Johnny Chan returned to “High Stakes Poker” on Saturday night. The episode, which aired on GSN at 8:00pm ET, featured the final action from the first group of Season 7. Next week, a new lineup will be seated.
The action was pretty quiet this week. However, David “Viffer” Peat had the table talking early. In raised action pre-flop, Peat called with 6-3 and led out for $5,000 on a board reading 7-K-4-5 for a straight. Retired businessman Bill Klein, who was playing for charity, pushed the price of poker to $22,000 and Peat called to bring an ace on the river. The action went check-check and, upon seeing Peat show down 6-3, PokerStars pro Vanessa Selbst inquired, “Wasn’t that a raised pot?”
Following a bet from Selbst, Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari raised to $12,000 on a board of 10-2-6-7-Q with three clubs holding 9-8 for the nut straight. Selbst, who held A-4 of clubs for the nut flush, 3bet to $43,000 and, impressively, Esfandiari laid it down. It was one of several well-timed laydowns for “The Magician,” who entered Saturday’s episode up $436,000.
Holding 8-7 of diamonds, DoylesRoom front man Doyle Brunson raised to $5,100 before the flop and Selbst pushed it to $14,000 with A-K. Brunson called and the action flop came 8-K-2 with two diamonds. Brunson checked his middle pair and flush draw, while Selbst checked behind with top pair. The turn was the jack of clubs.
After a check from the 10-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, Selbst bet $17,400. Brunson responded by pushing all-in for $55,300 and Selbst called. After some awkward deliberation, the river was run twice. In the first, the four of clubs hit to give Selbst half of the pot. Brunson joked, “That’s one for the good guys.”
The ace of hearts completed the second board and Selbst recouped half of her Season 7 “High Stakes Poker” losses. Brunson once again jested, “That’s another one for the good guys.” “The Godfather of Poker” bought back in for another $200,000 and Selbst was now down about $80,000.
On a board of 3-J-5-9-5, Peat pushed out $4,000 in chips with pocket aces and Andrew “good2cu” Robl, who held pocket fives for quads, raised to $17,000. Peat scratched his head, showed his neighbors what he was about to lay down, and folded, much to the disappointment of Robl. Despite the group’s looseness, quality laydowns were the name of the game during last night’s one-hour episode.
Entering the final pot of the session, four players at the table were in the black and four were in the red. In the last hand, Esfandiari popped it to $2,500 with A-K and Peat called with Q-9 of hearts. Brunson looked down at pocket nines, called, and the first three cards came 4-5-6. The action checked around to an ace on the turn.
Esfandiari, who had just hit top pair, top kicker, bet $5,600, Peat folded, and Brunson, sitting on a pair of nines, check-raised to $22,600. Esfandiari called and the river was a three. Brunson bet $40,000 and, given the four-card straight on board, Esfandiari abandoned ship and folded. Brunson told his opponent, “You’re going to have to wait until the TV. You had me.”
Next week’s all-new “High Stakes Poker” lineup includes reigning Main Event champion Jonathan Duhamel, Unabomber Poker pro Phil Laak, bracelet winner Jason Mercier, and Barry Greenstein, a holdover from the first group. New episodes of “High Stakes Poker” air on Saturdays at 8:00pm ET and 11:00pm ET on GSN.
