On Tuesday, the first installment of Inside Deal premiered on ESPN.com, hosted by Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee and ESPN The Magazine contributor Laura Lane. The first 30 minute episode to air featured an appearance by 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker.
Inside Deal is presented by PokerStars.net, whose logo appears on virtually all on-screen graphics. In addition, the site aired two Americas Cup of Poker commercials and one traditional television ad. The opening segment of ESPN.com’s Inside Deal began with Lane asking Lee what Moneymaker’s real last name is. Moneymaker joined the duo and responded, “You don’t know that I changed it in 2003? It’s Berman.” Chris Berman is known to many ESPN fans as one of the original anchors of the SportsCenter franchise.
Here’s a link to the video:
The set of Inside Deal is similar in feel to SportsCenter and makes its home at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. Poker news took center stage to open the show and featured a preview of 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. On November Nine member Phil Ivey’s legacy, Lee commented, “I think this will cement his legacy that started back in his days in Atlantic City.” Then, attention turned to CardPlayer Magazine Editor Jeff Shulman’s comments that he’d trash the Main Event bracelet should he win. Lee retorted, “He has the right to say whatever he wants, but he should be acting more like a poker ambassador.”
Other news focused on the sellout of Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP Main Event and over 500 players being unable to enter poker’s most prestigious tournament. Lee explained, “Poker players are known procrastinators,” and offered up several solutions to prevent the problem from occurring in 2010. Talk of a Rounders sequel also permeated the Inside Deal news segment, as did the results of the PokerStars Sunday Million, complete with an on-screen graphic showing paydays from a three-way chop.
Moneymaker then joined Lee and Lane and discussed his recent success in Omaha. Moneymaker explained, “It’s hard to find myself playing Hold’em anymore.” He was then asked whether it’d be better for the game if an amateur or pro won the 2009 Main Event. Moneymaker commented, “To have Ivey come back and win it would be great for poker.” Moneymaker recalled his Main Event satellite win on PokerStars. Curiously, he was actually trying to finish fourth in the qualifier to take home $8,000 in cash. The top three spots paid Main Event seats, but Moneymaker was about $8,000 in debt. Nevertheless, he wound up winning the Main Event and igniting the modern poker boom.
Moneymaker also discussed how the play of amateurs has evolved since 2003. The champion explained that the game has become considerably more aggressive: “There was no such thing as a 4bet in 2003. If you were 4bet, it was aces or kings.” He also fielded a question from a viewer in Hershey, Pennsylvania about how to play suited connectors. Moneymaker explained, “Keep the pots small pre-flop” and “Don’t commit more than 5% of your stack pre-flop.”
ESPN Poker Editor Andrew Feldman joined the show to discuss who would appear on the Mount Rushmore of Poker. Moneymaker offered up the quartet of Jack Binion, Doyle Brunson, hole card camera inventor Henry Orenstein, and either Stu Ungar or Chip Reese. Lee made cases for Binion, Brunson, Ungar, and Moneymaker, while Feldman argued that Reese, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth should also be in the conversation.
An unaired hand from the WSOP Champions Invitational was reviewed. In it, 1983 Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy raised to 6,000 pre-flop with K-10 of clubs. 2002 winner Robert Varkonyi re-raised to 18,000 with pocket fives. McEvoy made the call to see the flop come 6-7-J. Varkonyi shoved all-in and McEvoy quickly mucked, leaving Feldman to comment that Vakonyi’s actions represented “a bold move on a scary flop.” Lee and Moneymaker gave analysis of the hand, which did not air as part of Tuesday night’s ESPN telecast of the Champions Invitational. McEvoy ultimately won the tournament, taking home a vintage Corvette and the Binion Cup.
Finally, Moneymaker was “under the gun” as part of a rapid-fire question and answer segment. Moneymaker revealed that he made $250 online during the car ride up to Bristol and his favorite tournament is the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas. He noted that, while moving from Nashville to Memphis, he lost his Main Event bracelet for two years, but it now sits in a box in his closet. He also discussed his craziest fan experience, his best chip trick, and the starting hand that gives him the most trouble (pocket jacks).
Inside Deal is posted every Tuesday on ESPN.com.
Is there a way to watch missed episodes on line?
Just found out about this today. You got my vote for a Poker Channel. Icalled Fox last year and said we needed one. Is there any way to watch these episodes at a later date.????If I miss my soap, no problem I can watch that afternoon episode around 6:00 P.M. Until we can get a poker channel, I think we should be able to watch missed episodes on line. Now, isn’t that a great idea??