High Stakes Poker is back.
As the community celebrated the holidays and recuperated from the Winter Poker Wars, PokerGO released the 17-episode slate of the show's fifteenth season all at once – as opposed to the standard weekly releases. Kevin Hart made his High Stakes Poker debut, highlighting a season-starting lineup that included Andrew Robl, Sam 'Senor Tilt' Kiki, Stanley Tang, Kirk Brown, Darren Feinstein, and Sameh Elamawy in a $500/$1,000 no-limit hold'em game.
Through his five-episode run, Hart proved himself more than capable in the two-card streets. With past experience in a televised poker setting and the bankroll to handle big swings, he came ready to play.
In a cutaway interview during the first episode, Hart detailed his poker philosophy:
"I've been playing poker for years. I think my relationship with poker is one of calm. It's a soothing hobby. It's an environment that you can put yourself in where you can really be around a different group of people and find synergy and energy and conversation and understanding. And build great relationships, great rapport. I equate it to the golf course.
"It's a thinking game, it's a mental game. And what better way to give your mental some of the best tug-of-wars than at a table where you're competing and battling with some of the best to do it. I love the challenge, I love the experience, I love the thrill."
Episode 1: Hart attacks
In Episode 1, Hart made it immediately clear that he had the requisite chops for a game of this size – winning two key hands to start strong. In the first, he extracted maximum value from one opponent with a turned two pair while at the same time forced out another opponent who would have improved on the river to beat him. With 
on a 
board, Hart raised Tang's $15,000 probe bet to $50,000 and picked up a call behind from Elamawy, who held 
.
Tang correctly mucked his 
in the face of Hart's aggression – only to watch on as the 
rolled off on the river. With his two pair, Hart shipped his remaining $101,000 into the $140,000 pot.
"A present for Kevin," Elamawy said as he flicked a single chip across the betting line. And it was a present indeed as Hart hauled in the $342,000 pot.
"I don't mind presents. I like presents," Hart said, drawing a laugh from the table.
In the second hand, Hart went up against Robl in a quadruple-straddled pot. With $30,000 in dead money up for grabs, Robl raised to $45,000 with 
. Hart called, next to act, with 
and the remaining two straddlers fled the scene. Robl checked to Hart on the 
flop and Hart pounced, firing $95,000 into the $116,500 in the middle.
"Just take it," Robl declared as he returned his cards to the dealer.
After starting with $200,000 in front of him, Hart ended Episode 1 with $466,500 in his stack.
Episode 2: 'I'm gonna just juice it up'
In Episode 2, Hart rode the jack-eight wave when he defended 
from the big blind against a raise to $8,000 from Brown. Feinstein came along as well after limping in and the three players checked through on the 
flop, bringing in the turn. Hart checked with second pair, extending rope to either Feinstein or Brown – and the latter took it, betting $13,000 into the $25,500 pot. Hart made the call while Feinstein sent his cards into the muck.
On the river 
, Hart checked a third time and drew another bluff from Brown – this time for $35,000. After a moment's thought, Hart cut out chips for what he thought was a payoff.
"I can beat that," Hart said as Brown revealed his ace-high.
Later in the episode, Hart went up against Brown for a second time. Rather than draw the bluff, Hart took on the aggressor's role – to great success.
"I know we're not doing it, but I'm gonna just juice it up," Hart said as he threw out a $16,000 quadruple straddle. Brown, who started the straddle chain, raised to $35,000 with 
. Tang and Robl passed, but Hart made the call with 
. On the 
flop, Brown continued for $25,000 and Hart tossed in a single cranberry-colored chip for a call with just king-high and devious intentions.
With $138,500 in the pot, Brown bet $35,000 on the 
turn. Hart revealed his intentions with a check-raise to $120,000, putting Brown to the test. After hemming and hawing for the better part of three minutes, Brown folded his cards face up. Hart slid the bluff towards the dealer, seemingly sparing his opponent from embarrassment. Seemingly.
