For Poker Television, cash games are way better than Sit and Go's. I often fast forward through Poker After Dark regular games, especially if the participants aren't particularly entertaining. But if it's a cash game, I'm glued.So, needless to say, I LOVED High Stakes Poker. The table dynamics were always interesting and the chatter between Gabe Kaplan and A.J. Benza was entertaining. Than last season, they drop A.J. and let Gabe work solo. I really enjoy Gabe's humor and his experience playing poker, really added to the commentary. However, his humor needs the straight man. Without A.J. almost all his jokes fell flat.Than I find out that Gabe is gone and in comes Norm McDonald. Again, another funny comedian, but now they've gotten rid of any kind of high level poker commentary. I was expecting more of Season 6, without any decent poker knowledge. I was only half right.Norm McDonald, wearing more make-up than the winner on a Toddlers & Tiara's show, comes of well with his comedy. It doesn't feel forced, and while not laugh out loud hilarious, it's humorous enough to get a chuckle, and not miss any of the poker action. It works well. The biggest issue, is as I stated, no good poker commentary. He doesn't really add any real insight into what the players may be thinking based on actions.On a side note, and not really anything to do with this season specifically, but on my TiVo, it lists EACH airing as a new episode. So starting at 7pm on Saturday, my TiVo recording about 6 hours of HSP. There's only one new episode in there somewhere, and if I have to stop the actual new one, it takes a few minutes to find the next recording of it.So, while it's better than Season 6, and entertaining in it's own right, High Stakes Poker Season 7 goes to the bottom of my cash game poker watching. I'll wawtch it each week, but I'll be waiting with anticipation for the next PAD Cash Game. Or for PokerStars, The Big Game to come to my market.
The new High Stakes Poker
Week Two
Two people dropped out of the league, so we're down to 8. One person was out of town, so chips went into the air with 7 people.
It was a crazy night. Suck outs galore. I lost a huge hand when I flopped a set of 8s on a 278 board. Get it all in against J8 ("I have an 8." I have two of them."). Of course someone says "Wouldn't it be funny if a T and a 9 hit." Of course that is exactly what happened. Next had I pushed QQ hoping to look like tilt, but got no callers. A few hands later, I'm all in with 99. Two callers. QQ and AA. I flop a 9 and don't feel the least bit bad about it.
In the end, I couldn't get much going and was the third out. Host followed suit. Last weeks winner finished in 3rd. He's first overall with a three way tie for third between myself, host, and last season's new kid.
On a side note, I finally got my two trophies. I'm thebonly person to repeat. I'd love to three pete.
-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic
Week One
Week one is in the books and an OK start.
9 people with 1 more person who missed week one. Again, I'll go into more detail as I get better reads. Of the 10 people, there are 3 people I haven't played with and one person I played with only in the first season.
The starting stack is 60 chips. And the blinds go up after 30 minutes (we got rid of the rule where blinds don't go up until first person busts).
I built a stack early but towards the middle I couldn't get much going. Four handed, I busted Host when I played Le Dawn to Host's raise and flopped a gut shot to the wheel. Checked around and the A turned giving me the wheel. Host pushed and I called. He had AK and I busted my toughest opponent.
Three handed lasted awhile with stacks going back and forth. In the end I was dominated twice when I had a middle Ace and busted in 3rd.
I feel I did ok and am glad to be playing again.
Poker Content Coming Soon
It's been over a year now, but it looks like the League will be starting up this Sunday. This should generate some more content. I'm on huge poker dry spell. The only cards I've played is Old Maid.
So Host says we'll have 10 peolple this season. That will be a nice change of pace from the last two seasons.
Just to recap, I joined the league 4 "seasons" ago. That first one, We has 9 players and I tied 2nd place overall. I then took the next "season" off. When that finished up, I was jonesin' for more, so I joined again. I believe that season, we had 8 players, but 2 people quit half way through. I managed to win that one. In fact, I clinched it the week before because I was guaranteed 6th place points with those 2 people gone.
Then last season, we had a piddley 6 people in the league. By the last week, I could only lose if I busted first for 0 points. A few weeks before the end one guy (Muscles) stopped coming (started dating some chick). He said he quit. I told Host that we could wait a few weeks to get Muscles back in so there was at least a shot at me losing. In the end Muscles wouldn't come back, so just showing up netted me the 2 points I needed to clinch again.
I'm still waiting on my two trophies. Bastards.
The format is the same. 16 weeks. 14 regular weeks and 2 double point weeks. 1 point per where you bust. So the first person who busts gets 1 point, next person to bust gets 2 points, etc. I believe every one gets 80 chips to start. Blinds don't go up until the first person busts (blinds start 1/2). Then it increases every 30 minutes (I think). It really feels like there is a lot of play, unless some busts on the first hand and then everyone but one player goes from 40BBs to 20BBs in 2 minutes. It doesn't happen that often. Usually you get 20-40 minutes of no increases. Sometimes even an hour or more.
I'm not a fan of the payout structure per tournament. It almost all goes to 1st place. 2nd usually gets the buy-in back. Maybe twice that.
Cost is $20+$5/week (the double week it's $40+$10), where the $20 goes into that weeks prize pool and the $5 goes to the overall season pool. The $5 has to be paid, even if you don't show up a week (you don't have to put in the $20). The double weeks are mandatory and will be rescheduled if someone can't make it. The overall season is paid out 75% & 25%.
This time there should be 10 people, with 2 brand new players and on dude that has played before, but none of the seasons I've played. I'll have a breakdown of the players next week.
-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic.
