PokerStars’ Big Game on Tour has been the talk of the town for the last couple of weeks, with players from far and wide flocking to Las Vegas to attend the first edition of PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) in 12 years and audition for the potential role of loose cannon for the first season of the popular TV show’s new iteration.
PokerStars revealed earlier in the week that Nikki Limo and Lily Newhouse passed the auditions and got the roles, but we now also know the remainder of the lineup for the new season, and it’s a juicy one.
Phil Hellmuth, Lex Veldhuis, Phil Laak, and Alan Keating will be joined by Hollywood stars Jennifer Tilly and Arden Cho, with additional names like Sam Grafton also floated around, although not officially confirmed.
It remains to be seen how exactly the pros, the recs, and the loose cannons will be cast for the two separate cash game sessions that will make up the first and the second half of the season, and what other names might appear on the alternates list should one of the players decide to leave the game early.
In either case, with Hellmuth, Keating, Tilly, and Laak going head-to-head with the two highly entertaining loose cannons, PokerStars Big Game on Tour has all the makings of a truly great poker show.
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Big Game Legends Making a Return
With the partial list of Big Game on Tour participants now released, it is interesting to see quite a few familiar faces returning after waiting more than a decade to revisit one of their favorite poker shows.
The top names on that list are the two Phils — Hellmuth and Laak — who were integral characters in the early seasons, providing much of the table banter and adding immense entertainment value to the show.
Phil Hellmuth’s hands against loose cannons like Ernest Wiggins and his altercations with the likes of Tony G on the show have become a thing of legends, and we expect to see more of the same come 2024 and the airing of the first episodes of Big Game on Tour.
The “Poker Brat” and “Unabomber” will be joined by Laak’s wife, successful Hollywood actress Jennifer Tilly, whom some of you may know from her roles in the Chucky movies. Many poker fans will also be familiar with her from her countless appearances on various poker TV shows over the years.
Another player making his Big Game return is Lex Veldhuis. The Dutch tournament pro made a whole career for himself since the last season aired, becoming one of the most popular poker streamers in the world and still working under a PokerStars sponsorship.
Thus far, we know that the group of returning faces will be joined by a couple of brand-new characters, none more popular than Alan Keating, a player whose playing style has become a thing of legends over the last few years.
Mr. Keating is guaranteed to mix it up with the pros and loose cannons alike and probably take up the role of the real loose cannon at the table. Expect to see Keating in more pots than anyone else as he lets the swings come as they may and continues playing his relentless and pure brand of cash game poker.
Finally, the other new face on the show will be Arden Cho, the popular American actress whose roles include appearances on Teen Wolf and Partner Track and whom you will get to see in 2024 as part of the new season of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Cho will join Tilly in adding chic and glamour to the PokerStars show, as she goes up against pros, billionaires, and loose cannons and pits her poker face against the more experienced players like Phil Hellmuth and Alan Keating.
What to Expect from the Loose Cannons?
In the past, PokerStars recruited their loose cannon candidates from all walks of life, and we were able to see different personalities join the show. Some, like Ernest Wiggins, were incredibly entertaining to watch, while others, like Massimiliano Martinez, impressed more with their poker skills than their table banter and personality.
This time around, it was ensured that loose cannons would excel in both areas, as candidates were forced to do well at the poker tables first, and then pass a rigorous audition with the likes of Joe Stapleton, James Hartigan, and former loose cannon Nadya Magnus acting as jury.
In the end, the selection fell to Nikki Limo and Lily Newhouse, both ladies with amazing personalities, a big social media following, and exceptional poker skills.
The show has already gotten underway as the two announced they made their way into The Big Game with the help of Caitlin Comeskey another popular vlogger and poker host who apparently “cast a moon ritual spell” and manifested the two of them becoming loose cannons.
Whether or not you believe in magic and the power of manifesting, there is no denying that these ladies know how to keep the crowd entertained, and we expect to see plenty more where that came from when their faces show up on Big Game on Tour in early 2024.
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Expect a Fun Start to the New Year
The recording of the two cash game sessions that will be included in the first season of Big Game on Tour have now concluded, but the show will be in post-production for a while, with the first episodes scheduled to air in early 2024.
While the bit of waiting certainly is not what the fans were hoping for, the extra time will allow PokerStars producers to get the show up to the standards we are used to, and there is no doubt that Big Game on Tour will be every bit as fancy as exciting as the season we saw a decade ago.
Make sure to stay tuned and expect more updates in preparation for the airing of the first episodes as we await for those big Phil Hellmuth blowups, cheeky Alan Keating grins, and all the surprises that the two loose cannons have in store for us.
