This is the second to last episode of season 4 in High Stakes Poker. I hope this season goes out with a bang and we actually see a $1 million+ pot, instead of deals being made! Last week’s episode wasn’t as good in comparison to episode 14, but it certainly wasn’t lame. With only 2 shows left I can only hope that they are saving the best for last.
We still have the same people at the table and I imagine we will for the last two episodes, unless of course someone goes bust. Seated around the table are; Antonio Esfandiari, Sammy Farha, David Benyamine, Patrik Antonius, Guy Laliberte, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, and Barry Greenstein. Remember, there is over $5,000,000 on the table!
The show starts off with the double straddle still on, making the blinds $300/$600/$1200/$2400 with a $100 ante. Antonius limps in first position with 9s8s, Greenstein calls in the sb with 8d7d, Sammy with J6o, and Beyamine checks his T9o. The flop comes 2c 5d Ad, and the only one who hit anything there was Greenstein with his flush draw. It checks around to Patrik who is last to act and decides to try and pick up the pot by betting $8,000 into $16,000. Barry calls and everyone else folds. The turn comes the Js and it goes check/check. The river falls the 7h, giving Barry a pair, and it goes check/check again. Barry turns up his hand and Patrik has that “why didn’t I bet” look on his face. Barry wins the first pot of the show, $27,000.
The next hand the double straddle is off and we’re back to the 300/600/1200. It starts with Doyle limping in with A9o, Greenstin with QJo, and when it gets to Sammy he says “I’m gonna raise,” and makes it $13,200 with his monster Ks5s and the button. It folds to Guy who calls out of the bb with JdTd, then Doyle and Barry fold. Both players are heads up to the flop of 2c Kd Ad. Guy has flopped a royal flush draw and just by the look on his face you can tell he has something. He checks, and Sammy checks right behind. The turn falls the Qc, giving Guy the nuts. He checks again and Sammy casually throws in $10,000. Guy looks like he is going to raise and Sammy says “I’ll only bet $10k on the river. If you raise 10 here you’ll win.” Guy says “really? Ok” and makes it $20,000, but at the same time says “I’ll give you a break” and turns up his hand. This is just silly and down right stupid, Sammy might have even called or raised. Who knows? Guy raises and shows Sammy the nuts; I just don’t get it.
The next hand we see Greenstein raising to $4000 with AJo and it folds to Sammy who calls with Kd6d. Benyamine folds and when it gets to Patrik, he decides to re-raise to $18,000 with 9c7c. When it gets back to Barry he folds his AJ and of course Sammy calls. The flop comes very dangerous, As Ks, Js. Patrik fires out $30,000 into $42,600 abd Sammy calls pretty quickly. This is a pretty bad call in a vacuum to say the least, even though it was the right move here. However it isn’t new to see Sammy making weird or bad calls. The turn falls the 6c, and now Sammy has two pair. Patrik thinks for a moment before firing another shell, this time $85,000. Sammy studies for a short while and he decides to call again. The pot is now $272,600 to the river. It comes the 5d and Patrik almost immediately bets $150,000. Sammy starts mumbling to himself and starts counting his chips. He chip dances for a while and eventually calls. “You got it” say Patrik. When Sammy turns up his hand he gets a round of “wows” from the players and scoops the $572,600 pot.
The very next hand Patrik looks to be steaming and raises to $4000 with QsTh, Guy calls with 9h7h, and Negreanu re-raises to $20,000 with JcTc. Patrik and Guy both call. The flop comes down 2s 5c 9c and Guy checks. Negreanu bets $45,000 into $67,000 and Patrik folds. Guy looks like he is going to call and now Daniel is trying to get him to fold by talking to him. He wants to just take the pot now, and Guy eventually does show his hand and lay it down.
Later in the show we see Sammy who loves any two card, raise to $4,000 with A3o, Guy calls with 7h4h, and Daniel is in with KJo. The flop comes down great for Farha, 3h Qs 3d, Daniel checks and Sammy casually tosses in $5,000. Too bad for him no one has anything, and both players lay it down.
