New Poker After Dark: “Hellmuth Bash” Cash Game

Eager to prove his cash game prowess, the “Poker Brat” goes up against a tough table of high-stakes cash game specialists.

High-stakes cash game action returns to NBC’s Poker After Dark beginning late night on May 4 with two full weeks of a game being called the “Hellmuth Bash.” In this game, Phil Hellmuth takes center stage as only Phil can as he goes up against seasoned professional players Tom Dwan, Kenny Tran, Phil Laak, and Antonio Esfandiari, along with amateur player Bob Safai. The minimum buy-in for this game is $100,000, and the game will begin with blinds at $200/$400 along with a $100 ante.

This is the first time that two weeks of the same cash game will be shown on Poker After Dark. The players will draw for seats to begin play as is customary, but midway through the session they will redraw for seats so that viewers see them in different seating positions for one week than for the other. This has the potential to create an entirely different dynamic at the table midway into the game depending on who is sitting on a player’s left or right.

There is a rivalry between Hellmuth and Dwan that dates back to the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Championship, when the two faced off in the opening round. On only the third hand of play, Dwan pushed all in preflop with pocket tens only to be called by Hellmuth with pocket aces. But “durrrr” sucked out when a 10 hit the turn, eliminating Hellmuth in the shortest match in NHPC history. The two are no strangers to facing each other in cash game play either, as each participated in PAD’s first cash game during Week 31.
Laak and Esfandiari are familiar faces on Poker After Dark, but each will be participating in their first cash game on the show. Both have appeared many times on High Stakes Poker, where they are known to bring their sometimes crazy antics and interesting prop bets to the table in a way in which viewers have grown accustomed. But despite their zaniness, both are accomplished high-stakes cash game players who could give the rest of the table fits.

This week will mark the debut of Kenny “Sick Call” Tran and Bob Safai to the show. Both are well-known for their cash game skills, especially in the Los Angeles area where they both reside. Tran won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2008, and participated in the 2008 and 2009 NHPC, where he made the money in 2009 before losing in the third round. Safai participated in the fourth season of High Stakes Poker, and is known as a loose player who loves to give action.

Brief profiles of all six players follow. The match will begin airing on NBC late night Monday at 2:05 a.m., May 4, and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. A special program called the “Director’s Cut” will air late night Saturday, May 9, at 1:00 a.m., right after Saturday Night Live. This show will feature Leeann Tweeden with a behind-the-scenes look at the week with highlights and insightful player interviews and analyses. The game will resume on NBC the following week in the same time slots. Check your local listings for the exact times in your area. Viewers can also watch the game at www.nbcsports/msnbc.com/poker.

The upcoming two weeks feature lots of action with several rebuys, interesting hands, and enough table talk that commentator Ali Nejad will probably have a difficult time getting a word in edgewise. Oh, and whether the definition of the word “bash” in this game applies to hurling harsh verbal abuse at someone or a party where everyone has a great time will be left to the viewers to determine.
Tom Dwan:

• Nicknamed “durrrr” and has a huge following in the online community
• Primarily a high-stakes cash game player with remarkable success despite his young age, and is considered one of poker’s premier cash game players
• Live career tournament winnings in excess of $1.09 million
• Made two final tables in the 2008 World Series of Poker, the first he was old enough to play in
• Recently issued a $1 million heads-up challenge to anyone except Phil Galfond to put up $500,000 and play 50,000 hands at blinds of $200/$400 while playing 4 tables of NLHE or PLO at once online, saying that if his opponent finished up a minimum of $1 after rake once the hands were completed he would pay them an extra $1.5 million; if Dwan was up $1, the opponent would pay him $500,000

Kenny Tran:

• Nicknamed “The Kid” and “Sick Call” and now resides in the Los Angeles area
• Primarily a high-stakes cash game player, he won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10,000 No-Limit Heads-Up World Championship
• Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $2.11 million
• Had a great 2007 at the World Series of Poker, finishing 16th in the Championship event, 5th in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, and 16th in the WSOP Europe no-limit Main Event
• Donates 10% of all his winnings to his extended family back home in Vietnam where he was born

Phil Laak:

• Nicknamed “The Unabomber” for the trademark hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses he usually wears
• Holder of one WPT invitational title
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $1.40 million
• May be the man mostly responsible for “hoodies” becoming popular apparel among poker players
• Known for his unusual and often humorous antics and mannerisms at the table

Esfandiari, Antonio:

• Nicknamed “The Magician” for having been a professional magician before becoming a poker playe
• Winner of one WSOP bracelet and one WPT event
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $3.12 million
• Now represents World Poker Tour Enterprises as the face of the WPT poker-made millionaire in offline and online tournaments and events around the world
• Author of the book In the Money

Phil Helmuth:

• Known as the “Poker Brat,” a name he now embraces, and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in July 2007
• 1989 World Champion, and won his 11th World Series bracelet in 2007, making him the first and only person in history to do so
• Career tournament winnings in excess of $10.82 million, and ranks 3rd on the all-time money list, despite never having a cash for more than $755,000
• Now has more World Series cashes (69) and has made more WSOP final tables (41) than any other player in history
• His fame has given him the opportunity to be involved in many businesses on the side, and he is highly acknowledged as the game’s best self-promoter

Bob Safai:

• Born in 1962 and is a resident of California
• Owns a successful real estate company in Los Angeles
• Considers poker a hobby, and is strictly a recreational player
• Has played high-stakes cash games for 10 years, NLHE as high as $500/$1000, and appeared on the 4th season of High Stakes Poker
• Describes himself often as the loosest guy at the table

Dennis Oehring serves as the Public Relations Coordinator for the firm POKER PROductions. Statistical information courtesy of The Hendon Mob database. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Moore.

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