The 10^th and final episode of the PokerStars show The Big Game on Tour was always going to be exciting. With players like cash game legend Phil Laak, Team PokerStars Pro Sam Grafton and Game of Gold champion Maria Ho all at the felt, no pot was going to be easy to win.

Coming into the action knowing she would keep any profit she makes but down four figures, could ‘Loose Cannon’ Lily Newhouse take profit with her as well as some magical memories?

Early Levels See Michael in the Black

“It’s now or never and I’m ready to get it in!” ~ Loose Cannon Lily Newhouse.

Heading into the final episode, three players were in profit and the other three were in the red. Top of the leaderboard was Maria Ho, who was up $48,800, while Phil Laak was ‘laaking’, down a whopping $77,500. Lily Newhouse, who was this season’s ‘Loose Cannon’ was down $5,500, needing to get into profit to take anything home. She’s only able to cash out anything over the $50,000 she sat down with, so it really was all on the line.

Having lost an early pot in Episode 1, mother and cancer survivor Lily described how in the first orbit she felt ‘pretty shaken’ and feared for her cash game stack.

“It’s now or never and I’m ready to get it in,” she said. “If I lose, I lose, but I’m going to go down fighting.”

An early hand saw Lily make top pair, but outkicked by comedian and actor Michael Ian Black, who crushed in the opening episode of the series, she needed the board to double-pair as it saved her to a chop pot, which as PokerStars fans will often tell you, everybody loves.

Black wasn’t disheartened for long, taking a chunk from Grafton with a straight to become the biggest winner on the night at that stage.

“I don’t know how this is real,” the man himself said. “It’s an extraordinary experience, because you’re playing with world class players [who are] making you think about every single thing that you’re doing.”

Lily Moves into Profit

“I don’t mind losing to you!”

Lily Newhouse took on fellow loose cannon Dave Krosky and her pocket sevens were better than his ace-three on a board showing 9-9-4-J-5. Krosky’s bet on the turn was the subject of debate between him and the others and when Lily and Sam both guessed it, Krosky was down $2,000. A big $5,000 bet on the river was called by Lily and Krosky couldn’t help but be happy for her.

“I don’t mind losing to you!” he quipped.

Krosky displayed this further in the next hand between the two, as a board of [9c][6d][4c][6c]  came by the time he shoved with nine-seven with no clubs. Lily called with three-deuce of clubs and survived running it four (!) times on the river to bump her stack up to $113,000.

That hand stacked Krosky, but he couldn’t help but hug his conqueror as she racked up five figures of profit.

While Lily Newhouse looked certain to bag a profit at the end of the night, she still had some poker hands to ride out. Both Krosky (-$95,300) and Phil Laak (-$74,400) were severly in the red but Krosky picked up ace-jack and after turning a jack against Grafton’s gutshot straight draw, the British player let it go and Krosky got a little back.

Late Stages Leave Laak Lacking

“You were the biggest winner at this table.” – Joe ‘Stapes’ Stapleton

Michael Ian Black threw away top pair of aces to get away from a pot where Krosky managed to pick up trip sevens and it was a good fold from the comedian. Phil Laak and Krosky clashed with the former admitting that Krosky’s madcap persona threw him a loop.

“I didn’t know what to think of him!” Laak said. “He always acted after me, and I was suspicious of him.”

Krosky aroused Black’s suspicions as a board of Q-7-7-4 prompted Krosky to bet with king-deuce while Black held ace-queen.

“You know, you’re allowed to check.” Black jibed. “In fact, in a lot of games, the out of position player does check. It’s a common thing.”

Krosky bet $1,500, but Black raised to $6,000, saying ‘How many times do I have to tell you I have a good hand. I’ve raised you twice.”

“Oh, that’s a good hand,” Laak agreed as Black showed the big holding when Krosky did at last let one go.

When Krosky picked up pocket aces, he’d suckered everyone into thinking he could have nothing…. everyone except Black, who folded quickly when Krosky showed aggression. The final hand of the night went to Black, who won with a pair of sixes to bully his way up to $42,400 in profit. He wasn’t the biggest winner, however, as Joe ‘Stapes’ Stapleton broke the news.

“Lily, not only did you claw your way back, you were the biggest winner at this table.” He said. Lily was dumbfounded and said she’d be putting it towards a swimming pool. Stapes asked Krosky if the big double-up he gave Lily hurt him.

“Not at all! It couldn’t have gone to a better person. You’re gonna jump in that swimming pool… have me over for a dip!”

Watch all the action in the final episode of The Big Game on Tour… with the show set to return to screens in the Autumn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfbz0Uft87c