Poker After Dark: Who is Phil Hellmuth's Home Game Nemesis?
Table Of Contents
On Monday night, PokerGO aired the latest episode of "Poker After Dark” Season 13, which was Part 1 of “Action Arden.”
It was actually Phil Hellmuth’s online home game going live as many of the regulars joined the lineup including Hellmuth, Arden Cho, Jeremy Levin, Julie Yorn, Danielle Andersen, and Ryan Feldman.
The game was $50/$100 no-limit hold’em with a $100 big blind ante. The minimum buy-in was $5,000 with no max. Here’s a look at the stacks at the top of the broadcast:
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Ryan Feldman | $108,900 |
| Ben Yerushalaim | $10,000 |
| Jeremy Levin | $10,000 |
| Steven Dang | $10,000 |
| Julie Yorn | $10,000 |
| Arden Cho | $5,000 |
| Phil Hellmuth | $5,000 |
Below is a look at five of either the biggest or most interesting hands from this week's episode.
Running It Twice in Hellmuth’s Home Game
Cho, an actor/singer from Amarillo, Texas who graduated from the University of Illinois (Psychology), raised to $300 with the A♥K♣ and Hellmuth called from the cutoff with the 7♥7♣. Dang came along from the small blind holding the J♦8♦ and it was three-way action to the flop of 9♦3♦K♠.
Dang checked his flush draw, Cho continued for $500 with top pair, and Hellmuth got out of the way. Dang woke up with a check-raise to $2,000 and Cho moved in for $2,375. Dang called and a $6,050 pot was on the line.
As Hellmuth explained, in their home game they always run it twice, so that’s what they did in this hand. Neither the Q♥ turn nor 2♠ river on the first runout helped Dang, and Cho secured half the pot.
The 10♦ turn on the second run gave Dang the other half of the pot with a diamond flush, and the two chopped the pot after the meaningless 3♣ was run out on the river.
Hollywood Producer Scoops w/ Pocket 10s
With a $200 straddle on, Cho raised to $550 from the button with the A♥9♥ and Yorn popped it to $2,200 after looking down at the 10♠10♦ in the small blind. Cho opted to put in her entries stack of $2,875 and Yorn called to create a $6,050 hand.
They agreed to run it twice, and the 5♣2♠Q♣7♠9♣ runout on the first was good for Yorn. Cho was looking for either an ace or hearts on the second runout, but the 9♦4♥10♣ flop instead gave Yorn top set. The K♣ turn locked up the entire pot for Yorn, a Hollywood producer, and 8♥ river left Cho to rebuy for $10,000.
Fireworks on Big Flop
Yerushalaim raised to $300 under the gun with the 10♠10♥ and Hellmuth called from the cutoff with the Q♣J♣. The 8♠6♣10♣ flop had fireworks written all over it and sure enough, Yerushalaim continued for $300 and Hellmuth raised to $800. Yerushalaim moved all in for $3,025 and Hellmuth snap-called.
The 9♦ turn on the first run gave Hellmuth a straight, and the 7♦ river failed to pair the board. Hellmuth locked up half the $6,800 pot, while the 4♦ turn on the second runout was a brick for him. However, the 5♣ river was not as Hellmuth made his flush to scoop the pot.
“No One Had Beat Me Like You Do”
Hellmuth raised to $300 from the cutoff with the A♣Q♦ only to have Feldman three-bet to $900 from the button with the J♥J♦. Both blinds folded and Hellmuth responded by four-bet jamming for $4,450. Feldman called and it was off to the races for the $9,050 pot, which they opted to run twice.
The 2♦7♠9♠ flop on the first run was safe for Feldman, and so was the 4♣ turn. The 9♣ river didn’t change anything and Feldman secured half the pot.
The 10♥10♦2♥ flop on the second run was also good for Feldman, and Hellmuth watched helplessly as the 2♠ bricked the turn followed by the 9♦ on the river.
“Nice hand, Ryan,” Hellmuth offered before reaching into his pocket to reload for another $5,000.
“I’ve won $2 million playing poker in the last 13 months but no one has beat me like you do,” Hellmuth told Feldman.
Feldman’s Hero Call Goes Wrong
With a $200 straddle on, Feldman raised to $700 from the cutoff with the 9♠5♠ and Levin defended the big blind with the A♥6♥.
It was heads-up action to the 9♥6♦A♠ flop and Levin checked his two pair. Feldman continued for $600 with middle pair and Levin check-raised to $1,700. Feldman called and the 4♦ appeared on the turn.
Levin bet $3,000, Feldman called, and the A♣ paired the board on the river. Levin, who made aces full of sixes, paused for a few beats before moving all in for $7,475. Feldman hit the tank and seemed suspicious. Eventually, he called only to see the $26,000 pot pushed to Levin.
Remember, Poker After Dark will air every Monday but is only available to PokerGO subscribers. If you’re not currently subscribed, you can get a monthly subscription for $14.99, a three-month plan for $29.99, and an annual subscription for $99.99. You can also save $10 off an annual subscription by using promo code “PokerNews” at checkout.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
