While Michael Ian Black is not new to TV poker, he told PokerNews that The Big Game on Tour was somewhat different. Black faced his most formidable challenge yet last year: sitting down to play in the return of The Big Game on Tour. Black had previously participated in Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2003, more recently in Hank’s Home Game on PokerStars, and the RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) All-Stars ProAM at the PokerGO Studio later that year. He discussed the experience with PokerBol ahead of the second five-episode run with the new Loose Cannon Lily Newhouse.
Not Another Day at the Corporate Office
Black acknowledged he expected to be “outmatched and outclassed” given the quality of opposition before seated down at last year’s NAPT Las Vegas event. “They’re all calm and collected; I’m having a televised freak-out!” Black remarked. “I had no business being in from a talent level for this game. Great players were on the table, all with a lot of expertise at those stakes.
“For me, pretending as though this was just another day at the workplace was unacceptable. They are all cool and collected; I am seeing a televised freak-out! The Big Game’s premise is a Loose Cannon qualifier getting $50,000 to play with, having to survive 150 hands, and keeping any profit made. Black said that this dynamic was a fascinating twist, particularly given another possible Loose Cannon this time around.
“Lily [Newhouse] has not had the significant mark to propel her to the next level even though she is currently successful. Dave [Klosky], an online furniture entrepreneur with the least experience at the table but the advantage of being incredibly rich and not caring, is the genuine Loose Cannon in our series.” Black joined Maria Ho, who he had previously played with, and Black’s Team Pro Sam Grafton. Former WSOP bracelet winner Phil Laak completed the field.
Variations From Nikki’s Seasons
Black said the table was “crazy”, with many players ready to risk considerable money after seeing the last five episodes of Nikki Limo’s large Game run. “Jennifer and Arden are both flash and entertaining; if the cards turned out, Nikki might have won a lot, but she did fantastic. Having Phil at her table presented another difficulty as well. I don’t know whether I would have chosen her table or mine. My own is based on my relative sanity.
Black, on the other hand, found wrestling with likeable Sam Grafton challenging. “I knew he was aggressively bullying others. I expected it and knew I would be folding marginal hands to him, so that didn’t trouble me. He was playing a cash game while I was playing a tournament, so we were really engaged in two distinct activities. Should I lose my buy-in, that was it. Sam may just reach into his pocket, though. I so understood that I had to be much more careful.
“I Loved Every Second”.
Black acknowledges his enjoyment of the format even though he keeps the show’s outcomes near to his breast. “Everybody knows exactly where we are at every stage of the game. Hence, you can use that tactically. This was by far the most tense, as it was my first time playing those stakes.
“I liked every second of it, despite the tension and wish to throw for most of those 150 hands. I take the game seriously, enjoy it, have great regard for top players, and would want to participate more in the poker scene. Apart from the PokerStars YouTube account, the Big Game on Tour airs on Saturday, July 27 at 00:00 ET/21:00 PT on FS1
