I think they did a good job with the changes they made this season.


-The set looks nicer, and the music is better. Going to the Golden Nugget was a good idea.

-The fact that they have an audience now really helps. It's not just dead silence for the first half of the show. The players, at least in this first episode, were a lot more talkative.

-Cutting down to 25 hands from 30 has speeded up the game a lot. There seemed to be a lot more midgame action than last season. Yes, it still comes down to the last 5 hands, but it looks like the manuvering towards those last hands is more important because there isn't as much time.

-A lot more emphasis on the players...there seemed to be a lot more interview segments during play, which is always a plus, since (for the most part) we don't know a lot about them.

Overall, I think the show is more watchable than last season. It doesn't drag down in the middle, and I think the matching up of the players, if it's like this first episode, is a big part of it, as well as the cutting down of the number of hands.

I would pay Hollywood Dave $250,000 just to GO AWAY!

-Joe R.

I enjoyed the show as well. I disagree with them shortening the number of hands though. It was already a crapshoot. They are making it more of one. If they want to edit out hands here and there, I don't think the viewer cares much.

Wasn't Yasergian last season doing a "while you were gone..." recap of hands coming out of some breaks?

Yes, and I think he may have done it once on the first episode. They did cut out the intersting parts of the casinos segments, which lets them show most of the hands.

By my count, they showed all but two or three hands. At least they showed the final five hands, when strategy is the most critical.

Ah yes, after two cycles of Dealer Dave, Player Dave is back again (sorry, Lemon, but we're going to see him again). Of course, on Celebrity Blackjack (which Dave couldn't help but plug), he's rooting for the players. Here, it's everybody for himself.

Gesundheit.

No need to apologize. I appreciate the warning...now I know not to watch. :)