im going to read the spoilers considering that the 1st season took over 3 months to air after it was recorded.
heres a little more info about season 2, apparently Matusow was in the spotlight as expected:
High Stakes Poker Season 2 article
From The Las Vegas Sun
Jeff Haney warns poker fans to watch for some fireworks in secon dseason of 'High Stakes Poker' show following a zany opening at the Palms
Producers of "High Stakes Poker" on cable network GSN say theshow's first season was an unqualified ratings success, as viewers wereeager to watch some of poker's most recognizable stars fearlessly tossaround piles of cash and stacks of exotically colored chips in ano-limit Texas hold 'em game.
If a boisterous taping this week at the Palms is any indication, thesecond season promises to deliver even more spirited play.
Considering each player had to bring a minimum buy in of $100,000 tothe event - which plays as a cash, or "ring," game rather than atournament - it's no surprise that some egos were on display at thetable.
For a while Monday night, the conversation revolved around -shocker! - ranking the top five poker players in the world, with LasVegas pro Mike Matusow maintaining he belongs in that select group.
Fellow Las Vegan Daniel Negreanu begged to differ, saying Matusow wasn't even one of the top five players at the table.
"I'd say Mike is the worst player here," Negreanu said, undoubtedly aware that his comment would set off Matusow's fuse.
"I want to play Daniel heads-up for the rest of the night," Matusowfired back, prompting Negreanu to label such an arrangement his "dream"matchup.
Negreanu, Matusow and more than a dozen other top pros mixed it upin the eight-handed, invitation-only no-limit game that lasted 14 hoursMonday, with a similar schedule set for Tuesday, on a speciallyconstructed set in a Palms ballroom.
It was designed to resemble a private hotel suite - complete with asmall but amply stocked bar. As in any cash game, the players werepermitted to take breaks or cash out at any time, to be replaced byothers waiting to join.
Both cash - in the form of thick stacks of banded hundred-dollarbills - and actual high-limit casino chips were permitted at the table.The "blinds" were $300 and $600 with a $100 ante.
The footage from this week's marathon games will be edited anddivided into 16 episodes to air at 9 p.m. Mondays on GSN, the Networkfor Games (Cox cable channel 344), starting June 5. Analyst Gabe Kaplanand host A.J. Benza return to handle announcing duties.
The final episode of the first season of "High Stakes Poker," whichwas filmed last fall at the Golden Nugget, aired Monday night and willbe replayed at 9 p.m. Friday.
Among others competing this week were Daniel Alaei, Doyle Brunson,Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Farha, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman andPhil Laak.
"I want to play no-limit hold 'em with every one of you for the restof my life because you don't know (garbage)!" Matusow boomed at onepoint in response to even more needling from his opponents.
That outburst inspired Negreanu to request that some Ritalin be brought to the table.
"Everyone knows each other, so of course they're going to give eachother a hard time," said Alaei, a regular on the tournament circuit forthe past three years who also played in Season 1. "It's nothing toopersonal."
Players are paid a stipend of $1,200 from the network for each hourthey appear - a token amount when millions of dollars are on the tableat any given time and six-figure sums are routinely won and lost.
The event's primary attraction is to match wits with the bestplayers in the world, in the biggest game in town, according to Laak.
"I absolutely love no-limit hold 'em cash games, and you never seethem at a level this high," said Laak, known as "the Unabomber" for thehooded sweatshirt he wears while playing poker. "This is justphenomenal.
"The biggest no-limit game a normal, working pro will see on asemiregular basis has blinds of $100 and $200," Laak said - and evengames at those limits run infrequently, often in conjunction with amajor tournament such as the annual World Poker Tour Championship atthe Bellagio.
"So this is just insane," said Laak, who raked in several large pots. "I love it." |
Australia. Apr 12 2006 08:03. Posts 3538
