TV / POKER: Channel 5's UltimatePoker.com Showdown

(Very) Late Night Poker

I have to admit I've really been enjoying the UltimatePoker.com Showdown on Five. Even if it does have 10 words that can chill any poker fans heart: "And it's now over to Victoria Coren for tonight's commentary." Watching five novices battle it out every week as their skills improve has been fascinating. I'm just not sure why it had to be on at 12.05am every Sunday morning.

Anyway, this being the Naughties the show had to add a reality TV 'Poker Idol' aspect by having mini-interviews with the players every week and seeing how they'd been preparing - most of which I spun through. But the best bits were getting poker professionals (the Devilfish, Annie Duke and Phil Helmuth) to break down their game and having a psychologist pick up on the player's habits and mental states.

Going into the final my money was on Lee, as he was easily the most improved player out of the bunch. He seemed to have peaked at the right time, winning the penultimate game before the one that would finally pay out the money. And this wasn't a small prize fund. Each week an internet qualifier had tried to take some money out of the pot, but only one of them managed to strip £3,000. That meant the prize pool was still £97,000!

Having that money on the line did seem to make them very nervous, though, and players were laying down hands not wanting to be the first to go out. It didn't help that the tournament had its first real mistake in an early hand. With only the blinds left in, small-blind Lee announced raise - quite clearly, I heard it fine - but the tournament director and dealer both claimed they didn't hear it.

So the hand was played with no raise. Lee had Kd 4d, Liv had 6 7 offsuit. The flop made neither a pair but brought two diamonds to give Lee a flush draw, ands they both checked. The turn made Lee's flush and he bet $5k, but it also gave Liv an inside straight draw so she called. When the 4d hit the river it made her straight, but with four diamonds now on the flop she couldn't really think it was still good. Lee bet 10k, but all Liv could see was her straight. She announced re-raise and only then realised there were four diamonds in the centre! Trying to back out of it she said raise 1k, but of course she was made to put 10k in. Lee reraised again and all Liv had was 1,900 in chips. She tossed the hand rather than go out, knowing she was beat, and they had to take a short break because it made her cry.

What should have been a nothing hand - Lee intended to raise four times the big blind and Liv would have probably have ditched her 6 7 offsuit - pretty much put Liv out of the tournament. And when they played back the clip at the end? Lee clearly says "I raise".

While this was the only mistake by the tournament staff, there was another bad error on the final hand by our whiny-voiced commentator Vicky Coren. I watched this back again just to make sure I wasn't going mad. The remaining two players were Andy and Laura Lyn. Here's how the hand played out:

Andy looks down at: Ah Kh
Laura has: 8d 9d

Andy raises and Laura calls.

The flop comes: Ac 10d Qh.

So Andy has made top pair, top kicker with his A and bets. Laura re-raises, trying a move that has got Andy to lay down a few hands that night. But he's not going anywhere this time and he reraises all-in. Laura is now low on chips and probably thinks a J would make her a winning straight (8, 9, 10, J, Q). Only we can see that a J would make Andy a better straight (10, J, Q, K, A).

Not our Ms Coren, though. When Laura Lyn calls Vicky keeps going on about how there are just four cards in the deck that can win it for her and she needs a J. She repeats this on the turn when another diamond appears and gives Laura a flush draw - saying there are now a lot more cards that can win it for her. I think it's time to apply for some poker presenting jobs.