElkY” this year?
MS: He’s so consistent - the guy is a phenomenal player. I’ve played with him before and I’m telling you, he is the real deal. I don’t think he’s a fly-by-night guy like some people are – “ElkY” is going to be around for some time and he’s a real tough hombre.
WPT: As you were watching the final table, who did you think would win and who did you hope would win?
MS: Well, because I’m an old-school guy and Scotty was about the oldest guy there, I thought it would be great to see him win his trifecta. But any time a 21-year-old kid wins $2.1 million it can only be good for poker as well and really, there was a lot of potential across the final table for a lot of great champions.
VVP: Personally, I was the commentator for the World Series event that Scotty won in 1998 and I wished him luck at the pre-final table party. We go way back and we’ve played loads of games together, so I was definitely rooting for Scotty as well. |
