High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 7 aired last night on the Game Show Network (April 12, 2009). This show featured an all new cast with seven of the eight High Stakes Poker Season 5 players from the first six episodes done for either the next five episodes or for the season. The only player returning was Daniel Negreanu, who left the last episode early after busting his third $200K buy-in on the season.
The seven replacements are High Stakes Poker veterans Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, and Patrik Antonius and four players making their High Stakes Poker debut Howard Lederer, Joe Hachem (2005 World Series of Poker Main Event champion) and two amateurs, Sam Simon (co-creator of The Simpsons) and actor-director Nick Cassavetes who is a regular in the Los Angeles poker scene.
Watch the entire episode via the videos below:
High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 7 Part 1 Summary
High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 7 Part 2 Summary
High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 7 Part 3 Summary
High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 7 Summary
The first hand of the night has Joe Hachem raise to $3500 with T9 off suit, Negreanu call with 85 off suit and Antonius reriase to $15K with pocket aces. He picks up the pot as both Hachem and Negreanu quickly muck.
Patrik Antonius then suggests each player puts in $5K and they run the cards to showdown with no other betting, but Howard Lederer objects by changing the subject. A few minutes later Antonio Esfandiari suggests adding seven-deuce to the game ($1K from each player on wins with 7-2) however this time it’s Nick Cassavetes who objects. At this point poker fans are probably getting restless as last weeks show had so much excitement and now we’re getting an indication this game will be played much tighter.
Howard Lederer picks up AQ on the second hand, raises it to $2500, Hachem calls with Jc9c and Laak with pocket threes. The flop comes Kc 7d 6h. Lederer picks up this pot after making a $6K continuation bet.
One hand 3 Patrik Antonius raises to $3500 with Ks7s, Phil Laak calls with 6c 4c and Joe Hackem calls with QhTh. The flop comes 5s 6h 2d, Antonius makes an $8K continuation bet, Phil Laak raises to $25,600 and after some stalling, Antonius mucks and Laak wins the pot.
So far we’ve seen three hands, one was won preflop the other two on the flop. No turn cards yet to have been dealt and we’re ten and a half minutes into the show plus commercial time. This is not good for TV.
On hand four, Howard Lederer opens for $3K with pocket tens and Joe Hachem calls with pocket jacks. The flop comes Ks, 7s, 6s. Lederer peaks at his hand (he has a spade and Hachem does not) before betting $4500 which sends Hachem to the tank for a bit. Eventually Hachem calls and the turn comes a spade, Lederer checks, Hachem bets $8500 and Lederer tanks for quite sometime before raising it to $18,500. This sends Hachem back to the tank before he raises it to $38,500. Lederer mucks his hand and Hachem takes down the pot with a great 3 bet bluff. This was the first interesting hand of the show so far.
The next hand sees Laak limp in with 7h 5h, Hachem limp with Qc 9h, Cassavettes limp with As 3s, Esfandiari with Kh 3h and Antonius with 4d 2h. The flop comes Ad Qh Ah. Laak bets out $2700, Hachem calls, Cassavettes raises to $11,100 and everyone fold.
Esfandiari opens the sixth hand with a $2500 bet holding Ah6h, Hachem calls with pocket tens. The flop comes 3s Qc, 6d. Esfandiari bets $5100 and Hachem calls. The turn is a deuce Estandiari bets $10,200, Hachem calls, and the river comes 9c. Check, Check and Hachem wins at showdown.
Hachem is the big winner so far this show, granted its nothing compared to the pot sizes of the first six episodes of this season.
On hand seven Simon raises to $3K with pocket jacks. Cassavetes calls with 75 and Negreanu with A5. The flop comes 7s 2h 7c. Simon bets $10K, Cassavetes raises to $26K and Simon instant folds his pocket jacks.
The next hand (#8) Cassavettes raises to $2500 with 7s 6c, Esfandiari reraises to $8,200 with Jd 5h. Cassavetes asks him to see one card saying he might call. Esfandiari thinks for a while and asks something about being in a movie and getting action on a bet, he then shows him the jack and Cassavettes mucks.
Hand #9 Hachem picks up big slick and raises to $2500. Esfandiari reraises to $8200 with 64. Hachem tanks for a while and calls. The flop comes up magical for the magician when it falls 6h 6s 2s so he fires $12,200 and Hachem folds.
On the tenth hand of Episode 7, Negreanu open limps with Qh 7h, Antonius calls with 9h 6s, Laak raises to $6300 with Ts 2s, Simon raises to $11,800 with Tc 4h having not realized that Laak had already raised. The flop comes 8d 9d jc and Simon bets $30K, Laak calls. Simon checks when the turn is the Ace of Diamonds and Laak bets $50K which is enough to pick him up the pot.
Daniel Negreanu lets us know why he’s been so quiet this episode when he blurts out, “word number 87”. There had been a conversation earlier about how many words Patrik Antonius would speak this session and the over under was 78 words. Negreanu let us know he was counting and now he can get back to concentrating on poker.
On the eleventh hand of the episode Hachem opens the pot for $2500 with a pair of black kings, Negreanu calls with AT just after we’ve seen Cassavetes fold a naked ace. Antonius joins them with J4 off and the flop comes Kd 3h Tc. Hachem bets $7K, Negreanu calls. The turn is the Four of Diamonds, Hachem bets $20,500. Daniel is drawing dead, but goes into the tank for a minute before making the call. The river is a Jack of diamonds. Perhaps scared of the flush and straight possibilities Hachem checks the river, as does Daniel and Hachem wins the pot at showdown.
On hand 12 there is a serious wtf moment as Lederer open folds AJ and Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benza don’t acknowledge or say a word about it. Anyways, after this Esfandiari opens to $2500 with Q2, Antonius calls with 75 as does Laak with 52. The flop comes 697, Antonius leads for $6K which is enough to take down the pot.
On the thirteenth and final hand of the night Negreanu opens for $2500 with 9d8d, Antonius raises to $11K with Js4s and Negreanu calls. The flop comes Td 3d Ks, Antonius bets $17,500, Negreanu calls. The turn is a blank (5h) and it goes check check. On the river Negreanu bets $26K and Antonius tanks for a while before mucking his hand.
That’s all for this show. The only things worth mentioning is that this has been a successful High Stakes Poker debut for Joe Hachem and Simon is clearly out matched.
Tune in next week for High Stakes Poker Season 5 Episode 8.
