Losing Hand!

David Letterman: Retired Host Risks Fortune On Gambling Obsession

TV legend hoping Lady Luck is on his side!

David Letterman
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David Letterman is upping the ante over his obsession with high-stakes poker!

But pals fear that the retired “Late Night” host — who’s already announced a return to television with a new show on Netflix — could have already been putting his original $400 million celebrity net worth at risk.

“Dave has rediscovered his love for poker,” dished a source. “He hadn’t played in years, but he’s been getting back into it, and he even started teaching his 13-year-old son, Harry, over the kitchen table. Now Dave wants to take his skills to Las Vegas, where he dreams of winning big!”

Dave, who retired in 2015, has been gearing up to take on A-list poker-playing celebs like Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire — but he should cool his jets, warned the source.

“Those guys are as close to professional players as you can get,” spilled the source.

“Dave’s totally out of his league with them. He might be worth $400 million, but those guys will have no hesitation in cleaning him out!”


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Dave’s lifelong idol and mentor, late “Tonight Show” icon Johnny Carson, was a legendary poker player who hosted a regular card party at his Malibu home during the 1970s and ’80s.

Dave — who made headlines in 2009 after a $2 million extortion attempt led the married comic to admit to multiple affairs with staffers — insisted his poker playing is not a problem, added the insider.

Yet pals, worried about his decades-long battle with booze, fear Dave could end up flat broke like ‘NYPD Blue’ creator David Milch — who gambled away a staggering $100 million!

“Dave’s trying to enjoy life a little by picking up new hobbies, but gambling isn’t what his old friends had in mind,” tattled the source. “They wish Dave would stick to skiing and fishing. Everyone’s hoping this poker thing is just a phase.”