This week, “Inside Deal,” which airs on ESPN.com, welcomes Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein. “Inside Deal” is hosted by Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee and “ESPN: The Magazine” contributor Laura Lane.
The show opened with ESPN employees facing Greenstein heads-up for an autographed copy of the poker pro’s book, “Ace on the River.” The irony is that Greenstein signs a copy for players he defeats in major tournaments. Greenstein ran into Lane and Lee in the hall and exclaimed, “Finally, SportsCenter! Booyah!” The lead story was the extension of the agreement between the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and ESPN to broadcast the Las Vegas festivities for at least seven more years. Lee commented, “This is the original reality game show and now it has a guaranteed audience for several more years.”
Discussion then turned to “Face the Ace,” which finished last among major network shows in the ratings for its first two episodes in primetime. Now, the NBC franchise makes a planned move to Saturday afternoons beginning on September 12th. On the failure of “Face the Ace,” Lee explained, “It didn’t capture the general public’s attention. A game show needs to be quick and easy to understand. Heads-up [poker] didn’t lend itself towards that.” Lee indicated that the WSOP Main Event, which began airing last night on ESPN, would make a perfect addition to primetime network television.
Antoine Saout’s signing with Everest Poker then took center stage. This year, WSOP officials will only allow three players to be sponsored by each online poker site at the final table, making for a lively battle among the November Nine. Lee explained, “Truly, someone’s decision can ultimately affect the other players.” Phil Ivey will don logos for Full Tilt as one of the site’s featured pros. Many have speculated that CardPlayer Editor Jeff Shulman, who has threatened to throw out the bracelet should he win, will wear a Spade Club logo. Spade Club is the subscription-based online poker room managed by CardPlayer.
After results were displayed from the PokerStars Sunday Million, Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) Main Event, and Gold Strike World Poker Open, Greenstein joined the “Inside Deal” team in studio. He gave the scoop on Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio and, on his best game, noted, “I’d like to think I’m even at all of the games.” On his stepson, Joe Sebok, making a deep run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Greenstein claimed, “When my son’s in there, there’s emotion involved.” Greenstein also broke down his nicknames, including “Bear” and “The Robin Hood of Poker.”
Dani Stern and Jay Rosenkrantz from the G4 online poker reality show “2 Months, $2 Million” joined “Inside Deal.” On his rise through the ranks of the online poker world, Rosenkrantz told Lee and Lane, “You start out really small and build it up as you’re learning. You’re competing with people at your limits. You run well and, three or four years later, you’re playing at some of the highest stakes in the world.” During the first week of “2 Months, $2 Million,” which debuted on Sunday at 9:00pm ET, the Las Vegas foursome earned $35,700.
Following the phone interview with Stern and Rosenkrantz, Greenstein returned to the set to discuss the differences between cash games and tournaments and give his take on who should be represented on Mount Cashmore, the Mount Rushmore of poker. Greenstein suggested Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson, whom he noted have “stood the test of time.” Greenstein also added Jack Binion and Bobby Baldwin, the latter of whom “kept poker strong in Las Vegas when it could have been taken out of casinos.”
Viewer questions for Greenstein included recapping pots against Tom “durrrr” Dwan on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and whether the veteran practices tells in the mirror. Greenstein also discussed the members of the TwoPlusTwo forums raising money for charity and what life was like on the set of the 2007 poker movie “Lucky You.” The Team PokerStars Pro member took up around 20 prop bets during the 2009 WSOP, winning most of them, and explained to Lee and Lane why Hillary Duff, NSYNC, and Avril Lavigne appear on his iPod.
“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday through the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table on ESPN.com.