The very hand Sammy finds an even better Ace, AhJc, and makes it $4200 from early position. It folds to Negreanu who knows how Sammy plays and sees how many hands he is raising and makes it $12,000 to go with KdTs. The table folds back to Sammy who of course makes the call. He says he would check/raise Daniel in the dark if he bet, but Daniel chose not to when he saw the flop of As Ac 8c. Instead he checks right behind and sees the turn Ad giving him quads! He says “don’t worry about the 20, worry about what I am going to bet on the river if you call,” hoping Daniel has something. But he doesn’t and folds.
Immeditely after this hand, we see Patrik dealth QhJs and makes it $4000 to go. Doyle decides to play his Qd9d and everyone else folds. Heads up they see the flop of 8d Kh Jd which gives Patrik middle pair and Doyle an inside straight flush draw. Since Patrik may be tilting there could be some fireworks here. He fires out $7000 ino $10,900 and Doyle re-raises up to $22,000. Patrik calls almost just as quickly. The turn comes the 4c and it goes check/check. The river brings the 8h and Patrik checks again to which Doyle says “Queen high” giving up. He thought Patrik was wounded and might not fold a medium strength hand. Patrik scoops the $54,900 pot.
Later in the show we get the hear Sammy’s phrase, “raisy daisy” as he makes it $7200 with Ad5h after Guy limped with KcTs. When it folds back to Guy he calls and Sammy says he is going to bet in the dark and throws in $12,000. It was a bad time to do it because the flop comes Ks 9h Qs and Guy checks his cards and calls. Sammy checks the turn of 7h, and Guy bets $21,500. Sammy really wants to get his money back that he put in, and eventually gets guy to take back $10,000 of his bet. It doesn’t matter because Sammy ends up throwing it away anyway, and Guy wins the small pot.
The next hand we see Guy limping in with QsTs, Doyle with 5s5c, and Antonius checks with Ac3s. The flop comes good for Doyle but still pretty dangerous, 5d Td 6d. Doyle has a set but there are 3 diamonds on board. It checks to Doyle who bets $7000, Patrik folds, and Guy calls. The turn is what Doyle did not want to see, the 9d, and it goes check/check. The river brings one last diamond, the 4d and now both players have a flush. Guy checks and Doyle says “well I finally turned a set” and checks. Guy and Doyle chop the $19,300 pot, and Doyle didn’t try to buy it.
We come back from commercial and Negreanu starts a limp fest with his Ad4d, Esfandiari finally plays a hand 5d2d, Farha 7h5c, Patrik Td7s, and Guy checks 8d5h. The flop comes Th 2c 7c giving Antonius top two and he checks, and it checks around to Sammy who firs $5000 into $7,100. Patrik just calls and everyone else folds. The turn comes the 9d and it goes check/check. The river brings the Ah and Patrik checks again, and Sammy waves the flag. Patrik wins the small $17,100 pot and Sammy says “top pair he puts in $600,000, top two pair he just calls, it’s amazing.”
Gabe announces that it is the final hand of the show and we see Antonius (still steaming?) raising to $4,000 on the button with 8d2d, Guy calls with Qc4c, Daniel with AcJd, and Doyle with 8s5c. The flop is gin for Patrik, Kd 4d 7d, and it checks around to him who bets $15,000 into $16,800. Guy folds, Daniel calls, and DOyle folds. The turn brings the 8c, Daniel checks, and Patrik bets again, this time $40,000 into $46,800. He bets fairly large making it look like a bluff, and Daniel calls. The river brings the As which is really bad for Daniel. He checks and Patrik bets $115,000. Patrik has been playing very loose and aggressive since that bluff with Sammy, and Daniel starts talking to himself. He really doesn’t know what to do here, and eventually decides to pay him off and calls. Patrik shows the flush and wins $356,800. Doyle then makes the comment “I use to do that when I was young too, shoot it up with 82 and make a flush!”
Well that was the final hand of the night, and other than the first and last hand there were no big pots. Mainly everything was small and I think this was the most uninteresting episode so far this season. The bluff hand between Sammy and Patrik was pretty interesting, but other than that it was kind of boring. The previews for the next (and last) show has David talking about going out with a bang, and Daniel and Sammy discussing what to do if Daniel goes allin. I can’t wait to see the final episode (but I admit am a little disappointed it’s almost over!) and hope it ends with some huge pots.
High Stakes Poker runs every Monday at 9:00 PM EST on GSN. Tune in next week for the finale of season 4!