As violins scream, a drum beats an ominous note, and a selection of the world’s finest players speak forebodingly about an upcoming event as if it’s Armageddon, we soon realise that this isn’t your average episode of High Stakes Poker. No Siree, the stakes have got just that little bit higher, and to the tune of 500,000 big ones.“There’s only one man who can afford to play in this game,” declares the legendary Doyle Brunson, “and that’s Guy”. But whilst French-Candaian billionaire and founder of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, is in his financial element, he’s still facing the crème del la crème of cash game poker:
Seat 1: Antonio Esfandiari
Seat 2: Sam Farha
Seat 3: David Benyamine
Seat 4: Patrik Antonius
Seat 5: Guy Laliberte
Seat 6: Jamie Gold
Seat 7: Doyle Brunson
Seat 8: Barry Greenstein
Yes, last week, poker’s biggest ever televised cash game was broadcast across the pond, and can now be accessed on various internet sites. Whilst many viewers will have been salivating at the mouth in anticipation of a 1 million dollar pot, it never quite arrived, but we came mighty close.In one hand in which Farha ran a flush into the top full house of Laliberte, Benyamine folded a pocket pair on the flop but would have hit runner runner quads, for what would have been a monster pot. If Laliberte had checked his set on the flop, then there would have been fireworks for sure.
Similarly, Doyle caused much controversy among poker enthusiasts when he folded a nine high flush to Gold’s ten high flush on the turn of an unpaired board. Doyle read his vocally rampant opponent as being strong, which he was, but later displayed doubts as to the accuracy of his fold.
Meanwhile, Guy Laliberte did more than hold his own, winning a number of sizable pots after receiving a nice run of cards. 50% of his winning will be going to the One Drop Foundation, whilst it is also believed that he managed to persuade his opponents into parting with a rather paltry-in-comparison 1% donation.
With these poker warriors seated before giant bundles of cash more fitting to a James Bond scene, it would appear as though High Stakes Poker have raised the bar, changing the face of televised poker and ensuring that more money is at stake than ever before.After a sooted and booted AJ Benza and Gabe Kaplan had wrapped up the show with their usual 60-second comedy routine, the teaser for next week hinted at several big pots, including an all-in and a call involving Finnish star Patrick Antonius. But did he win?... We’ll have to wait to find out.