Hank’s Home Game debuts with massive win for charity
Ordering a new show for a platform is almost always an extremely risky act. This is mainly one of the reasons why we usually see the same types of series show up, because they always work. Why would anyone change something that has been working so well for so long? It’s pretty much the same when it comes to poker on screen.
It’s almost always the same scenario: gangsters flinging cards at each other during games, East Enders putting everything they own on the line for four of a kind… So what’s different about Hank’s Home Game on PokerStars? It does seem like a brand new version of the celebrity cash game format that we’ve been seeing since the 80s.
First things first, the cast of the show is quite mindblowing. We have Hank Azaria, who is the star of The Simpsons, as we all know, but he is actually not the only big name on this list. In the first episode, he is accompanied by Josh Charles, Jon Hamm, Michael Cera, Michael Ian Black and Don Cheadle. What an incredible line-up of worldwide sensations!
Now, the main goal of this game is pretty simple: win the largest amount of money at the table, and then it is handed over to charity along with a $20,000 prize.
We also have a dream team from the European Poker Tour consisting of James Hartigan and Joe ‘Stapes’ Stapleton who are here to give us commentary as well as showing off their incredibly fun interviewing skills. It’s safe to say that this is a great show to keep an eye on.
Michael Cera was the one to win the game with 45,525 chips and a whopping $20,000 prize, which was given to the First Responders First charity, which is one that supports frontline healthcare workers risking their lives for us during such a crazy time of our lives. The first episode was definitely competitive at times despite starting off with a slow beginning, but the dramatic final hand did end up going to Michael Cera.
Here is the list of charities that were represented during the game: