Poker on Screen: I Bet You (2007-2008)

“The following is what happens when you give two degenerate gamblers their own TV show…”

Some poker TV shows feature poker as the main player, others use the game as a backdrop for gangsters to shout at each other or dramatic characters to feel the emotional pull of a gambling addiction or enjoy the escapism of the game.

The two-year run of prop-betting poker show ‘I Bet You’ did no such thing. The show featured Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari as two best friends prepared to prop bet each other through the trials and tribulations of a life on the road as poker pros at the top of their games.

Nothing was off limits, no subject was taboo and nothing was left unsaid by two men for whom filters were designed purely for sunglasses. Poker prop bets often originate from stories heard at the felt. Remember that one about Huck Seed doing a front flip within 24 hours but his uncle was a gymnast? What about that prop bet where the guy trod water for 24 hours? No, he bailed and paid out at 4 hours.