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High Stakes Poker - 5 Cents
Posted by: Paul Nichols

11 Apr 2007


I, like many of you out there, am a fan of poker. But, I, unlike many of you out there, do not have standard cable. What I do have is a cable company that doesn't really mind letting me watch ESPN and GSN (Game Show Network) for free. God bless all of them. So although I miss all the World Series of Poker action on ESPN2 and the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, I do get to watch High Stakes Poker on GSN. It features the regular cast of poker characters: Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson.

 

To those who don't know about poker yet, well, it's time you did. How could you not get addicted, like the rest of us, watching the 2003 World Series of Poker on ESPN? That year about 900 people entered the tournament and a fellow named (and I'm not making this up) Chris Moneymaker, an (and I'm not making this up) accountant, won 2.5 million dollars. That year was the first real big breakout year for poker on TV. In 2006, the champion was a guy named, of all things, Jamie Gold, and he won 12 million dollars (the field was 7,000 people strong).

 

The great thing about it is all of these guys have their own personalities, and, because it's poker, nicknames. Kid Poker. The Magician. Jesus. The Unabomber. The Mouth. Some guys are cool under pressure, others are not. Some throw their money away, some just get bad beats.

 

You may be thinking, "YAWN. What do I care about poker? I played when I was young and all we did was hit hit hit and then have to shuffle again." True. I thought it a big waste of time until 2003 when I learned me something. Well, these guys aren't playing draw poker. They're playing Texas Hold 'Em (google it for directions). Everybody gets two cards and then there are 5 community cards you can use to make your best 5-card hand. It's tons more fun than shuffling all the time. The great thing about high stakes poker is that it's a cash game, so the players are playing with their own money; they really care how they do. And the great thing about High Stakes Poker on GSN is that the announcers are hilarious - you can't tell if they hate each other, if they know what they're doing, or what. It comes across as endearing and entertaining.

 

So, ante up and add High Stakes Poker to your TV schedule. You'll be a fan in no time, too.

© 2007 Dime Brothers
Category: Product Review    

Reader Comments:

Last Name Guarantee
 
Since we have a last name that sounds like it can buy things, should we also enter the tournament and win us some moolah?

Since I'm anti-gambling, I guess you'll have to be "that guy".

(But I ain't anti-watching it! I agree - it's a lot of fun!)
11 Apr 2007
Mark 
Poked by Poker
 
I think it's the psychology of Hold 'em that makes it more fun to play, as opposed to five card draw. Knowing 3 to 5 fifths of your opponent's hand makes for a mind twister of epic and tantalizing proportions.

I enjoy the game with family and friends and a small buy in of $20. But I recently had the opportunity of playing with the "big boys" at the casino . . . and I hated every minute of it.

Talk about the most obnoxious, pompous, and rude people one has ever encountered. I ended up leaving $60 in the hole after I was insulted by the person who won the hand. You think'd he'd thank me for calling what I thought was a bluff. Instead, I was sent off with, "Dumb move, Idiot".

Nice, right?
12 Apr 2007
Steve 
Bus 'im
 
Poor guy was hit by a bus after he left the casino. Too bad, really. He thought the Peter Pan bus would fly right over him.

You should grab me on your way up there next time! Problem is, the cheapest buy in is for $60 Monday morning at like 8 a.m. It'd be a good learning experience, though.
12 Apr 2007
Paul 

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