Family Affair

This is one family you don’t want to bluff! Victor Goulding, 91; Rick Goulding, 52, and Brenton Goulding, 22 of Melbourne, Florida., are breaking new ground today—as the first ever three-generational family to play in a World Series of Poker Main Event.

Sponsored by PartyPoker.net the Gouldings—led by the irrepressible granddad Victor – have come en masse to lay their cards on the table against thousands of other competitors in the largest WSOP ever.

“We at PartyPoker.net are proud to sponsor a family who remind us all that poker is a game of fun and skill for people of all ages,” said Warren Lush, PartyPoker.net spokesman.

Poker fans may recognize Victor from last year, when in one of the classic moments on the ESPN broadcast, he was given a “time out” for cursing. At 91, he is the oldest player in the field this year, as well as last year, Victor says, "I’m very passionate about my poker. I can’t wait to play again. And, I hope to be here next year, too!"

However, it’s the first appearance at the WSOP Main Event for son Rick, a retired plastic surgeon-turned-film producer and grandson Brenton, a philosophy student at the University of Florida. The entire family is in Vegas to cheer them on and that includes Brenton’s brothers– Blane 19, Barrett 17, and Bryce Goulding, 13 (affectionately known as the B GEES among their friends). Grandad Victor, who counts among his exploits going head-to-head with Amarillo Slim and bringing poker to New Guinea in 1943 during WWII, plays online regularly to stay sharp. The most any of the three have won online to date is $2,500. But that doesn’t begin to tell the tale of their competitiveness, passed down from generation to generation.

"Brenton is the best player in our very competitive home games,” says Rick, the proud pop. ”He probably wins six out of every 10. I, unfortunately, am at the bottom of the ladder.”

That doesn’t stop his son Brenton from dreaming that they all advance in the tournament. "Wouldn’t it be funny if–out of all those thousands of people–I ended up on a table with my dad or granddad,” he says. “I hope it would go the way of our home games!"