EPISODE 4

NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR

What follows is a televised-hand-by-televised-hand account.  Obviously, since it's only a one-hour show, most hands are not televised so you're going to see a lot of jumping of the dealer button.

What's a "dealer button"?  What's "all-in"?  What the heck is this weird poker game they're playing?  Well, I'll do my best to give the rookies out there a run-down while maintaining the flow of the hands for the veterans.

From Las Vegas, Nevada, where EVERY day is a holiday, Bravo presents CELEBRITY POKER SHOWDOWN!  Five celebrities have taken time from their Christmas/Hannukah/New Year's parties to descend on the Palms Casino and play No Limit poker for their charities.  When the dust settles, one of them will advance to the Final Table and compete for part of the $250,000 prize pool.

Host Kevin Pollack, who ALWAYS knows how to throw a party (as long as celebs are around) introduce us to this week's gamblers:

CELEBRITY	BIO
Coolio playing for Heritage Begins Within	Coolio is a well-known hip-hop artist, best known for his hits "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage".  Will he get a bad rap tonight or will he leave with a "gangster roll" for his charity?
Shannon Elizabeth playing for Animal Avengers	Elizabeth has been in the first two "American Pie" films and was recently in the romantic comedy "Love Actually".  But will she actually have a chance at this poker table or will she end up with pie in the face?
Ron Livingston playing for ACCION International	Livingston played an ADA in The Practice before becoming Jack Berger on HBO's Sex and the City.  Will he be disbarred early or is there a certain "zsa-zsa-zsu" in the air for his poker talents?
Paul Rudd playing for Project ALS	Rudd has been in many critically-acclaimed films like "Cider House Rules", "200 Cigarettes" and "Romeo + Juliet".  Will he be smoking the table, or is he fortune's fool?
Sarah Silverman playing for Habitat for Humanity	Silverman's starting to become a sought-for actress.  She stars as Hadassah Guberman on Crank Yankers and was recently in the Jack Black film "School of Rock".  Will she rock and roll here or be hung up to dry?

Each celeb starts with $10,000 worth of chips and the game will go until one celebrity gets all $50,000.  That person then earns the right to play in the Final Table for a lion's share of that quarter-million dollar price pool.

The game, if you haven't figured it out by now, is No Limit Texas Hold 'Em.  A dealer button will be passed around the table after each hand to show the dealer where to start handing out cards (to the right of the button).  The two players to the right of the button post blinds, forced bets to insure there's money in each hand.  Each player is dealt two cards face down, called hole cards.  They'll then decide to call the highest bet, raise the bet or fold their cards and remove themselves from the hand.  After the bets are in, three community cards, called the flop, are dealt face-up on the table.  After another round of betting (and/or folding), a fourth card is turned up, called the turn or fourth street.  More bets (and/or folds) are made, then the fifth and final community card, the river or fifth street, is turned up.  After more bets/folds, the best five-card poker hand (made of any combo of the five community cards and the two hole cards) wins the pot.  The game is called no limit because, at any time, any celebrity can go all-in and bet all their chips.  But, if they LOSE the hand they go all-in with, they're eliminated from the tournament

At the announcers' position beside the Losers' Lounge are your hosts Kevin Pollack and poker expert Phil Gordon.  They'll be calling the action emanating from the main room and greet those that bust out.

If this were boxing, I'd say, "Let's get it on!"  But it's poker...so let's SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!

Initial blinds are $100 (SB) and $200 (BB).  The Dealer Button (D) starts on Nicole.

Blinds are up to $400 (SB) and $800 (BB).

Shannon sulks back to the Losers' Lounge to talk with Kevin and Coolio.  Animal Avengers gets $5,000 and Shannon is happy for that.  She's also happy to give insights and rhetoric about the last three players while sipping cocktails.

Several hands later, where the blinds go up to $300 (SB) and $600 (BB),...:

Blinds are now up to $400 (SB) and $800 (BB).

And so it is that Sarah retreats to the Losers' Lounge with Kevin, Coolio and Shannon.  Sarah's all right with Habitat for Humanity getting $5,000 thanks to her.  And she's notes that Paul has the chip lead (not knowing it's a 4-to-1 lead).

So it's heads-up action between a TV actor and a movie actor.  Who will come out on top?

A few hands later...

So ACCION International gets $5,000 thanks to Ron...but Paul Rudd, who dominated the game all night long, wins the silver chip from Kevin that signifies his entry into the Final Table.   He will play for the $100G share of the $250G Prize Pool for Project ALS!

Only one spot left...who will take it?