Poker Night in America – Season 2 Episode 5 Recap – The Boys are Back

The boys are back at the table. Poker Night in America has put Ladies’ Night in the past and a new group of players sit down at the felt. Chris Hanson previews the action by quoting 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, who said, “Poker is not a card game played with people, it’s a people game played with cards.” And this group proves that axiom correct.

Let’s see who is sitting around the table this episode:

• Matt Affleck – poker pro with over $1 million in winnings
• Allan Richardson
• Jean-Robert Bellande – poker pro/TV personality with over $1 million in winnings
• Dan Weinman – poker pro with over $800k in winnings
• Matt Russell
• Ken Eldridge
• Gavin Smith – the one and only
• Shaun Deeb – his slow roll of Mike Matusow in season 1 is up for best hand of the year

With all this talent around the table, you can expect some pretty exciting hands, and they don’t wait long to get the action started.

Matt Russell starts of the betting with a raise to $300 with a 7♦ 6♦, Allen Richardson joins with A♠ Q♣, and Dan Weinman is the last to enter the hand with 6♣ 5♣. The flop is an interesting one: Q♥ J♣ 3♣, giving Richardson top pair and Weinman a flush draw. But it is Russell who is the first to act, who bets $775. The table calls and the turn is 10♠, which gives Richardson the lead. Russell bets $1,000 and the again the rest of the table calls. The river is a 4♦ which, statistically, gives Richardson the win, but Russell goes all in. After a moment, Richardson and Weinman both fold, giving Russell the $9,200 pot.

Weinman Winners

Daniel Weinman had a couple of truly interesting hands during the episode, including one that saw a lot of action and the weaker hands vying for a huge pot.

It starts off innocently enough, with Gavin Smith raising to $150 with K♥ J♠. Affleck raises to $500 with pocket aces A♦ A♥, followed by Richardson with 3♥ 3♣, Bellande joins with 7♠ 5♠, and Weinman with A♠ 9♠. Affleck’s raise to $500 knocks out Gavin Smith, and pre-flop there are four players and $2,200 in the pot. The flop is 8♣ 8♥ 4♠ and Affleck bets $600, Richardson and Bellande both call. Weinman raises to $1,500 and that knocks Affleck’s pocket aces out as well as Richardson’s pair of threes. Bellande raises to $3,100 and as Chris Hanson remarks, “neither of them have a made hand yet.” Weinman calls and the turn is a 2♦, and Weinman and Bellande both check. The river is a 9♦ and Weinman goes all-in for $6,750 and Bellande quickly folds but Weinman doesn’t leave him hanging and quickly flips over his cards, showing that he had the nuts to win the $16,350 pot.

Dan Weinman wins an interesting hand.