A look at The PokerStars.net Big Game Week 2

Week 2 of The Big Game saw another collection of Poker Pros take on an amateur player -who it turns out isn’t much of an amateur-and the table talk was able to rival Week 1’s despite the absence of Phil Laak, Tony G, and Phil Hellmuth. In Week 2 we heard table talk that went from Starcraft and Magic the Gathering to Will Davis’s wife hating Daniel Negreanu, and wanting her husband to bust him -which as it turns out would be one of the most ironic things to take place in Week 2.

Amazingly, one of the biggest talkers at the table has been the usually silent and jovial Doyle Brunson. The first thing I learned watching Week 2 of the Big Game is that Doyle Brunson and Abe Mosseri have what at best could be termed a healthy rivalry, and at worst might be called disdain for one another. Perhaps my favorite line of the week came from Doyle, but was directed at “Loose Cannon” Will Davis: “Why in the hell would you play 20 tables?!?!?!”

The second thing I learned from watching the high-stakes cash game is that Jason Calacinis is quite obnoxious at the poker table. Calacanis makes a number of remarks on the frivolity of others, and basically comes off as someone who has too much money and will likely not connect with any “normal” viewers. In fact I would say that Calacinis was the worst player at the table, although I like the show’s idea of bringing in a second “amateurish” type player to help increase the gamble of the pros.

The final thing I learned from Week 2 of the Big Game is that for as many mistakes as Ernest Wiggins made throughout Week 1, Will Davis was a pretty solid player, and the only mistakes I saw from his game was he made a couple of quick calls on the river that he may have been better served to think through a little bit. I also liked his interaction with the table, and you could see how much the table respected his play in the fact that nobody was eager to isolate him in a pot.

Week 1 saw a true “Loose Cannon” get lucky at all the right times and win $50,000, and in Week 2 we saw a very good “Loose Cannon” get unlucky at all the right times and go home with nothing to show for it. In all honesty, Will could have been probably won a couple hundred thousand had a few cards turned differently.

Week 3 of the telecast will feature a new lineup of professional poker players, and a new “Loose Cannon” online poker qualifier. Check your local listings to see when The PokerStars.net Big Game airs in your area.