PokerTracker Invades Poker Night in America

"Poker Night in America" debuted in the United States on the CBS Sports Network on June 29.  The 29 episodes in its inaugural season were such a hit that it was recently renewed for two more years, with the network moving it from the Sunday night slot to Monday nights.  This bucks the trend of poker-related programming disappearing from television networks in the United States.
 
If you haven't checked out "Poker Night in America" yet, it features animated players playing poker and other activities in a relaxed environment.  To many, the antics and banter are as much a reason to watch this show as the actual play at the poker table.

"Poker Night in America" recently Tweeted about "Poker Night in America – Episode 21 – The Tracker."  If you haven't guessed it already, this episode features PokerTracker's Steve McLoughlin.  Both this episode and "Poker Night in America – Episode 22 – Panda Mask" take place at the Reno Peppermill Resort in Nevada.
 
In addition to McLoughlin, Lincoln Garner, Lauren Billings, Danielle Anderson, Hank Czarnecki, David Lin, David "ODB" Baker, and Al Adler are all featured, competing in a $25/$50 No Limit Hold'em cash game and during a party at the Peppermill.
 
Back when the show debuted, McLoughlin told PokerSoftware that his "involvement in the show shows that those who use tools like PokerTracker to review their game after the session is done or use a HUD to improve their performance while they are playing can also be involved in live poker.  Just because you are an online player doesn't mean you can't be a live player.  Just because you are a live player doesn't mean you can't be an online player.  Poker is poker."
 
About three minutes into Episode 21, McLoughlin put his money where his mouth is, raising pre-flop with 8d-6d to $150, with Lin 3-betting it to $375 from the big blind with Ad-Jh.  You can see the mathematical wheels of McLoughlin's brain turning before calling the hand when he asked Lin, "Tell me you are over five," wanting to make sure his opponent had at least 100 big blinds.
 
Lin checked on a 8s-6h-2h flop.  McLoughlin bet an almost pot-sized bet of $600 with his two pair, which Lin called.  Lin checked again when the Kh hit the turn and McLoughlin took down the pot with a bet of $1,500, or about three-quarters of the pot.
 
McLoughlin was featured again near the end of the episode during the show's creative director Nolan Dalla's segment, "Two Cents on the Dalla."  While poker may be McLoughlin's work and hobby, food is his passion.
 
During the segment, McLoughlin was pleased that Dalla singled him out in the fourth point in a blog titled "Thirty-Two Things You Should Know Before Inviting Me to Dinner."  Dalla apparently doesn't enjoy it when people are discussing the artistic qualities of his food and just wants to get down and eat it.  McLoughlin is an exception to Dalla's fourth rule and even has a name for this called "The McLoughlin Exception."
 
It isn't surprising that McLoughlin has an exception in Dalla's books considering each year in July he runs a popular event for food lovers, the World Series of Food.
 
If you live outside the United States or just missed the episode when it aired on the CBS Sports Network, you can still check out PokerTracker's Stephen McLoughlin at the Reno Peppermill Resort on YouTube.

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