Pro-Am Poker Equalizer Professionals vs. Celebrities

Episodes

Episode 5 Details

Episode 5

Air date:
Day: Thursday
Date: Feb 15
Time: 3:00pm

Featuring:
Pros:
Kaplan
Smith
Bloch
Seidel
Celebrity:
Elizabeth
Cheadle

Tale of the tape

If someday you sit at Shannon Elizabeth’s table and think she’s only playing poker because it’s the trendy thing to do in Hollywood, you better not be too attached to your chips. Elizabeth, who played Nadia the exhibitionist exchange student in American Pie, has a solid game, evidenced by the fact she monied at this year’s WSOP and finished the Main Event well ahead of other A-list celebrity players. Don Cheadle didn’t play in the WSOP, but the Oscar-nominated star of Hotel Rwanda and Crash will undoubtedly deliver an award winning performance as he tries to out-bluff the pros.

The pros in this case are Erik Seidel, Gabe Kaplan, Gavin Smith, and Andy Bloch. Smith and Bloch crossed paths a couple times during this year’s WSOP. In the $5K Omaha Hi/Lo tournament, Smith edged out Bloch, taking 22nd place to Bloch’s 23rd. A week later, during the $50K HORSE event, it was Bloch’s turn to come out on top. He finished second compared to Smith’s 11th.

As far as Erik Seidel and the WSOP goes, he almost won the Main Event the first time he played it. His second place finish was featured in the film Rounders. He won $280K but the bad beat he took from Johnny Chan is now immortalized on DVD – and in 5.1 Dolby stereo.

Former actor and comedian Gabe Kaplan started playing at the WSOP Main Event long before poker became the cool game in Hollywood. In fact, Kaplan reached the final table with some of the game’s greats, including Poker Hall of Fame members Stu Unger, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Moss. If you ask him, he’ll say he’s part of poker’s old school – and that suits Mr. Kotter just fine.