Betty White to Celebrate 97th Birthday With Poker Night

Betty White rings in her 97th birthday on Jan. 17, and the actress is spending the day in classic fashion, celebrating with a poker night with friends on Thursday evening.

“In [the] evening, Betty is playing poker with friends that she has played with for decades,” White’s rep told Us Weekly.

According to TMZ, White has been playing poker with her group for decades and is reportedly in great health.

In addition to time with friends, White has one other birthday wish — “[Betty is] waiting for Robert Redford to call!” her rep said.

White previously gushed about her crush on Redford in a 2017 interview with Parade, joking of placing the actor at the top of her birthday wish list, “But it never works. I try every year.”

Though she has one of the longest careers in Hollywood, White has never worked with Redford, and at the time of that interview, she had never even met him.

In that same interview, White dished on the secret to long life, joking that vodka and hot dogs — “probably in that order!” — were to thank for her many years.

On a more serious note, White recommended that everyone try to find the positives in life.

“Enjoy life,” she said. “Accentuate the positive, not the negative. It sounds so trite, but a lot of people will pick out something to complain about, rather than say, ‘Hey, that was great!’ It’s not hard to find great stuff if you look.”

The Golden Girls star added that her optimistic outlook is “pretty much the same” as always.

“I know it sounds corny, but I try to see the funny side and the upside, not the downside,” White explained. “I get bored with people who complain about this or that. It’s such a waste of time.”

The 97-year-old has continued to be a sunny presence in Hollywood, and her rep told Us Weekly that White doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon.

“Betty is feeing great,” they said, adding that White “still loves to work and offers keep coming in.”

While being honored during the 2018 Emmy Awards, White expressed her happiness for working in show business.

“Thank you. I’m just gonna quit while I’m ahead,” she told the crowd. “Little did I dream that I would be here and it’s incredible that I’m still in this business, that you’re putting up with me. I’m thanking you. It’s incredible that you can stay with a career this long and still have people put up with you. I wish they did that at home!”

Photo Credit: Getty / Amanda Edwards