Another Star-Studded Cash Game Filmed for “Poker Night in America”
Pittsburgh, PA (Nov. 17) — By any measure, it’s been an eventful week for Phil Hellmuth, Jr., best known as the 1989 world poker champion and the all-time leader in WSOP gold bracelet wins. He began his Sunday night in Las Vegas, by giving the induction speech for the legendary Jack McClelland, who was officially inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. The following two days, he spent several hours appearing on national television as part of ESPN’s coverage team for the World Series of Poker championship finale. Then, it was off to Pittsburgh for an appearance on “Poker Night in America,” which is broadcast weekly on CBS Sports. Hellmuth played in the televised cash game for two full days, which was also shown via live stream.
Next, on Saturday, Hellmuth hosted the Rivers Casino’s annual fall classic, the Pittsburgh Poker Open. The $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament drew 254 entrants. Remarkably, he ended up winning the championship, which came at 4 am early on Monday morning. The final chapter of this weekly whirlwind of events netted Hellmuth a $54,000 payday, good for his first tournament win since 2012. In fact, the contingent of players from “Poker Night in America” who traveled to Pittsburgh ended up taking down three of the top four spots in the tournament. David “ODB” Baker came in second. Matt Glantz took fourth. Shaun Deeb also finished in the money.
Two days of high-stakes cash games were just as memorable. The televised games, to appear later on “Poker Night in America,” drew an ecclectic mix of pros and non-pros alike. In addition to Hellmuth, Baker, Glantz, and Deeb — other poker notables included actress Jennifer Tilly, Gavin Smith, Tom Schneider, Greg Mueller, Matt Russell, Jack Schanbacher, and Matt Bochkoris MD.
However, one of the biggest cash game winners of the week was a bit of a surprise. Linda Kenney-Baden, best known as one of the top criminal defense attorneys in the United States enjoyed a big win, plus considerable bragging rights. The famous trial lawyer known for defending celebrities and athletes in murder cases brought a thing or two from the courtroom which served her well at the poker table. Look for highlights of all the action to appear soon on “Poker Night in America.”
Poker Night in America would like to extend a special thanks to Jim Tinney and the entire staff at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
A full gallery of images from our event at Rivers Casino can be found at the Poker Night in America Facebook page.