This Week’s Poker After Dark
This week may mark the most annoying broadcast of poker I’ve ever seen. It’s mainly annoying because of Phil Hellmuth, which is new for me because I’ve always been one to support him despite the massive influx of people who think he’s annoying. I personally used to like his style and could feel for him when he’d play perfect poker and donks would still suck out. I liked the baby show.
But now success has gone so far to this man’s head that he can hardly speak without congratulating himself. It’s not cute anymore, it just makes him look like a chump. The one episode of this week’s broadcast (which also featured Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Jen Harmon, Mike Matusow and a non-pro player who won a seat) was pretty much Phil just talking constantly about how good he is, though in a way not complaining, but more just congratulating himself. The way he moves his mouth now seems like he thinks he’s some kind of great artist or that he does something other than sit around a table all day. He’s gotten so into selling his image that you can’t even feel respect. Watching him prance around like he owns the world and everything he says is hilarious makes me want to turn the TV off. Nothing else.
Matusow doesn’t help anything by trying to sell his own cultivated image of talking crap to him, which Phil responded to gleefully, seeing it as a further extension of TV time.
Not to mention all this, it was probably the most boring poker I’ve ever seen. There’d be a raise and a bunch of folds. I don’t think there was any big contested pot. I felt kind of bad for the new guy because the whole show he didn’t even have one hand worth doing anything with: all Jack deuce and ten-four and so on. That must have been really frustrating.
Somebody really needs to check some of these ’stars’ egos. It’s embarassing.
I am really surprised that you like Helmuth and dislike Jamie Gold.
I mean REALLY REALLY surprised. Helmuth is the biggest self-agrandizing, whiney little baby in the game but he can play tournemant holdem like no one else.
I’ll give him credit for his tourney skills hand down but he has the personality of a cockatiel mugging/singing to itself in a mirror.
I have never seen Jamie Gold lament, complian, tantrum, etc. when he gets outplayed, sucked out, etc. He takes it like an normal, adult male.
Helmuth is disgusting on any PAD because a.) there is no commentating
b.) plenty of tv time because there is only one 6 handed table being featured.
c.) extreme relaxation because it is a 6 handed freeze out with a bunch of other pros that he is very familiar with.
A, B and C lead to him constantly posturing (just about every hand) and professing how he’s the greatest.
I really only enjoy watching him on PAD when Gus or Doyle play. They run over him all the time with horrible hands.
But of course that leads to more of his self-masturbatory mouth running.
But at least the guy can play.
Some of these new kids posture like Helmuth but have mediocre game to back it up.
yeah i don’t know why i liked hellmuth and not gold. i think it’s mainly because i don’t respect gold’s game at all. hellmuth was cool back in the day before poker got too big. he just played and complained when he lost to bad beats, but didn’t act like he’s a rock star. the fame went to his head. i also like watching people put plays on him. that’s the best.
Anyone see how that week ended? Who won?
The final show started late so my DVR stopped on what seemed like the last hand which was a three way pot with the amateur and harmon both all in against hellmuth.
i didn’t get to see it. i don’t think i’ve ever watched one on friday to see who won. maybe they have an online db??
Well the http://www.pokerafterdark.com website is down but Wikipedia has everything we need.
go to :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poker_After_Dark
Check out the Most Losses/Appearences ratio stats.
Mike Matusow has been on 5 times and never won.
i was not aware that Shanna Hiatt left. That’s a shame. I liked her. She actually had some personality to her.