Tournament Details

The phrase “sparks will fly" is an accurate assessment of the sixth edition of WPT’s entertaining Hollywood Home Games. The intense demeanor of LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) was the touchstone for some highly enjoyable poker and mid-hand chip chatter as he and five Hollywood colleagues battled it out over the lion’s share of $25,000 for their favorite charities, as well as the single, coveted $25,000 seat at the WPT World Championship awarded to the last celeb standing.

Joining LeVar (in Seat 3) at the green felt were: in Seat 1, Mekhi Phifer (ER). In Seat 2, John Hensley (Nip-Tuck). In Seat 4, Andrea Parker (Less Than Perfect, The Pretender). In Seat 5, Adrian Young (drummer for No Doubt). In Seat 6, Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me, Star Trek: TNG).

From the start, LeVar was in serious poker mode, and refused to let a lack of cards keep him out of many hands. But early on, a great bet by his friend and fellow Star Trek: TNG alum, Wil, with 7-7 offsuit got him to muck the best hand when he flopped middle pair on a flop of A-8-2, and he was tough to get rid of after that. Moments later, LeVar himself bluffed Mekhi off the winning hand, before the first critical hand of the night...

John Hensley called with Ac-2c, followed by Wil, with K-8 offsuit, and LeVar, with 7h-7s, brought it in for the minimum raise. John called, Wil mucked, and the flop came Qc-7c-7d, giving LeVar quad 7’s. LeVar, a wily vet who’s obviously logged some hours at the poker table, tried to let John catch up, checking right behind him, but then the turn came Jh, no help to John’s flush draw. Desperate to get some value out of his unbeatable hand, after John checked, LeVar tossed out a post-oakish 25,000 bet, goading John to play, and it worked. He called. Then, disaster for John when the river came 5c, completing his nut flush. John bet, LeVar came over the top of him all-in, and John found himself in a nightmare. Hoisting his red card, WPT pro advisors Daniel Negreanu and Paul Darden came around and, surveying the board with some trepidation, advised him to call since he made the hand he was aiming for. Oops. John’s stack was crippled when LeVar slow-rolled the two sevens to show the winner.

The next hand was not nearly so eventful, except for the fact that it was John’s last. Finding pocket 8’s, he pushed his remaining 32,000 into the pot, and found a single caller in Andrea Parker, with Ah-Js. The flop came A-Q-3, putting John on life-support, and when the turn and river came 4d, Td, he was the first out in 6th place, taking home $1,500 for his charity, The Beacon House.

LeVar, the early chip leader, caused himself some problems by making a few loose calls, and running a particularly unsuccessful bluff on Mekhi, who caught a straight and separated LeVar from nearly 300,000. This prompted some edgy banter between the two, with LeVar trying to get Mekhi to reveal his hand, but the new chip leader would have none of it. As Mike Sexton put it in his classic terminology, referring to LeVar, “you could fry an egg on his head right now." Maybe so, but LeVar kept it together while the wheels came off for somebody else.

Adrian Young, playing tight and smart for the most part, picked the wrong time to make a move. Mekhi, with 6d-6c, limped, and Andrea, on the button with Js-Ts, also limped. Adrian found Ad-Jh, and brought it in for 20,000 more. After Wil folded, Mekhi decided to press with another 20,000, and Andrea responded by re-raising yet again for another 20,000. Adrian, with 36,000 already in, pretty much had to call the pot, now nearly 250,000, and was followed quickly by Mekhi. The flop came 8s-8c-7c, helping no one. Adrian checked, and Mekhi made an exploratory 40,000 bet. Andrea folded her gutshot straight draw, but Adrian, feeling that maybe Mekhi was trying to buy it, went all-in over the top for 93,000 more. With almost that much in the pot already, Mekhi made a tremendous call, and when the turn and river came Qd, 9s, his little 6’s held up, knocking out Adrian in 5th place, with $2,000 for his charity, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

LeVar, finding himself on the short stack with the antes and blinds going up to 3,000, 12,000 and 24,000, managed to limp a flop in the big blind with T-4 offsuit, after Andrea called with 7d-7c, Wil called with Ks-8s, and Mekhi, in the small blind, called with Ad-9d. When the flop came Tc-9s-3c, Mekhi checked his middle pair, and LeVar bet the minimum 24,000, trying to stimulate action with his top pair. Andrea called, and Mekhi bit, raising 100,000. LeVar quickly called with his remaining 58,000, and Andrea dropped out. LeVar was pleased to see Mekhi’s hand, that is until the turn came 9 to give him trips! When the river came 5c, a disappointed LeVar headed to the rail in 4th place, along with $2,500 for his charity, Earth Conservation Corps.

Wil now found himself on the short stack, and with the table down to three players, he decided to take his chances on Kd-2d when Mekhi came over the top of him for 100,000 pre-flop, with Ac-Qc. The flop came 8c-6d-3c, further assisting Mekhi, and when the turn came 9c, he made his nut flush, rendering the river irrelevant. Wil headed out in 3rd place, with $4,000 for his charity, Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Now down to two players, Andrea seized the momentum and turned the tables on the aggressive Mekhi when she hit top two pair and doubled up, taking a slim chip lead. Then, the lovely Andrea stunned Mike and Vince when she extended the chip lead by another 100,000 on a bold semi-bluff with ten high. But, as he did all night, Mekhi just kept racking cards. After Andrea limped on the button with Th-6s, he followed her with Qd-7c. The flop came Q-9-8, giving him top pair, and Andrea the double belly-buster straight draw. Mekhi brought it in for 100,000, and Andrea, trying to win it right there, came over the top of him for another 100,000. But Mekhi believed rightly that he had the best hand, and called. A 2d on the turn cheered nobody up, and Mekhi, now apparently worried that Andrea might perhaps already have the straight, checked. Andrea missed the opportunity to put Mekhi to the test, and bet a small 80,000, which Mekhi called, now fairly certain he had the best hand. A 6d on the river further convinced him and he pushed in his last 175,000. Andrea, having paired her 6, made a bad call and found herself on absolute fumes when Mekhi turned over the winner.

The final hand was anti-climactic, as Andrea, with Qd-8c, was practically forced to call Mekhi’s all-in with her remaining 70,000. When the board went Jd-Jh-Tc, 6h, 6s, Andrea went out in a highly respectable 2nd place, with $5,000 for her charity, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research, and the easy-smiling, tough-playing Mekhi Phifer claimed the crown from Hollywood Home Game VI, taking home a generous $10,000 for his charity, Love Our Children USA. And of course, the much-desired $25,000 seat at this season’s WPT World Championship.