Is Poker Night in America Real or just another Cheat the Public Poker Show?

Poker Acting at its Best

If you remember, I heavily criticized the old "High Stakes Poker" TV show, claiming it was nothing more than an agreement between the Gaming Show Network, who wanted to increase their ratings, and the participating poker players, who wanted the publicity to further their careers, to stage the show so that both entities would profit. I never said the hands or their outcomes were fixed. I only said that whatever monies were won and lost in the huge cash game were redistributed back to the participants while off the air.

I believe that "Poker Night in America" and whatever other big televised cash-game is nothing more than the same thing.

It's all bullshit.

And if you look at some of the hands where huge money is won and lost, you will see my point.

One that comes to my mind is the hand played between Phil Laak and Shaun Deeb back in September, 2015.

Deeb raises $9,000 all-in with second pair after the flop and Laak calls with Ace-King. Deeb ends up winning $41,000 in the hand.

Come on, gimme a break!

If you believe that, then you believe I never cheat a casino outta one single chip!

And note that Laak's wife/girlfriend (I´m not sure which) Jennifer Tilly was also in that game. Just the presence of Laak and Tilly in ANY game would leave me believing absolutely NOTHING of that game's validity. I mean, do you remember Tilly's famous check-fold of a full house on the "Poker After Dark" show a while back?

I'm still trying to figure out that one!

And as I wrote in my book Dirty Poker back in 2006, I still to this day do not believe that Jennifer Tilly's 2005 WSOP Ladies Only Championship was anything more than a deal arranged by people in the poker world at that time.

I can't mention any specific names.