On Thursday, the first-ever High Stakes Poker live episode was broadcast on PokerGO. For poker subscribers to the digital channel, it was the chance to watch warring professionals Doug Polk, Nik ‘Airball’ Arcot and Matt Berkey clash and they weren’t disappointed. Their meeting at the felt was, however, not the only controversial subject that surfaced.

Viewers Get Berkey and Airball Clash

Anyone who tuned into the seven-hour live stream of High Stakes Poker expecting to see a clash between feuding poker professionals Matt Berkey and Nikhil ‘Airball’ Arcot weren’t disappointed. Less than half an hour’s poker had been played by the time Berkey woke up with pocket aces and Airball held eight-four of diamonds. Berkey limped to the flop, two diamonds fell and anyone from a Hollywood scriptwriter to the man on the street knew what was coming.

Berkey only called Airball’s bet of $1,000 on the jack-high flop. On the turn, no diamond fell, which saw Berkey lead for $10,000. Airball, the self-proclaimed ‘King of Los Angeles’ – in reality a fortune-builder in investment banking – called with only a minor hesitation. The river came in for him as another diamond gave him a flush.

Berkey, who is something of a poker industry lifer, bet $15,000 into the pot of $28,300, but Airball didn’t even wait for the chips to stop spinning before he bumped it to $86,400, setting the Solve for Why creator and Only Friends podcast co-host all-in. It was a big call or fold moment to make for Berkey, but eventually, he called, his grimace evident as Airball turned over the winning hand of flush cards to match the three on board.

Berkey reached for more chips, reloading for $100,000, but as the dealer was confused about the amount Berkey was in for, Airball lost his patience, grabbing Berkey’s chips and pulling them into his pile. Correct about the bet he may have been, but it displayed a clear lack of class. Both men lost money on the night, with Berkey’s losses ($22,000) dwarfed by the $112,000 Airball was relieved of by the time play concluded.

Raucous Atmosphere Divides Opinion

With so many colorful characters at the felt, there was always likely to be a moment that went viral. As it happened, the hand between Berkey and Airball was it, but not in the way you might imagine. From the start of the hand to the end of the action, the commentary from Brent Hanks and Nick Schulman was excellent, or at least it might have been if anyone could hear it.

The table talk was, at times, entertaining. But at others, it veered drastically into the direction of simply being an irritating noise to many viewers. One of the best things about High Stakes Poker’s regular series is that, to many, the poker speaks for itself. Players such as Doyle Brunson, Patrik Antonius and Jennifer Tilly don’t need to say much because what they say is entertaining, engaging and frequently witty.

Here, Tilly was drowned out, largely by players such as Airball’s constant chatter, Lynne Ji’s incessant laughter and the table in general prioritising discussion points over poker chips. Reframe the action as a poker debate and it might have made a great watch, but at times, it was easy to forget that there was a card game going on.

At times, the conversation veered towards the inane and while no-one is individually to blame for that, one had to feel slightly sorry for both Hanks and Schulman, two of poker’s brightest commentators who struggled to preside over the action amid the chaos of what lay before them.

Poker’s finest waded into the debate, too.

Daniel Negreanu said: “Let me just say that I am so glad I decided to stay home today and watch hockey instead of that “other thing”. They need to make cackle cancelling mics for the sake of the viewers for live poker streams. Is that a thing? Do we have the tech to mute the cackles?”

Barny Boatman responded: “Based on this one hand, this is unwatchable. Even [Will] Kassouf will quit jabbering every now and then when he’s not in the pot. What they need is a producer listening in, and only bringing the sound up in the unlikely event that the chat is worth listening to. In a big all-in, less is more. A bit of [comms], focus on the players in the hand and respect from other players.”

Is the Era of the Amateur Over?

Many live poker streams – and this live episode of High Stakes Poker came across as more similar to streams such as Hustler Casino Live than an episode of High Stakes Poker – have gone in the direction of booking streamers and poker professionals exclusively. Those players have large social media followings and it makes sense – marketing works best if its pushed to as many people as possible and everyone is worried about the bottom line.

The issue with only booking people who have turned poker, social media or content creation into their profession is that often, there aren’t a wealth of conversations that will appeal to the general public. Discussing bitcoin might be fun for anyone who has invested millions in the volatile new currency format, but for millions of poker fans who work regular jobs, it can grate on the nerves. Throw in just a handful of players from less elevated walks of life, and true reality might have shone through, entertaining everyone.

It’s hard to argue that the format doesn’t work as entertainment. Any live-streamed poker is going to be popular and High Stakes Poker always looks immaculate. PokerGO have terrific commentators, one of the best behind-the-scenes teams and is clearly a great set-up. Poker is aspirational when big players are at the table and the addition of Jean-Robert Bellande later gave the group a little more gravitas. The genius of shows such as Late Night Poker, High Stakes Poker was always in the casting of characters who appealed to poker fans and regular people, who might aspire to join them at the felt or could imagine what it would be like to sit at the table. A lot of fans in this poker stream’s chat box seemed to be glad that they weren’t.

At the close of the show, Eric Persson had banked the most profit, taking home $190,000. That he was seen as the quiet, thoughtful player at an eight-handed poker table was far more surprising.