HSP Season 10 Episode 2 Recap: Eric Persson Feeling Frisky

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The new episode of High Stakes Poker didn’t fail to meet expectations. It was filled with action, great table banter, and six-figure pots.

It was pretty much business as usual at the tables, but with one big change away from the felt. Since Gabe Kaplan decided to retire, AJ Benza needed a new partner in the commentary booth, and he found him in Nick Schulman.

Schulman, a successful poker player in his own right, is also largely considered one of the best in the poker commentary business. But he’s got big shoes to fill.

For me it isn’t High Stakes Poker without Gabe, but I’d like you guys to know I received his blessing. The Don himself. It will never be as good as Gabe and AJ, Farha, and young Daniel dressed like he runs a strip club in Romania. pic.twitter.com/C6bAf7jrQb

— Nick Schulman (@NickSchulman) February 1, 2023

I won’t focus on the commentary in this article – I suggest you watch the show yourself and make up your mind. Instead, as always, here are some of the best moments from the last episode.

Persson Bamboozles JRB

Eric Persson has been one of the more fun characters to watch, largely because he’s not afraid to mix things up – with his chips and his talk.

During the latest episode of High Stakes Poker, Persson was back at it after getting involved in a pot with Jean Robert Bellande and making a monster hand.

The hand started innocently enough, with Eric limp-calling JRB’s isolation raise to $3,000. Persson was ahead, with his Q♠J♦ dominating JRB’s Q♣10♦, but that was just the beginning.

The flop came Q♥J♥2♣, giving Eric the top two and JRB a top pair. Persson led for $4,000, but JRB didn’t think much of it, knowing Eric’s tendency to play hands in a weird way, so he bumped it up to $15,000.

Persson called and checked in the dark as they proceeded to the turn of J♠. JRB did not go for another bet and decided to check back instead.

Eric Persson put JRB in the blender in the new episode of High Stakes Poker.@IAmMaverick888 fires off his signature double bird salute and follows up with a $100K bet in the dark.

Can @BrokeLivingJRB fold top pair?

📺 – Watch the new episode here: https://t.co/5jLFvRScLx pic.twitter.com/tqbX9jUslY

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) February 2, 2023

Seeing this, Eric decided to pull another funky move, betting $100,000 blind into the pot of $40,000. The inconsequential 6♠ fell on the river, and JRB was left scratching his head.

Bellande was genuinely confused and couldn’t make up his mind when Persson decided to take things up a notch and show him one of his cards – the Q♠.

It seems that this was taking things too far, as he gave Bellande way too much information. It eliminated all potential draws from Eric’s range, so JRB finally came up with the right decision and relinquished his hand. But it sure was a fun one to watch!

No Luck for Jen Tilly

Jennifer Tilly did not run particularly well on the latest episode of high stakes poker. She picked up pocket aces a few times but got no action whatsoever. And one hand she got action in did not go her way.

It was a multi-way pot that saw five players call Baldwin’s big bind $4,000 squeeze, promising it would be an interesting hand.

The flop came 5♠4♠2♦, which helped Tilly’s 10♠6♠, giving her a combo draw, and JRB, who flopped the middle set with a pair of fives.

Interestingly enough, it was Persson who led out into the field with A♠10♦. Jen and JRB called, and the three proceeded to the turn.

The turn came the 8♣, giving Jennifer Tilly another gutshot. Eric went over his options but decided to check. Jen took charge of the action and bet $35,000. Bellande continued slow-playing his set and flat called, and Persson got out of the way.

The Q♥ fell on the river, meaning Tilly missed all of her outs. But instead of firing more money into the abyss, she figured she had enough and quickly check-folded to JRB’s river bet.

JRB at It Once Again

The final hand of the night saw JRB mixed up in an interesting pot once again. This time it was against Matt Hanks.

It all started with JRB opening the action with 10♠10♦ to $2,000. Hanks 3-bet to $8,000 with A♠Q♥, and the two saw the flop of 9♦8♣5♠. It was all under-cards to Bellande’s pair, so he quickly check-called Matt’s $10,000 bet.

The turn paired the board with 5♦, and Hanks’ $23,000 wager was once again snapped off by JRB.

The 3♦ on the river completed a backdoor flush but did not change much otherwise. Bellande checked once again, and Matt Hanks was in no mood to give up. He fired for one last time, betting $70,000 into the $83,000 pot.

Once again, Bellande was put to the test. He knew something was off, just like in the hand with Persson, but this time, his instincts didn’t help him reach the right decision. He ended up folding the best poker hand and was promptly shown a bluff for an extra needle.

Things are definitely heating up, and it feels like we’re on the verge of seeing a massive pot. Maybe it happens as soon as the next episode – you never know with this lineup!