Poker Night in America – Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – News faces, big hands

Ladies’ Night continues on the third episode of Poker Night in America and a couple of new faces join the table, while the action still plugs on in some of the most exciting poker ever shown on TV.

Joining the table this episode are Nancy Birnbaum and Marsha Wolack. Birnbaum is a three-time WSOP ring winner who has over $400,000 in winnings. Marsha Wolack is just as accomplished, who has over $300,000 in winnings and is the 2011 WSOP Ladies Champion. Both sit down at a table that has Vanessa Selbst leading the way in winnings at the start of the show.

In the first hand of the night, Natasha Barbour’s pair of 7s (7 ♠ 7 ♥ ) against Danielle Andersen’s pair of queens (Q ♣ Q ♥ ), as the table discusses the merits of making fun of Shaun Deeb (which is ok because of his slow roll of Mike Matusow in the first season of Poker Night in America). Pre-flop betting has the pot at $1,000 and the flop is 10 ♦ 8 ♣ 8 ♦ . Barbour checks and Andersen bets $425, which Barbour quickly calls. The turn is a 2 ♦ which almost assures the hand for Andersen, who bets $1,225. Barbour didn’t think Andersen had big cards, and calls. The river is a 9 ♣ , which gives Andersen the winning hand and instead of betting, she checks out of fear of what Barbour may have. In the end her queens beat Barbour’s sevens and gave Andersen the $4,300 pot.

Barbour and Andersen go head-to-head for a big pot.

 

Wolack wins one

Newcomer to the table (but not to the world of poker) Marsha Wolack gets in on the action against Vanessa Selbst. Selbst raises to $150 with A ♦ K ♥ and the action goes to Wolack who has a pair of kings (K ♠ K ♦ ) and she raises to $500. The rest of the table folds and the action gets back to Selbst who calls the $350. Instead of simply calling, Selbst raises to $1,600 and Wolack shoves. Selbst decides to call the $3,550, bringing the pot to over $10k. They decide to run it twice and the first run goes Marsha’s way: 4 ♣ 10 ♥ 2 ♥ 8 ♦ 4 ♥ . Selbst doesn’t fare well on the second running either: Q ♦ 8 ♥ J ♦ 6 ♣ 3 ♥ giving Wolack the pot and $5k of Selbst’s stack.

The loss doesn’t phase Selbst for long, who wins the final hand of the episode. Ebony Kenney starts the action with 5 ♠ 4 ♠ and Selbst calls with A ♠ 2 ♠ . The flop is A ♥ 4 ♥ 7 ♠ and Kenney best $225 and Selbst simply calls. The turn is the K ♠ which gives both players the flush draw. Kenney bet $475, and Selbst raised to $1,100, and Keeney decides that calling is worth her money. The river is J ♠ , giving both players the flush, but Selbst has the nuts and she bets $2,175. Kenney calls and realizes that she lost a doozey to Selbst, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.