Season 1 has come and gone for the crew of the UB.com sponsored poker news program “Poker2Nite,” which aired at 11:00pm ET on Wednesdays on Fox Sports Net. There has been no official announcement as to whether “Poker2Nite” will return for Season 2.
First up on last night’s show were outtakes featuring blunders from co-hosts Joe Sebok and Scott Huff. The highlights of the never-before-seen footage included Sebok referring to the month of “Feptember” and acting like a robot. For Huff, a bevy of tongue-twisting outtakes aired, including a reference to “le Weekly Misdeal.” The now-infamous “Who or What is Durrrr” segment from the show’s very first episode aired, with answers that included “a weird word for a drug,” “Wiener Schnitzel,” and “a German word for donkey.”
Some of the more memorable interviews aired, as “Poker2Nite” welcomed 12 guests to the Los Angeles set during Season 1. The montage opened with Layne Flack, a two-time Montana State Arm Wrestling Champion and six-time bracelet winner, besting Huff in an arm wrestling match under five seconds. Then, World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN announcer Lon McEachern played “Know Your Opponent” and was quizzed on his fellow poker commentators. One of the more interesting questions was, “What poker commentator played against Shannon Elizabeth [on the show ‘Cuts’] for the deed to her hair salon?” McEachern said PokerStars’ Chad Brown, while the actual answer is World Poker Tour (WPT) co-host Vince Van Patten. “Cuts” began airing in 2005.
Full Tilt Poker pro Andy Bloch played “Black or Jack,” a play on his former affiliation with the MIT Blackjack Team. The game covered the Black Sox scandal, Jack in the Box, and Jack Black in a broad spectrum of clues. Meanwhile, an extended version of “Mikey’s Meltdowns” featured Phil Hellmuth bluff Mike Matusow with 7-2 on an episode of “High Stakes Poker” to claim a $500 reward from each player. Moreover, his $40,000 pot-sized river bet caused Matusow to fold pocket kings, an overpair to the board, face up. Matusow assessed, “He has 2-7 or queens full. It’s 50-50.” A longer clip from “High Stakes Poker” aired, featuring witnesses to the hand that included Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari and Todd Brunson.
Even the “Weekly Misdeal” received some love on the Season 1 finale of “Poker2Nite.” Segment host Dana Workman provides a satirical look at the week’s poker headlines in each installment, with the Best of Season 1 version recapping PokerStars’ potential mobile software client, Washington State Senator Margarita Prentice supporting a video keno bill after lambasting online poker, ESPN’s “The Nuts” ranking Phil Ivey as the top player in the world, Doyle Brunson hating on poker television shows, and 2009 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Cada playing in the same celebrity basketball game as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.
This author’s favorite part of Wednesday’s installment of “Poker2Nite” was a recap of “Phil’s Best Blowups.” Hellmuth replayed his buzz-worthy hand against Cristian Dragomir during the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Both were seated at the ESPN feature table. Dragomir called a raise of 175,000 with 10-4 of diamonds and promptly hit top pair on the flop. Hellmuth, holding overcards, belted such memorable lines as “You’re an idiot,” “He’s the worst player in history and they’re cheering him,” and “To you, it’s poker. To me, this is my life.” The latter line was directed at 2008 WSOP November Nine member David “Chino” Rheem.
The final clip of the Season 1 recap again brought viewers to “Poker2Nite’s” interview with McEachern. Huff kicked off the discussion by calling McEachern “Norm,” referencing fellow ESPN commentator Norman Chad. Despite the rocky start, much of the feedback to “Poker2Nite” Season 1 was overwhelmingly positive. Now, the industry will wait and see if the series is picked up for Season 2.
