PokerStars: The BIG Game in 2024

Is she supposed to be a whale?

I remember her from like 2014-17 ESPN WSOP and them saying "Las Vegas pro"

Oh wow, I wonder if that's the trend for the rebooted series? That's kinda weak. The entire concept of the BG was to allow a poker enthusiast or rec to get a chance to play way above their normal pay grade. Sort of like Rocky. Of course, like Rocky, it turned out that some of them were pretty good, like Max Martinez. (Hey... maybe it's an Italian thing.)

I remember the biggest disappointment being Jared Huggins, aka RelaxedPrecision on 2+2. A lot of people really pushed for him to get on the show, only to watch him nit it up once he got there.

For that matter, I remember a little hubbub when Aaron Jensen was on the show, since he was already a poker pro.

Why does everything have to be dragged out so much? I feel like they play two or three hands, then we see a short interview interspersed with quotes from the previous couple of hands, then another two hands, more interviewing/goofing around/lines being repeated, etc. I don't need a chip stack update after every two hands either.

That said, Tilly and Keating are entertaining to watch. Add in one decent pro and you've got a decent line-up.

I've really enjoyed the first 2 episodes.

It's the first poker content in a while, where the players aren't very anti social, online, gto guys.

The Canon is incredibly attractive/likeable.

well when you hold tryouts for the show at a major tour your going to get alot of "regs" you also have to win an event at a poker tour. thats like already going to skew pro slightly. but to regular go to these events you usually have to be loaded as a pro or a whale. so ya your not going to get joe from the block as a loose cannon its going to be someone already deep in the poker world either as a whale or a pro and they probably don't need the money so its hard to cheer for them. they can already afford 10k Caribbean vacation to play poker.

The og show made you win an online freeroll so we got some real people

not a 9 man sng on a tour stop

I was thinking that it was a lot of work for the Loose Cannon for only 50k.

Last Big Game was 100k.

Tough times over at Pokerstars eh.

A lot of work for 50k?

This. Given the format they held the auditions in, they were obviously going to get a fair bit of semi-serious players who already live in Vegas trying out. So in that regard it's understandable that it's harder to find a true "everyman" (or woman).

Having said that, it feels like they are blatantly not telling the entire story and in that regard trying to make Nikki seem more amateur-ish than she is. They did mention that she has a podcast with her husband, but (likely deliberately) did not include that she does 'Aceholes' with Caitlin Comesky + that she has a lot of poker playing friends. She is already a semi-established name in the poker world, and it feels like they want to hide that fact.

And the format itself is a bit annoying; namely how they after every second hand (at most) have to take 2-3 minutes out of the time to 'explain' something to the audience. I think the format itself is interesting enough, so they don't have to try to create rivalries or constantly remind us how every player is doing so far.

Lex got famous for being a maniac in WSOP and has now become a nit lol

Its been 2 episodes with 1/3 the hands the previous Big Games had and he already has a triple barrel in there. Its weird how many Lex haters there are on here for absolutely zero reason.

he's not a nit, he just plays better now, he used to be pretty spewy

Lex waltzing into high stakes poker trying to bully Ivey and getting insta brought back down to earth is one of the best moments in poker history.

I couldnt find the clip on youtube except with Lex' own commentary and really... just watching that commentary makes me remember why I find Lex so dislikeable. He doesnt credit Ivey at all for that insane bluff, instead hes saying things like "i think Ivey went with a read that was wrong because AKSHUALLY I was really confident in that moment" and "Ivey went all in so fast, If I hadnt sold pieces I probably would have called because I knew something was off but didnt want to risk other people's money".

The guy is extremely self centered and has a fragile ego, not being able to just admit that he got completely schooled even 15 years later.

The latest episode was brutal for Lex.

There was a hand where Keating raises dark and Phil folds KQ off.

Just sad man.

So we went from "Lex is a nit" until episode 3 comes then people switch it up and insult him for something else instead?

The internet is a really weird place sometimes.

I look forward to Phil mentioning winning big in 24 out of 25 cash games again. I'm guessing that'll happen sooner than him playing a big pot.

Didn't Lex 3bet Keating that hand?

Yes he did, but on TV I think you have to give a little bit of action.

Keating had a K9o and Lex an A4o.

Think I remember Phil folding sevens to a 3 bet as well, with 4 people still in the pot.

episode 3:

anticipating more flirting between Keating and the LC.

And all his fans are incels according to the Finnish troglodyte formerly known as Esa_Perse.

holy **** arden chow is actually kicking buttons

Maybe his streaming persona is different which Ive never paid attention to but every time Ive seen him on these shows hes done nothing but handle himself with class and bring lots of action so its really weird when I see people flame him. That guy calling him an incel over and over seems to have gotten banned btw.

I don't hate him at all. But he's done a total 180 as a player. It's just stating facts.

Lex has never been a nit on any show I've watched. They show a clip of him in the new episode bluff shoving against DNegs of all people on the original show. He might not have a lot of great table talk but his poker is always good to watch and I like him in a line up for a TV cash game.

Decent third episode, no spoilers but lol Arden.

Spoiler alert:

Arden’s bluff vs Lex was pretty goated, targeting exactly overpairs, blocking the straight, top set, having range advantage etc

As for the Keating one, i cant believe he folded after seeing the 3c, if anything the Ace would make him fold more since she can easily have 2pair. But ya kind of a misstep by Keating there, i think he was folding no matter what and didnt really care which card she showed.