Vinny Dingle (Bradley Johnson) looked to be on the path of self-destruction in tonight’s Emmerdale (8th December), as he harshly rejected mum Mandy (Lisa Riley) in favour of playing poker.
The grief-stricken widower has been struggling to move on after the tragic, untimely death of wife Liv (Isobel Steele) in the village storm. He’s also contemplated selling Mill Cottage, as the memories are proving too painful for him.
Mandy has been worried about Vinny and continues to fuss over him. She was grateful when pal Jimmy King (Nick Miles), who works on the same premises as Vinny, offered to talk to him. Jimmy encouraged Vinny to open up over a game of snap, and it led to a breakthrough.
Jimmy then asked if he fancied a game of poker instead, and Vinny was happy to oblige. Before long, the pair were gambling at the Woolpack with Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) and Ryan Stocks (James Moore).
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Landlady Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) warned them to be discreet as she could lose her licence, and Vinny proved himself to be a skilled poker player as he cashed in.
Jimmy later took the opportunity to use the café for another game when he had to close the place for a repair. When electrician Marcus Dean (Darcy Grey) completed his task, Jimmy bribed him into sticking around so he wouldn’t have to reopen!
When Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) heard that son David was gambling while Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) looked after his shop, he was furious and stormed over to confront him. David was humiliated, and Pollard revealed Jimmy’s antics to co-owner Brenda Walker (Lesley Dunlop), who surprised everyone by insisting she joined the game.
Mandy was not happy to hear how Jimmy was distracting Vinny, but at Mill, Vinny was visited by Mack who asked if he would consider playing poker at a higher level. Mandy was concerned that her son was turning into his gambling addict dad Paul Ashdale (Reece Dinsdale), and she headed round to warn him.
But Vinny wasn’t interested in what Mandy had to say as he ordered her to leave him be. Is he in danger of losing control?
Read more:
- 7 Emmerdale spoilers: Will Chas Dingle’s affair be exposed at last?
- Emmerdale’s Chas “panicked” about Belle spilling affair secret
Emmerdale airs on weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV and ITV Hub. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our Soaps hub.
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