The second episode of “High Stakes Poker” Season 5 hit the airwaves on Sunday night. Among the highlights of the popular cash game show was a $318,000 pot between 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies. The minimum buy-in is $200,000.
The group that took to the felts during the second episode was the same as in the season’s premiere last week. Joining Eastgate and Sahamies were David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Eli Elezra, Barry Greenstein, and Daniel Negreanu. After featuring only one last week, this week’s installment of High Stakes Poker boasted a straddle in nearly every single hand. In addition, the first pot of the evening included a “sleeper straddle.” High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan explained to the viewing audience what a sleeper straddle meant: “You’re not to the immediate left of the big blind. If everyone between you and the big blind goes out, then the straddle counts. If they play, then it doesn’t mean anything.”
In the first hand of Sunday’s High Stakes Poker, Elezra posted a $1,600 sleeper straddle with blinds of $400-$800 with a $200 ante. Negreanu made it $5,600 with 6-9 suited. Brunson called with pocket kings and Elezra called holding A-6. The flop came J-5-5 and Negreanu led out and bet $8,500. Brunson called and Elezra, suspecting larceny, raised to $25,000. Negreanu folded and Brunson called with his overpair to the board. The turn was a four and Brunson check-called $55,000. The river came a harmless deuce. Brunson checked and Elezra checked right behind him. “Texas Dolly” scooped a $187,000 pot with kings and fives.
The $318,000 pot between Sahamies and Eastgate was the largest of the second season of High Stakes Poker. Sahamies straddled to $1,600 pre-flop and then promptly raised with pocket nines. Eastgate called holding J-10 and the flop came J-6-A. Sahamies made a continuation bet of $20,000 and Eastgate made the call with middle pair. The turn was a four. Sahamies checked and Eastgate bet $39,000, which Kaplan called “a great bet and a great read.” Sahamies called to see the river come another jack. Sahamies once again checked, Eastgate fired $85,000 into the pot with trips, and Sahamies looked him up. Eastgate scooped the massive pot with trip jacks.
Sunday’s episode of High Stakes Poker also featured the first all in of the season. The pot was between Negreanu and Elezra, whose stack was greatly reduced after the earlier hand with Brunson. Eastgate posted a $1,600 straddle and Dwan raised to $15,600 with 9-7 offsuit. Negreanu raised with A-Q to $27,600 and Dwan called. Elezra pushed all in over the top for $99,700 holding pocket sixes. Negreanu flat called and Dwan got out of the way. The two agreed to run it twice, meaning that in order to scoop the pot, a player would need to win both times. On the first board, Elezra spiked a six on the river after Negreanu had flopped an ace. On the second board, Negreanu once again hit an ace on the flop, but this time Elezra was unable to catch up. As a result, the two split the pot.
In one of the final hands of the one hour episode, Dwan raised pre-flop holding K-Q of hearts and Sahamies re-raised with A-3. Dwan called to see the flop come 10-J-A. Dwan checked holding the nuts and Sahamies checked right behind him. The turn came a seven and the action once again went check-check. The river came a five. Dwan checked, Sahamies bet out $16,000, Dwan raised to $60,300, and Sahamies paid him off. Dwan’s top-notch poker instincts earned him the $149,000 pot. Kapalan noted that “Ziigmund was trying to be the sheriff.”
In the last hand shown, Greenstein, who had been quiet during the episode, woke up with pocket aces and raised to $2,500. All seven of his opponents called and the flop came 10-2-2. Greenstein bet $10,000 and Dwan, holding Q-10 and seated directly to his left, raised to $37.300. Eastgate called with 2-4 for trips and Greenstein also called. The turn came a seven. Eastgate checked, Greenstein checked, and Dwan fired out a $104,200 bet, which was a little less than the size of the pot. Both of his opponents folded, prompting Dwan to point at Eastgate and say “He had the best hand.” It once again showed why Dwan is one of the best in the business, earning a $237,200 pot with the worst hand.
Last night’s episode featured several new commercials making their debut during Season 5. Among them was an ad for DoylesRoom.net. Its for profit dot-com counterpart recently moved from the Microgaming Network to the Cake Poker Network, which accepts customers from the United States. Also, Linda Johnson and Mike Sexton, both Poker News Daily Guest Columnists, promoted Card Player Cruises, whose next high seas adventure takes place at the end of the month in the Caribbean.
A total of 13 episodes will air as part of Season 5 of High Stakes Poker. The show kicks off at 9:00pm ET on Sunday nights on GSN.