Poker News

New Faces Join High Stakes Poker

This week on GSN’s High Stakes Poker, eight new faces took to the felts. The largest pot in the show’s history, a $919,000 hand between Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Barry Greenstein, highlighted the last group’s session.

In one of the more intriguing hands of the episode, which aired on Sunday night at 9:00pm ET on GSN, Full Tilt Poker pro Howard Lederer peeked down at pocket tens and made it $3,000 pre-flop. 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Joe Hachem called holding pocket jacks and the flop came K-7-6, all spades. Lederer held the only spade and led out for $4,500. Hachem promptly called to see the five of spades fall on the turn, giving Lederer a flush.

On the spade that fell on the turn, High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan commented, “Howard doesn’t know if he’s happy about that spade or not. Hachem calling on that flop may mean Joe has a big spade like the ace or the queen.” Lederer checked, Hachem bet $8,500, and Lederer tanked before raising to $18,500. Hachem then 3bet to $38,500, prompting Kaplan to commend, “Great play by Joe Hachem. He’s reading Howard very well.” Lederer folded and Hachem scooped the $74,800 pot.

The episode featured two of Hollywood’s elite battle head to head, as “The Simpsons” producer Sam Simon squared off against “The Notebook” director Nick Cassavetes. Holding pocket jacks, Simon raised to $3,000 and Cassavetes called with 7-5 of hearts. Daniel Negreanu, who was the only holdover from the first group of eight, also called with A-5. The flop came 7-2-7, giving Cassavetes trips. Simon led out and bet $10,000, Cassavetes raised to $26,000, Negrenu folded, and Simon insta-folded. Kaplan was impressed with the laydown: “Without even thinking about it, Sam Simon lays down jacks to the disappointment of Nick Cassavetes. It was the right move, but no one else at this table would have done it.”

A variety of side bets were discussed during the episode, many instigated by “I Bet You” co-stars Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. In one bet, Hachem took the under on what rating Cassavetes would give the movie “Pulp Fiction” between one and 100. Although the mark was set in the 80s, Cassavetes gave the film a 98, costing Hachem $1,000. Another bet surrounded how many words Patrik Antonius, who is in the midst of the Million Dollar Challenge against Dwan, would say at the table. The over/under was set at 78 and Antonius easily surpassed that total in the first episode.

Laak and Simon would tangle in a hand where “The Unabomber” raised with 10-2 of spades to $6,300. Simon mistakenly raised to $11,800 with 10-4 and Laak called. The flop came 8-9-J, giving both players an open-ended straight draw. Simon led out for $30,000 and Laak called. The turn came an ace. Simon checked and Laak casually tossed in a bundle of bills worth $50,000. Kaplan noted, “This is really a case of an amateur playing against a professional. Phil Laak knows Sam Simon did not want to see that ace of diamonds.” Simon quickly folded.

In the richest hand of the show, Negreanu bet $2,500 with 8-9 of diamonds and Antonius raised to $11,000 with J-4 of spades. Negreanu made the call and the flop came K-10-3 with two diamonds. Antonius bet $17,000 and Negreanu called with a flush draw. The turn came the five of hearts and the action went check-check. The queen of spades fell on the river and Negreanu bet $26,000. Kaplan remarked, “That’s the kind of bet you would make with a hand like K-9. I wouldn’t put it past Patrik Antonius to come over the top.” However, Antonius folded, giving Negreanu the $84,800 pot.

Next week, Negreanu becomes frustrated with Lederer after "The Professor" accidentally interferes in a hand. Also, a bet unfolds as to whether Esfandiari can perform 35 pushups. New episodes of Season 5 of “High Stakes Poker” air on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET on GSN.

NBC Broadcast of National Heads Up Poker Championship Begins Sunday

Sunday certainly seems to be the time for poker fans to get their fill of televised poker action. As the World Poker Tour continues its seventh season run on Fox Sports Network on Sunday nights and new episodes of “High Stakes Poker” are aired on GSN simultaneously, national television network NBC will begin its broadcasts of the 2009 National Heads Up Poker Championship sponsored by GoDaddy.com this Sunday at noon Eastern time.

The NHUPC, contested between 64 of the biggest names in the poker world, was completed last month at Caesars in Las Vegas. NBC, as they have done since the inception of the tournament in 2005, was there to capture all of the action from the felt. The first two-hour broadcast of this year’s event features top professionals that should draw viewers to their televisions for something other than NASCAR or baseball.

