Hellmuth’s Home Game, a new poker show powered by BetRivers Poker and available on Poker Night in America’s YouTube channel, is gaining a lot of popularity among poker fans.
With a strong lineup, featuring the likes of Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Xuan Liu, 3Coin (who made his claim to fame in numerous streamed games), and, of course, Phil Hellmuth himself, the show brings a rather unique format. There is no usual commentary; instead, we get to hear all the table talk, making it a much more personal experience.
With three episodes having aired, each featuring about 45 minutes’ worth of action, this is a good moment to look back at some of the biggest and most interesting hands. If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch any of Hellmuth’s Home Game so far, these will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect when you tune in.
Phil Hellmuth Off to a Great Start
In one of the very first hands of Hellmuth’s Home Game, we saw the host himself tangle in a hand against Jungleman. Cates attempted a squeeze play from the big blind with TJ suited and committed himself against Hellmuth, who decided to put his $4,100 in the middle with pocket nines.
We all know how much Phil hates losing pots, and if he were to lose a decent-sized one right off the bat, we would likely witness one of his classic blowups.
As it were, though, they agreed to run it twice, and Hellmuth managed to hold up on both runouts, scooping almost $9,000 in the middle. It was a very nice start for the host.
Pocket Kings No Good for 3Coin
Episode 2 saw a big clash between 3Coin and DJ Washburn. Both of these players are no strangers to televised games, and were all too happy to respond to Phil’s invitation and get in the mix.
The hand in question started with DJ Washburn opening to $250 with 8-7 and 3Coin just calling in the small blind with pocket kings. This brought Jungleman and Xuan Liu along for the ride as well.
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On a flop of 7-2-2, the action checked to DJ Washburn, who bet out for $400 with his top pair. 3Coin clicked it back, making it $900, which got rid of the other two players, while Washburn made the call.
The turn brought another 7 (the last one in the deck, as Xuan folded one on the flop), improving Washburn to a full house. This didn’t slow 3Coin poker down, though, as he fired out for $3,000. His opponent called once more.
The river came a flush-completing nine, making the board that much scarier. 3Coin took his foot off the gas and checked, prompting a $3,000 bet from DJ Washburn. 3Coin gave it some thought, but his curiosity got the better of him as he made the call, sending a 15k pot Washburn’s way.
Xuan Liu Lets a Coin Flip Decide in a Big Pot Against Jungleman
In most cash games, things tend to heat up as we get deeper into a session, and Hellmuth’s Home Game powered by BetRivers Poker is no different in that regard. With stacks getting deeper and players getting a better feel for each other’s playing styles, pots start to increase, and hands get more exciting.
Perhaps the best example of this is a hand from the most recent episode, where Dan Cates went for a big bluff against Xuan Liu and she couldn’t decide between calling and folding, eventually letting a coin flip make that decision for her.
The hand started with Liu opening the action from UTG with AT of the suited variety. Jungleman was the only taker, making the call with J9 in the straddle.
The flop came T84 rainbow, giving Xuan top pair, while Cates flopped an open-ended straight draw. This was more than enough for Jungle to take an aggressive approach, check-raising Liu’s $400 continuation bet to $1,500.
Xuan felt something was off, and came over the top, making it $3,700. After a short deliberation, Cates called, and they proceeded to see another 8 on the turn.
The action checked through on this street, and the river brought a king. With nothing but a jack-high, Jungleman decided to try and steal this one with a big bet. He moved all in for about two times the size of the pot.
This really confused Liu, and she spent a fair bit of time deliberating on the best course of action. In the end, she decided to flip a chip and leave it down to luck. The luck wasn’t with her this time around, as the chip landed on the fold side, and she mucked the winner.
Of course, these are just a few of the interesting hands from Hellmuth’s Home Game so far. There are quite a few more big bluffs and fun pots in there, and new episodes are coming up, so make sure to subscribe to the Poker Night in America YouTube channel and catch up with all the action.
