"My father taught me how to play Texas Holdem poker and read the Racing Form at age 9," says "World Poker Tour" host Vince Van Patten. "He thought it would come in handy in case all else failed. Well, I guess all else failed, and I've been playing ever since. It's a passion of mine."

This passion has turned Van Patten, at one time a world-class tennis player, into a world-class poker player. He has a 20-year history of star-studded home poker games of his own, so serving as host of "World Poker Tour" was a natural fit. The show airs its second-season championship finals at 9 p.m. Wednesday on the Travel Channel.

According to Van Patten, this championship undoubtedly will be the largest prize pool in the history of Texas Holdem poker.

"We estimate it between $7 million to $10 million. There should be 400 players in total," he says.

Among those 400 are the 12 winners of the previous second-season games, including Erick Lindgren and Phil Laak.

Laak is known on the show as "the Unabomber," because he plays while wearing a hooded sweat shirt, Van Patten says.

"And he makes a bet, and then he covers his entire face everything but his two eyeballs with the hood," Van Patten says. "He's hysterical."

There also will be the celebrity winners of the Hollywood Home Game editions of "World Poker Tour": Mimi Rogers, Ming-Na and Richard Karn.

"A lot of them are getting their feet wet with Texas Holdem poker," Van Patten says of the celebrities. "But then there are a few, like Ben Affleck, James Woods, Lou Diamond Phillips and Mimi Rogers, who are quite exceptional. I would consider Ben, at this point, the best celebrity poker player. He also plays in my side game in L.A. He loves the game; it's his new passion. He says he's only doing movies now to support his Texas Holdem poker game. He has the potential to be totally world class."

The celebs and major superstars of the poker world who didn't win during the season need to ante up $25,000 to enter the championship. That probably won't dent their pocketbooks too much, and the potential payoff more than offsets that entry fee. Not to mention the rush that Van Patten believes cannot be found in other card games.

"It's the element of the bluff that separates a poker game from other games," he says. "The fact that you can have the worst hand, and yet you will win the money if you have the guts and the right timing to pull off a bluff, that's what makes it truly exciting. Plus, the fact that we play no limit you can bet everything you want at any time. Other games blackjack, craps you can't make these outstanding bets where it's all on the line. I'm just impressed on how many great players have the guts to make absolute stone-cold bluffs. I'm just awed by how many are making those kind of plays in critical situations. You're watching real-life cowboys."