This Sunday’s two hour broadcast will feature play in the Spades and Clubs brackets and offers plenty of action around the Caesars floor. In the Clubs bracket - which will be the featured bracket of the first hour - there are several pairings taking place on the side that would normally be “featured battles.” While poker legend Doyle Brunson takes on PokerStars and GoDaddy.com sponsored pro Vanessa Rousso and 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. champion Scotty Nguyen takes on Hevad “Rain” Khan on the sidelines, the featured matches will have Daniel Negreanu’s fight with 2003 WSOP champion Chris Moneymaker and the intriguing battle between Full Tilt Poker’s Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and Italy’s poker prodigy Dario Minieri.

The second hour of the broadcast will feature play in the Spades bracket. Much like the first hour, there are solid matches that will be seen but aren’t the featured match-ups of the broadcast. Such matches as Gavin Griffin’s face-off with online ace Tom “durrr” Dwan and current WSOP Europe champion John Juanda vs. 2005 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem’s will be taking place around the featured tables. At the featured tables, “High Stakes Poker” announcer Gabe Kaplan’s battle with former World Champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson takes center stage alongside the match up of two venerable poker champions: WPT announcer Mike Sexton and eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

NBC’s broadcast of the NHUPC will continue to take place each Sunday over the next six weeks. The two remaining brackets - the Hearts and Diamonds brackets - will be on the air next Sunday and future broadcasts of the NHUPC will work down to the best-of-three championship, which will be broadcast on May 6th.

Over its five year history, the NHUPC has featured some of the best poker action that has been seen on television. Because of its unique format - a NCAA style bracket tournament and a multitude of the top players in the poker world - the airings of the NHUPC have traditionally drawn strong audiences. Perhaps because of the challenges of having to win seven times to take the title (the Championship match is a “best two of three” affair), the former champions of the tournament read like a Who’s Who of poker:  Inaugural champion Hellmuth (2005), Ted Forrest (2006), Paul Wasicka (2007) and defending champion Ferguson.

To see who will become the latest name to join these preeminent players, be sure to tune in to NBC’s coverage of the National Heads Up Poker Championships beginning this Sunday at noon Eastern time.

Tom Dwan Scoops Largest High Stakes Poker Pot Ever

The fifth season of High Stakes Poker is currently airing on GSN and, in the final episode featuring Tom Dwan, the 22 year-old scooped a $919,600 pot, the largest ever won on the show. The win came at the expense of Barry Greenstein.

The second hand of High Stakes Poker, which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET on GSN, featured a $2,000 straddle by Peter Eastgate and a $4,000 double straddle by Doyle Brunson. Straddles have been used sparingly throughout the course of the show so far, a trend that was bucked this weekend. Greenstein made it $15,000 pre-flop holding As-Js. 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate called with Ks-7s and Brunson called with J-9. The flop came J-3-7 with one spade, giving Greenstein top pair with the best kicker. Eastgate checked, Brunson bet $35,000, and Greenstein called. High Stakes Poker announcer Gabe Kaplan noted, “Barry knows Doyle and if Doyle had a better hand than him, he'd check.”

After Greenstein called Brunson's bet, Eastgate raised to $104,000. Brunson got out of the way and Greenstein called. The turn came the 10 of spades, giving both players a flush draw, although Greenstein would have the nuts if a spade fell on the river. Greenstein bet $175,000 and Eastgate went into the tank before folding. Kaplan commented, “Barry did not want Peter Eastgate to say 'All in.'”

The biggest hand of the night came in a pot where Eastgate made it $3,500 pre-flop with A-K. Greenstein peeked down to see pocket aces and raised to $15,000. Dwan called with Ks-Qs and Eastgate also saw the flop of 2-4-Q with two spades. Kaplan made an elaborate Star Spangled Banner reference before Dwan led out and bet $28,700. Greenstein raised to $100,000 as a 50% favorite to win the pot and Dwan re-raised to $244,600. Greenstein shoved enough to put Dwan all-in and the two agreed to run it just once. Greenstein offered to let Dwan to take back $200,000, but the youngster declined. The turn was a queen, leaving Greenstein drawing to the case ace, which didn't come on the river. Dwan scooped the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history.

Sunday's installment of High Stakes Poker also saw Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu go broke once again. He had the misfortune of running into quads earlier this season and, in his final hand, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies raised to $4,500 with J-6 and Negreanu called with K-Q. The flop came Q-6-3, giving Negreanu top pair. Sahamies bet $8,000 and Negreanu elected to slow play his hand by just calling. The turn came another six and Sahamies bet $27,000, this time with trips instead of middle pair. Negreanu pushed for $102,400 and Sahamies quickly called. Negreanu quipped, “I'm just going to quit.” The river came a three, giving the $232,500 pot to Sahamies. Negreanu left the set, the first exit on High Stakes Poker this season.

