UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth has won 11 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, including the coveted Main Event title. Now, you can add a win in the “Good Morning America” Poker Showdown to his list of accolades. The segment aired on Wednesday morning.
As part of “Living the Dream” week on “Good Morning America,” each of the show’s anchors crossed an item off their bucket list. For former political advisor George Stephanopoulos, playing against the pros was a dream. He dubbed it his “very own World Series of Poker.” Members of his high school home game appeared on screen and one explained, “I give him an A for effort and maybe a B for poker skill.”
“Poker After Dark” and National Heads-Up Poker Championship commentator Ali Nejad assumed the same role for the “Good Morning America” poker showdown. Before the cards hit the air, however, reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke gave Stephanopoulos a few pointers, including, “By being aggressive and by being the person betting, you’re forcing other people to make decisions.” She reiterated that, on any given day, any player can emerge victorious: “On a particular time that we play, you can totally beat somebody.”
Stephanopoulos’ competition included Hellmuth, Duke, 2008 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Steven Begleiter, and Jason “Jaspuduf” Lee. Hellmuth’s UB shirt contained the only online poker logo displayed during the telecast. Stephanopoulos explained the rules of Texas Hold’em to viewers and revealed that the game at Harrah’s Atlantic City ran for an hour.
Stephanopoulos folded 7-4 on the first hand shown before getting frisky with 10-2 of clubs. Duke bet with A-9 on a board of 9-10-J-3-4 and Stephanopoulos called with top pair to scoop the pot, literally. He began raking in his own chips from the center of the table before Nejad cautioned, “Easy, George. Let the dealer do her job.” The first elimination belonged to Begleiter, who was all-in with pocket queens against Lee’s pocket kings. The board ran out 7-5-3-A-8 and Begleiter was ousted from the “Good Morning America” Poker Showdown.
After a raise by Lee, Stephanopoulos called all-in with pocket queens. Lee showed pocket eights and the ladies held to double up. Then, Lee exited, leaving Stephanopoulos to fend for himself against Duke and Hellmuth, two of the game’s elite. In his final hand, Stephanopoulos held A-2 against Hellmuth’s K-4, including the king of hearts. Hellmuth flopped a heart flush draw and turned the ace of the suit to seal Stephanopoulos’ exit.
Hellmuth went on to defeat Duke to capture the coveted “Good Morning America” Poker Showdown trophy, which featured an oversized chip on its top. Hellmuth critiqued Stephanopoulos’ poker prowess: “George played great. We need to get George to play in a couple of World Series tournaments.”
Back in ABC’s New York City studios, Stephanopoulos told his “Good Morning America” co-hosts, “It was so much fun. They were all terrific.” He added that he’ll be playing in a charity poker tournament benefiting Ante Up for Africa in a few months, but stated that the event will be in Washington, D.C., not Las Vegas during the WSOP. At the Rio in Sin City, the annual Ante Up for Africa tournament will take place on July 3rd.
Then, “Good Morning America” officials presented Stephanopoulos with his very own trophy, which featured the text “Spirit Award” across the top. Harrah’s was thanked several times and the segment was over.
In case you missed it, the “Good Morning America” vignette featuring Duke, Hellmuth, Begleiter, and Lee is available on ABC’s website.