The new season of "High Stakes Poker" started last night. I don't get GSN, so I had to wait for it to show up online. You can watch the first episode here.
I felt like a junkie overdue for his fix, and loved every minute of it. The play was interesting, the table talk was amusing, and Gabe Kaplan was in high form. (E.g., when Doyle Brunson was seen staring at something out of camera range, Kaplan quipped, "I don't think it's a woman. Must be the buffet.")
But one of the real treats was the range of poker faces we got to see this time around. First up is Peter Eastgate, in the final hand of the show. He had been thinking he was ahead, until Daniel Negreanu unexpectedly raised him on the river.
But first prize unquestionably goes to Tom Dwan. I don't think anybody could fake the astonishment he displayed when Peter Eastgate called Dwan's large river bet, then showed the winner. (It's not shown in these shots, but Dwan had 6c-7c and was absolutely certain it was good.)
Had Eastgate raised, then showed the winner, Dwan would surely not have been so surprised. Eastgate really blew that hand. He asked Dwan whether Dwan would have called if he (Eastgate) had raised. That's a question that every other player at the table, both of the commentators, and probably every viewer could have answered for him: a resounding "yes." Negreanu gently told Eastgate, "He doesn't like to fold. That's kinda his thing."
Dwan confirmed as much. He quietly said "Thank you" a couple of times--meaning, "Thank you for not raising there."
TV's best poker show is back!
Monday, March 02, 2009
Poker faces
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3 comments:
Great post and great link.
I'm just a recreational player, so I know I'm not in the league of the players at that table, but I agreed with Eastgate's decision not to raise on the river at the time I was watching the show. Eastgate was thinking a raise on the river would have to signify to Dwan that Eastgate had at least trip sixes (with a good kicker). From Eastgate's perspective a raise would not be called by any hand he beat and he would lose a lot more money by re-raising if Dwan had a full house (or be put to a tough decision if Dwan three-bet on the river). Turns out, Dwan admitted he would have called the re-raise so Eastgate didn't extract maximum value. I wonder what hand Dwan would put Eastgate on that Dwan thought he could beat if Eastgate raised on the river?
I'm excited to watch the full show during my workout this afternoon, but I did get the Eastgate/Dwan hand on my HSP video podcast and LOVED Durrr's reaction.
When I first saw him play Hellmuth on NBC, and his first appearance on Poker After Dark, I hated the guy, but after seeing him a couple more times, I think I'm coming around on him. When he's being a pompus prick I can't stand him, but its genuine, fun moments like this one and the way that Negreanu & the like have accepted him that makes me think he's probably an alright guy.
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