One of the final hands for this group of seven players saw Eastgate raise to $3,500 with J-9. Dwan called with A-3 and David Benyamine raised to $16,000 with pocket nines. Both Eastgate and Dwan called, seeing the flop of 9-Q-Q. In the background of the hand was a heated discussion between Dwan and Sahamies over who owed who money, which took away a bit of the luster of this hand. Benyamine bet out $28,000 with his flopped full house, Eastgate called with two pair, and Dwan folded. The turn came a six and Benyamine once again led out for $38,000. Eastgate called and the river came an eight, which Kaplan noted “could save Eastgate some money.” Benyamine bet $75,000 and Eastgate called, losing the $331,200 pot.

The High Stakes Poker set at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas will welcome seven new faces on Sunday, April 12th. They include “The Simpsons” producer Sam Simon, Phil Laak, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, and Antonio Esfandiari. In addition, Negreanu will return looking to reverse his luck.

Daniel Negreanu Rebuys Again on High Stakes Poker

Two weeks removed from going broke when his pocket jacks ran into David Benyamine's quad fours, Daniel Negreanu was forced to rebuy once again this week on GSN's “High Stakes Poker.” This time, his gamble against Eli Elezra did not pay off, and the Team PokerStars Pro member saw his luck in the ring game continue to slide.

This was the fifth episode of the new season of High Stakes Poker, which airs on GSN at 9:00pm ET on Sundays. Last week's show featured Tom “durrrr” Dwan's aces cracked by Barry Greenstein's J-9 when Greenstein turned two pair. The hand sparked the catch phrase, “Math is idiotic,” which is now a staple of the show. Greenstein opened this week's episode with wins in two smaller pots, one against 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and one against both Negreanu and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

Several massive pots occurred in this week's episode. In the first, Negreanu raised to $3,000 with 9-10 of clubs and was called by Dwan, who had 8-7. Elezra made it $11,000 holding pocket aces and both of his opponents called. The flop came Q-2-4 with two clubs and Elezra bet out $17,000. High Stakes Poker Host Gabe Kaplan noted, “A small bet. He's hoping someone has a big queen and would raise him.”

Holding a flush draw, Negreanu raised to $44,100, Dwan got out of the way, Elezra made it $119,100, and Negreanu shoved for $226,300. Elezra called, saying, “I hope you're on a draw.” Sure enough, Negreanu was. The combatants agreed to run the board twice, meaning in order to scoop the entire pot, a player must win both boards. The first came the five of diamonds and six of spades, a win for Elezra. The second board ran out the three of spades and jack of spades, giving Elezra the massive $487,100 pot. Negreanu promptly reloaded.

Elezra turned up the aggression with his newfound chips. In one hand, he raised to $4,500 with A-9 of diamonds. Eastgate raised to $20,000 with pocket queens, and Doyle Brunson quickly folded pocket tens. On the latter move, Kaplan commented, “I don't understand that.” Sahamies called the raise with pocket fours and Elezra also called. The flop came K-2-7 with two diamonds and Elezra bet $55,000. Kaplan noted, “That's a pretty big bet. I think Peter is savvy enough to realize that when Eli had aces, he bet half the size of the pot.” Eastgate called and the turn came a non-diamond three. The action went check-check and the river was a non-diamond jack. Both Elezra and Eastgate checked and the reigning WSOP Main Event Champion took down the $174,100 pot.

Greenstein and Elezra locked horns in a hand that saw four-way action to a flop of J-K-A with two diamonds. Greenstein, who was the hand's initial pre-flop raiser, led out for $7,000 with 6-5 of diamonds, Elezra made it $19,000 with A-2, and the action folded back to Greenstein, who called. The turn came a non-diamond eight. Greenstein checked and Elezra bet $45,000. Kaplan remarked, “I don't know what Eli is putting Barry on, but I know one thing: Eli wants Barry to fold his hand right here.” Instead of laying down his draw, Greenstein fired back and raised to $200,000, prompting a quick fold from Elezra.

Dwan continued being active at the table. In a hand that occurred early on in the show, Negreanu raised to $5,600 with K-Q, Dwan called with A-J, and Elezra called holding 3-2 suited. The flop came 8-2-J, giving Dwan top pair, top kicker. He led out for $13,200, Elezra folded, and Negreanu made the smooth call with king high. The turn came a four, Dwan bet $34,200, and Negreanu waved the white flag and folded. On the $74,400 hand, Kaplan commented, “Dwan confuses everybody. He gets them to play hands that they wouldn't otherwise play.”

Next week's episode promises to have the poker world buzzing. The preview reveals, “Barry Greenstein and Tom Dwan have battled all season long. Next week, they will lock up in what will be one of the most talked about hands in High Stakes Poker history.” Check out High Stakes Poker on Sundays at 9:00pm ET on GSN.