Tournament Details

WPT rolled out a special edition of that perennial audience favorite, the Hollywood Home Game. Billed as "horse power vs. house power," the concept was simple: take the stars of two hit TV shows, in this case, American Chopper and Trading Spaces; give each of them 250,000 in poker chips, sit them down at the felt at Atlantic City's beautiful Borgata Casino & Spa, then watch as they battle it out in a game of no-limit Texas Hold'Em. At stake were TV land bragging rights, a $20,000 donation to their charity of choice, and as always the coveted $25,000 reserved seat at the season-ending WPT World Championship.

Leading the charge from Orange County, New York, was American Chopper's head honcho and patriarch Paul Teutel, Sr., along with his co-star sons - Paul Jr., OCC's chief designer/fabricator; and Mikey, the scruffy, self-deprecating goof of the family. Sitting across the table were the stars of Trading Spaces, led by their quick-witted host, the self-proclaimed "bookish" Joe Farrell, along with the newest member of the show, hunky carpenter Carter Oosterhouse, and the able and attractive Amy Wynn Pastor. The pre-game trash talk was fierce. As Mikey Teutel advised his adversaries: "You might want to build a losers lounge, cause you're gonna need it." Not fazed in the least, Joe Farrell had this to say to his chopper-building challenger: "Bring it on, American Chopper, cause Trading Spaces is sending you to hog heaven."

Out of the gate, though, it appeared that Mikey's pronouncement would prove prophetic. He continually raised and re-raised aggressively with little or no holdings, and it worked to perfection. Mikey quickly established an early chip lead, and had the Trading Spaces crew back on their heels, and he didn't let up, even pushing his old man out of a hand on a stone bluff.

If it wasn't for some bad timing when Mikey actually found a legitimate hand, wired Q's, who knows what might have happened. Unfortunately for him, he ran into Carter with pocket K's in the first critical hand. When the flop came 6h-3c-2d, Mikey raised a timid 10,000, and Carter was content to call. But Paul Jr. made a mess of it for his brother, raising 50,000 with the worst hand, Ac-5d. He found callers not only in Mikey and Carter, but Amy, with Ah-Kd, making this the pot of the night. A Ts on the turn helped no one, but not surprisingly, Mikey now fired 70,000 at the pot, and the red cards started flying. Daniel Negreanu, "Kid Poker" and one of the helpful WPT pros, along with friend and fellow pro Jennifer Harman, stepped down in (obviously somebody else's) carpenter's belt to give advice. Amy followed it, folding her pretty, if unlucky, Big Slick. But when Paul Jr. re-raised, making it 170,000 to go, and Mikey called, Carter whipped out his own red card. Upon seeing Carter's monster holdings, Daniel told him to push it in, which he did, not even quite making a full call of Paul's re-raise. When the river came 2h, now Paul Jr. raised his red card! Unfortunately, all Jennifer could do was help him save a little face, and he folded, giving Mikey the tiny side pot. Carter flipped over the winner, causing Mikey to shake his raggedy head, and just like that, the Trading Spaces hammer-hefter raked a 700,000 pot and became the chip leader.

Shortly after the antes and blinds went up to 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000, Amy picked the wrong moment to put her short stack on the line. Calling Carter's opening 10,000 raise with A-2 offsuit, she got caught in the pincers when Mikey, with 6d-5d, re-raised another 10,000. Carter called, and so did she. Nobody improved when the flop came Ts-9s-4c, and Mikey checked. Carter, with J-8 offsuit and nothing more than an open-ended straight draw, flexed his chip muscle, and raised it 20,000. Amy made a loose call, and surprisingly, Mikey folded. Carter paired his J when the turn came Jh, and Amy again called his 25,000 wager. The board paired Tc on the river, Carter stuck in 25,000 again, and Amy went over the top all-in. But it only cost Carter another 15,000 to call, and he did. Out went Amy in 6th place, with $2,500 to her charity, The Donna Beverly Fund.

After surging to an early lead, Mikey had taken a few hits, and was now up against it. He looked down to find K-Q offsuit, and called the blind. Following him was Carter, calling smooth with pocket A's. "There's a fox in the hen-house, Vince," quipped Mike Sexton, and boy was he right, especially when the flop came A-7-6 rainbow. Mikey, true to form, tossed out a 10,000 stone bluff, which Carter promptly re-raised 40,000, and Mikey called. Adding insult to injury, the turn came A to give Carter the mortal nuts, 4 aces! Mikey, however, never did find the brake pedal, and pushed all-in. Smiling at his bad luck, Mikey went out in 5th place, with $4,000 to his charity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

Paul Jr., after having chased a few losers, found himself forced all-in when the blinds went up to 8,000 and 16,000, and he decided not to look at his hand. His dad called with Qc-8c, followed by Joe, with Jd-2s, and Carter, with 9c-2c. The flop came 7-6-5 yardsale, it was checked to Carter, and he fired another round, 60,000, forcing Joe out of the side pot. But Paul Sr. smelled something, and after thinking to fold, called instead. Another 7 on the turn helped neither of them, and Carter fired another 60,000, hoping to take down the pot. Paul Sr. would have none of it, calling the stone bluff. A scare card for both players, Ks on the river, brought check-check, and miraculously, Paul Sr. took down the huge side pot with Q high. Paul Jr. finally revealed his hand - T-9 offsuit - sending him out in 4th place, along with $6,000 to his charity, the Xeroderma Pigmentosa Society.

Down to three, Paul Sr. was the only remaining American Chopper representative, and that quickly came to an unlucky end shortly after the antes and blinds went up to 5,000, 20,000 and 40,000. Carter, on the button with Kh-Td, called. After Joe dropped, Paul Sr. called with 8-3 offsuit in the big blind. The flop came As-6d-3h, Paul Sr. sensed an opening, and pushed all-in for 135,000. Carter, gambling, called. 6h came on the turn, and it looked bad for Carter, but Ac on the river bailed him out, trumping Paul's paired 3, giving them both A's and 6's, and Carter outkicked him with the K high! With that, the team title went to Trading Spaces, and Paul Sr. went out 3rd, with $7,500 for his charity, Make a Wish Foundation. But now the individual crown was on the line...

With a massive chip lead, Carter came after his cohort hard, but Joe managed to escape death twice, spiking cards on the river. It looked like he might again, when he found K-Q offsuit, and threw in a pre-flop raise of 100,000 over the top of Carter's K-9 offsuit. But Carter caught top pair when the flop came 9h-8c-2h, and after Joe checked, Carter went all-in, and Joe made a fatal call. When the board went 8, 3, the third time was not to be the charm for Joe, and Carter took the solo crown, sending Joe out in 2nd place, with $10,000 for his charity, Save the Children. Carter accepted the generous victor's donation of $20,000 for his charity, Coach for Kids, as well as the guaranteed $25,000 seat at the season-ending WPT World Championship.