Poker After Dark: Ken LIght's Dream Table

Amateur poker fan Ken Light got to pick his dream lineup of players for a chance at $120,000 during Season 3 of Poker After Dark. The first six episodes were the Director’s Cut where Light chose his dream table of Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jenn Harman, Mike Matusow and Scotty Nguyen exclusively on PokerGO.

Season 3 was filmed in 2008, one year after Hellmuth was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Nine years later all but Matusow are in the PHOF.

Light wanted to send a message to the table that he didn’t know what he was doing early, so he could play stronger later and catch the pros off guard. He began his match by running a bluff with Qd 9d against Harman and Matusow.

“My game plan was to do one or two bad moves in the beginning,” Light said. “But then tighten up and play real solid poker.”

Light fired a bet on the flop holding queen-high and Harman called with second pair. Light bet the river with air, Harman sniffed it out after tanking a bit while the table discussed whether Matusow should have a child or not.

Jennifer Harman and Daniel Negreanu at her Hall of Fame induction. (Photo: PokerPhotoArvhive.com)
Light played a pot against Negreanu, where he bombed the river with a $5,000 bet into a $5,600 pot. Light made two pair with a paired king in his hand, but Negreanu held aces up and couldn’t get off the hand. The move threw Negreanu off and he mucked the best hand.

The late stages featured a massive showdown between Negreanu and Hellmuth; where Negreanu limped in the small blind with rags, flopped two pair and check-raised all in. Hellmuth called, was on the brink of elimination but spiked a ten on the river to double up.

Light survived to three-handed play with Harman and Hellmuth. He got all in with suited connectors, but after a Tc 7d 5s flop Hellmuth and Harman got in a raising war with Harman shoving. Hellmuth exposed his hand to get a read and called with second pair. 

But the turn fell Hellmuth’s way and he knocked out Harman and Light to win the lineup.