With Isai Scheinberg — the Biggest Poker Star of All

 

WITH ISAI SCHEINBERG (THE BIGGEST POKER STAR)

I’m still overwhelmed by the experience of attending ISAI SCHEINBERG‘s induction ceremony as a World Poker Tour (WPT) Honoree. The festivities were held last night at the Wynn Las Vegas, followed by an after-party sponsored by Poker.org. Allow me to share a few thoughts after attending both events:

— ISAI —

Based on numbers alone, Isai Scheinberg did more to grow and popularize the game of poker worldwide than anyone in history. This isn’t a slight to other pioneers who were important. However, Isai remains in a superclass all his own for his immense contributions to the game, which is now played in more than 160 countries. However, that’s not why Isai was honored by the community last night. His impact goes much deeper than that and is much more personal to each of us, especially those who worked with Isai and at PokerStars, the company he founded with his son, Mark. Isai consistently demanded honesty and integrity in every single aspect of his business. Those lessons and values were instilled in everyone within the company. Isai’s personal story and achievements are even more remarkable, given his humble beginnings and unlikely background. Isai faced some astounding challenges along the way, making his life even more of a melodrama and his ultimate success an even greater ultimate satisfaction. Celebrating the moment with Isai on the night he was honored was a profound moment of privilege.

 

— VINCE —

Vince Van Patton was also honored by the World Poker Tour last night. I knew the late Mike Sexton, his broadcast partner, very well. But I’ve never spent much time with Vince nor knew him well enough to say he was a friend. Hence, hearing all the people who do know Vince far better and listening to their stories was enlightening. I laughed with them as each one remembered something special about Vince and came away with even more respect for the man with roots in Hollywood (his father was Dick Van Patten), who was once ranked as one of the Top-25 tennis players in the world (Vince is a former tennis pro), and came into poker broadcasting and color commentary by accident but who has entertained us for more than 20 years. Congratulations to Vince on his well-deserved honor.

Also, Adam Pliska (WPT CEO) was fantastic as the emcee of the festivities with just the right mix of seriousness, candidness, and humor. Steve Lipscomb (WPT Founder) was also terrific with lots of funny stories and anecdotes.

Finally, it was a real joy to see so many faces of people that were so impactful last night, who I’d not seen in many years. I can’t possibly list them all here, but each person (including many who worked at PokerStars) brought back fond memories and made me remember things that once attracted me to the game. Thanks also to — Bruno Fitoussi, Steve Lipscomb, Deb Giardina, Lenore Giardina, Lance Bradley, Jeffrey Haas, Terrence Chan, and the late great Rich Korbin.  Also — Scott Wilson, Matt Savage, Karina Jett, Haley Hintze, Warren Lush, Sharon Goldman, Adam Pliska, Maryann Portugal Savage, Brad Willis, Lee Jones, Jeanne David, Eric Hollreiser, Christin Maschmann, Sven Stiel, John Caldwell, Hermance Blum, Lynn Gilmartin, Tony Dunst, Joe Versaci, Bertrand “”Elky” Grospellier, Danny McDonough, and last but never least, Robbie Strazynski

I posed with Isai during a break in the ceremony last night (July 8, 2023) and had this photograph taken (above).  Below is the photo of Adam Pliska in between both honorees, Vince and Isai (courtesy of CardPlayerLifestyle).