An accurate display of skill and diplomacy was recently showcased in an episode of PokerStars Big Game on Tour, where poker player Phil Hellmuth, nicknamed the Poker Brat, mesmerized the viewers. The much-anticipated show aired on Fox Sports 1 was a cash game of $100/$200 pot-limit hold’em, and Hellmuth proved his proficiency in the game by being an accurate decision-maker, a strategic bluffer, and, coincidentally, a bit lucky too. Hence, the experienced veteran came out with flying colours in the show.
The Big Game on Tour is for professional players and has the “Loose Cannon” segment. In this segment, an amateur player has $50,000 and 150 hands to attempt to make a profit. Nikki Limo is a poker content creator of this season’s Loose Cannon. In the previous episode, Nikki had already won $27,200 in only 31 hands and was back to play against a tough table consisting of players like Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Tilly, Lex Veldhuis, Arden Cho, and Alan Keating.
The action started immediately. Keating raised first, and Limo responded with an even bigger re-raise. Hellmuth then wisely chose to also enter the action by calling. All players were careful until Hellmuth raised the blinds by betting $5,000 on the flop and turns. This led other players to fold, leading to an increment of Hellmuth’s chips.
There was high tension during the match and some excellent shots from both players. Arden Cho made the potentially deadly decision to bluff with three eights showing, but unfortunately, Hellmuth picked up the correct read and called her out at the appropriate time. On the other hand, Keating’s decision to take riskier positions proved fruitful as he recovered from his previous losses. He struck a winning straight draw from a losing one, putting Cho in a weak position with fewer chips.
Hellmuth’s aura of dominating the table was as exciting and involving as ever. Limo raises a specific hand under the close observation of the victor – Limo. But Hellmuth bravely raised and played his typical raise and fold through the post-flop betting rounds with a mixture of aggression and skill. Despite Limo’s attempt to bluff with a risky bet on the river, Hellmuth’s choice to call with a pair of tens reduced her income. But Limo managed to recover some of her losses in the following hands.
It was not only about Hellmuth’s achievements during the event. At one point, Jennifer Tilly was in a very strong position with two kings in her hand, but Hellmuth managed to pull a straight on the river. His well-calculated move of placing a bet tricked Tilly into calling, which increased his earnings for the session.
The end of the episode results in the elimination of Cho by Keating in a hand-of-pocket king against Ace-jack. Ironically, despite his earlier failures, Keating reduced his losses significantly by the end of the episode.
Lex Veldhuis was the most successful player of the session, with an impressive $83,200 winnings. Hellmuth was just a little behind and ended up with a respectable $49,800. Tilly also finished strong, reporting a $46,900 profit. Although there were some downs, Limo also ended the episode on a positive note with $21,400. However, Keating’s last-minute campaign only managed to mitigate his losses by $96,300, while Cho had to deal with the greatest challenge of a $100,000 debt.
The action will have to intensify with three episodes left and 90 hands still to be played since each player will not only seek to win but also give one of the most brilliant performances of poker on one of the main platforms where it is being watched.
