Tuesday @ 10 pm on GSN, the Network for Games! (and repeating all week) Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210) Jamie-Lynn DiScala (the Sopranos) Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction) Gabrielle Reese (volleyball superstar!) and of course, yours truly -- rock on, -dave.
Much improved from season 1 I watched the first episode, and I must say that this show is quite a bit better in season two. As expected, you won't learn anything about tournament play, and you may occasionally have the urge to throw things at the TV. However, the banter between the players was more entertaining, there was more of H. Dave, there were improvements in the on-screen graphics, and it just worked better.
except for the part where i told ricki lake that she'd be crazy for splitting 2's against a dealer 7... to my defense, they inadvertantly cut me correcting myself a moment later -- and when she puts her money out there (for the split) you hear me saying "that's what the book says to do". its amazing how much harder it is to remember the basics when at a table full of people who may not know the basics at all... but conversely, despite years of subterfuge and camouflaged card counting at cash tables, never has my mathematical calculations, recall, and wong mastery been higher than at the world series, playing against some of the best players in the world. interesting how we can become a product of our surroundings, osmotically absorbing the acumen -- whether astute or not -- of those around us. -holly d.
I agree that this year's version is much more entertaining. Still, I keep thinking how much advantage some of these celebrities could gain with just a little research into tournament strategy. Already several have mentioned that they have done a little research on how to play blackjack so I guess the tournament strategies will have to wait until they are at least comfortable with playing the game. I also suspect that camera time and exposure is every bit as important to the participants as tournament success. That makes the idea of making a move that might wind up bouncing you out of the round a bad idea for them.
