I LOVED this show and when I was starting to play Poker, there was no better method by which to learn the basics of the game. The reason for this is that most of the celebrities play horrifically on Celebrity Poker Showdown and it provides plenty of opportunities for Phil Gordon to explain where they went wrong and why. Viewers also get a great chance to see how a smart poker player can easily dominate play when they have good cards and when they don't. While I enjoy High Stakes Poker and WSOP shows very much too, you simply don't get the chance for beginner lessons like you did with Celebrity Poker Showdown (and, really, it's worth the price of admission to see Scott Stapp of 90's band, Creed, "play." It's AMAZING). I really wish that they would release it on DVD!
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JMC471112 September 2004Anyone who watches this show thinking they're going to gain some great insight into playing poker is fooling themselves but from an entertainment standpoint the show is definitely worth the time. It's kind of unfair to slam the celebrities for not being expert poker players (even though several of them, including Mimi Rogers, James Woods and Ben Affleck have moneyed in big name events). Some of them play like boneheads (Bobby Flay, I'm looking at you!) but overall the level of play is at least as good as you'd expect from journeyman-level players. While you won't become an expert player from watching, if you pay attention to what Phil Gordon has to say you will pick up some good tips.
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imdb-821216 April 2007While I agree completely with drvn below about Mary McCormack flopping a milk-bag out on TV, the rest of the show is fantastic! Phil Hartman was great in a professorly way, teaching the celebs the ins and outs. Foley's a nut, but in a good way. You never know what self depricating humor he's going to come up with next. As for the game play, it's entertaining, filled with witty banter, and great for any newbie that may have even a passing an interest in the game. Too bad it isn't on anymore :( I just checked the schedule all the way to August and it doesn't appear to be scheduled for any time in the future. Bad Bravo! You deserve a beating!
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danindenver1 May 2005For all the poker purists, I would say "get over it!" The average person doesn't want to watch Stoneface, the Unabomber and Robot-Man play poker. It may be realistic, but it just isn't all that exciting. The purpose of this show is entertainment! More important - I like it. I am fond of watching the various celebrities behaving in a more natural, less-scripted venue. It's sort of like a sitcom reality show. And I think I've even learned a little about poker - though I don't play.
I started watching this for Dave Foley and stayed for the poker fun. I've recently seen reruns of Season 1 with Kevin Pollak (who is he?) and I can see that the later seasons are clearly more polished and more fun. Kevin didn't seem like a bad guy, just rather dull. His interaction with Phil Gordon was not very dynamic. And Phil, himself, seemed VERY wooden. With the new episodes, we get better commentary as the bidding happens on-screen, rather than simply pointing out what a given player did wrong after the fact. This improved continuity shows good editing skills. (You didn't really think this is played in real-time, did you?)
The only thing I might like to see different is, perhaps once during a tournament, they could give some brief recognition to Robert Thompson and the dealers. I was surprised to learn that some of the dealers are well-accomplished players and professionals in their own right, yet they are generally treated as robots. -
alecspade13 November 2004I play semi-pro poker and I like this show. The celebrities, for the most part, are not good but that's to be expected. They bluff about 90% of the time because I'm sure it says something about that in the little manual Phil Gordon gives them before the show. Any regular poker player would win this tournament with relative ease.
I'd like to see some different formats, though, to make it a little more interesting. Maybe have Phil play in the game, but he only gets 5,000 TC. I'd also like them to try to have cast members from different shows on, like in Season 1 when they had the West Wing cast. Also they might want to find the celebrities that are actually good at poker to play against each other. My gut says the players that are good don't want to play against a bunch of poker morons for fear of losing on a river suckout and never hearing the end of it.
My vote for worst player is Dennis Rodman, edging out Adam Rodriguez (of CSI Miami) who went out on the very first hand with nothing but I can chalk that up to just not ever playing the game, and Coolio, who played in the first season and played like he needed to catch a plane. Rodman actually won his game, embarrassingly enough, and didn't ever seem like he had a clue nor gave a damn.
Don't watch it to learn anything (other than the absolute basics of the game), but it is mostly fun to watch. -
meshugna16 August 2004I think this show is great fun to watch.
You get to see a side of these celebrities that you don't see anywhere else and the poker is very exciting and easy to understand - even if you're new to the game!
Personally, I think this is a show that everyone should definitely be watching - there's always something in it for poker players and non-players alike! Plus, they are giving away tons of money to various charities.
I hope it's around for many seasons to come. -
jbenik24 March 2004I watched all episodes of this show, and didn't much like it. Although there was a certain joy in watching celebrities outside their normal mindsets, the poker was just not very good. In no limit holdem, there is a fine line between brilliant and stupid, and nearly all of the amateurs crossed over it.
But I'm a poker fan, so I might be biased. It's kinda like watching celebrity softball or celebrity stock car racing. You level of enjoyment is inversely proportional to how seriously you take the sport in the first place. (And yes, the fact that I refer to poker as a "sport" let's you know where I sit on the subject.
Another thing that disappointed me was Kevin Pollack. He cracks me up, and I was excited that he was hosting the show. But he simply wasn't funny on this show. His gag lines seemed to be written for him, and his impressions seemed like they were from out in left field. I understand that he is being replaced by Dave Foley for the new season.
If you're not a poker purist, and just want to see Ben Affleck and David Schwimmer hang out, it's worth a look. But don't expect to see any of these folks behind a stack of chips in Vegas anytime soon. -
onepotato224 June 2004I leave this on while I'm working because TV is so awful. I'm hoping to learn more about poker about which I know zip. Now, I'm fond of both Dave Foley and Canada, but I have to say Dave,... spend a buck! Purchase the assistance of an image consultant; not to become some greasy Hollywood parasite, but to work with your features to get you somewhere measurably better than where you started. Many people who have been in three successful series have picked up a thing or two about presenting themselves. Your clothes are awful and unflattering. Your hair is a modern tragedy. It looks like you have a plush-toy on your head. I only want whats best for you Dave.
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drvnmecrze215 August 2005Normally I love Celebrity Poker. I agree with most of you that they do not necessarily play GOOD POKER...but it is fun to see them in a social setting. Unfortunately, Mary McCormack used very bad judgment in her "showing"(using the term loosely!). Bringing a baby to a poker table is way, way out there!! Bringing her mammary glands in such a stupid display is even worse. As a Woman, I resent her being so crude and vulgar in discussing a perfectly normal function such as breast feeding. The association of the display and the function was totally tasteless and stupid. One would hope that a lady of her age could discern the difference. I have no qualms about breast feeding and especially when done in public as a necessity and normal thing for baby's well being. The obvious flaunting and discussion was wrong. Discretion, Mary....(discretion)....not a dirty word. The tasteless bantering by the guys was instigated by Mary and had no place in a poker tourney!!!
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halderic13 January 2004Unfortunately i only caught the last two episodes of this show (including the championship game), but it was pretty entertaining. It was nice to see the celebrities candid in their demeanor. Hopefully this show has done moderately well (although almost no posts here is an ominous sign) and there will be at least a second season at some point this year.
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tishabyte17 November 2005I love this show and have learned a lot about poker from watching it. The celebrities are entertaining and some of them actually have skill and don't just base their game on luck. Plus they are doing it for charity so that is always good. I would recommend watching for a good laugh and some interesting poker play. I love Phil Gordon he is so cool and funny and his tips from the lounge are of course always helpful.I love it when the tournament director says "Shuffle up and deal" I always laugh a little when he says that. Sometime the real action in the losers' lounge though depending on who is in there. I would love to see Phil play with some of them sometime.