The long-time poker host teaches poker players how to get in the game
Poker players aboard the WPT Voyage had a unique adventure on Tuesday, April 2, when the Valiant Lady stopped in Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. They became pickleball players after getting free lessons from WPT commentator Vince Van Patten, a former tennis player who transitioned to professional pickleball.
Van Patten, whose pickleball skills were highlighted in last month’s Sports Illustrated, held two separate sessions with pickleball champion Mattias Johannson in the sunny Cayman Islands on a beautiful court lined with palm trees.
Players took a boat over Grand Cayman before a short shuttle ride to Pickleball Cayman, an outdoor facility shaded by a huge canopy. Participants were then separated into beginner and intermediate groups before hitting the court. Van Patten began by explaining the details of pickleball, and players were then divided into teams of two to play a few practice rounds before playing a six-round tournament with eight-minute games.
WPT President and CEO Adam Pliska was also a participant, along with several members of the poker media. Players were also offered a $20 freeroll if they could send the ball over the net and hit a target at the other end of the court, which Johannson was able to execute in the first few attempts. Another freeroll was awarded to players who could hit Van Patten and Johannson, which had the two pros dodging and weaving to avoid the balls.
Following a group photo, the team of new pickleball players boarded buses to the Grand Cayman docks and returned to sea on the Valiant Lady, where it was time for more poker action.