"It's for the game," Hart told Brown as he exposed his hand for the table to delight in.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. As the episode continued, Hart ran into a couple tough spots and paid off hefty bets on the river to bleed off the majority of his profit.
At the close of Episode 2, Hart found himself with $239,500.
Episode 3: Hart shows heart
With so much of his hard-earned money gone, Hart ramped up the aggression in Episode 3 – much to the dismay of Kiki. In the face of a couple limps and a raise to $5,000 from Tang, Hart shot it up to $20,000 from the button with 
. Kiki made the call with from the big blind and Brown, one of the limpers, came along with 
.
The 
didn't connect with him, but in the face of two checks from his opponents Hart kept his foot on the gas and bet $55,000 into the $67,500 pot. Kiki made the call while Brown folded and the turn 
brought an open-ended straight to the comedian. In the hopes of realizing his equity on the river, Hart checked back and the completed the board.
Kiki checked for a third time, opening the door for Hart to take a shot at the bluff – and he did just that as he slid two $50,000 cash bricks across the betting line.
"Kev-O, you know what they say, brother," Kiki began. "I gotta see a card because fair is fair, right?"
Hart slid a single card forward as if to roll it over, double-checking to see it was the right one.
"Pick one?" Kiki asked.
"I can't" Hart responded as he quickly withdrew the card.
After an extended time in the tank and more back and forth discussion between the table, Kiki announced a fold. Once again, Hart rolled over the bluff to the delight of the players.
Brown fell victim to Hart for a third time, though the latest encounter was nothing more than a cooler. Hart's had Brown's drawing stone dead on the turn of a board reading 
and the latter wasn't exactly in a folding mood. With that pick up, Hart's stack neared the $500,000 mark – until Brown came back for his first taste of revenge.
It wasn't a substantial hit, but Hart's bricked nut flush draw cost him a decent chunk as he sent a full double up Brown's way and ended Episode 3 with $418,000 in his stack.
Episode 4: Hart vs. Brown, the final round
In the early goings of Episode 4, another missed flush cost Hart – though it would have hurt more had he made his hand against Feinstein's superior flush draw – and his stack dipped down below $300,000.
With some well-timed aggression and favorable boards, Hart quickly shot back up the profit charts. When his final showdown with Brown arrived, Hart had over $500,000 in front of him – but it wasn't staying there. In a single-straddled pot, Hart looked down at on the button and raised to $10,000. Brown defended his $2,000 straddle with and the two players watched on as the dealer spread the 
flop.
Brown, having flopped the world with an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw, opted to lead into his opponent – firing $6,000 into the $22,500 pot. Hart wasn't having it and raised to $26,000, drawing a quick call from Brown. On the 
turn, Brown improved to the second-nut straight and checked to Hart, who moved a stack of $5,000 chips across the betting line.
"I'm all-in," Brown told the dealer.
"Go," Hart announced with confidence.
When he saw Brown's hand, however, he wasn't so positive.
"I'm not beating you, buddy," Hart conceded. "Great game."
With no way to win, they ran a single river card – the – and, with that, Brown served a second scoop of revenge to Hart.
After four episodes of roller-coaster swings, Hart found himself only a little better off than he started with $290,000 in front of him.
Episode 5: Robl forces a reload, but Hart has last laugh
In Episode 5, the final fireworks arrived as Hart clashed with Robl in a pot that neared the seven-figure mark.
Before that, however, he lost another post-flop flip with the nut flush draw – this time against Robl's over pair – and was forced to reload for another $200,000. With time working against him, Hart had to bounce back quickly. In a pot against Justin Gavri, he turned broadway with on a 
board. Gavri held 
and the river didn't improve him enough to win the pot, but there was no folding when Hart sent the last of his chips in.
With upwards of $440,000 in front of him, Hart was back in the profit realm. Then, he and Robl played the pot of the season up to this point – read all about it below and watch the entire hand play out.
When the dust settled at the end of the fifth episode, Hart had $951,500 in front of him – $400,000 of which he bought in for – to show a profit of $551,500.
Images courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO
