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Sunday Herald Sun (Australia)
December 23, 2007
City draws an ace
By Fiona Byrne
Article thanks to AussieCIFan59 at IMDb.
ALIAS star Michael Vartan does not keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to his fondness for Melbourne.
"I love your city more than any other city on the planet," said the star of the Aussie film Rogue.
"It started when I came here to start filming Rogue a couple of years ago. I got off the aeroplane and I instantly felt at home. I was 37 at the time and I had never felt that anywhere."
Vartan is heading back to Melbourne on January 3 to take part in the Aussie Millions poker championship at Crown. And he is not the only US star on their way to Crown. Jennifer Tilley is expected to take part in the event, while Crash star Don Cheadle is in negotiations to attend.
A long-time poker player, Vartan said he was looking forward to taking part in his first major championship.
"I play mostly online tournaments," he said.
"I have never played in a live tournament with all the greatest players in the world."
Despite meeting and picking up some tips from Australian poker ace Joe Hachem on a recent visit to Melbourne, Vartan said he was unlikely to pose a serious threat to the professional players.
"Joe was great. He gave me lots of tips and pointers that I had never really thought of. But, no, I am not the dark horse of the tournament," he said.
"I have been playing poker for quite a while and I understand the game reasonably well, but it is more of a hobby than anything else."
"I am staying for the run of the tournament, but don't expect to see me at the final table. That would be amazing, but don't count on it happening."
Vartan confirmed rumours that he was interested in buying a home in Melbourne.
"It is right on the money. I definitely definitely would love to have a place it Melbourne where I could spend three four, five, six months of the year. It is something I have thought about several times," he said.
© 2007 Herald and Weekly Times
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