Women dominate in the new episode of Hellmuth's home game: Cates and Deeb lose

In the latest episode of Hellmuth’s Home Game on Poker Night in America, the ladies put on a clinic while pros Dan Cates and Shaun Deeb came up short. A friendly atmosphere and plenty of surprising action—all this and more in the new show.

The latest episode of Phil Hellmuth’s home game — “Hellmuth’s Home Game,” produced with the support of Poker Night in America (PNIA) and sponsored by BetRivers, aired once again on CBS Sports on Monday night. The show was filmed at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Unlike most televised poker shows, this one has no commentators; instead, the dynamic revolves around the real-time conversations between Phil Hellmuth and his invited pros and friends at the table. This creates the feel of a genuine home game, where viewers can watch the action unfold naturally, without scripted commentary or unnecessary chatter. Lineup and Starting Stacks Episode 33, which picked up where the previous week left off, featured a star-studded lineup: Phil Hellmuth, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, Jennifer Tilly, Xuan Liu, Shaun Deeb, and Erick Lindgren. The game was played with $25/$50 blinds and a $50 big blind ante. Each player started with a deep stack, allowing for large pots and plenty of room for creative, strategic play. Key Hands of the Episode Fast Start: Tilly vs. Cates Right out of the gate, Daniel Cates opened to $500 from the hijack with A♥K♣ . Jennifer Tilly called from the small blind with K♠Q♣ . The rest of the table folded, and on a Q♥7♠4♠ flop, Tilly led out for $600 with top pair. Cates called, and both players checked the 2♦ turn. The river K♥ improved both hands: Tilly now had two pair, while Cates had top pair with top kicker. Tilly bet $1,300, Cates raised to $6,000, and Tilly quickly three-bet to $16,000. Cates instantly folded. This hand showed that Jennifer Tilly was ready to play aggressively and wasn’t afraid to put pressure on even the toughest opponents. Xuan Liu vs. Cates: Battle for a Big Pot In a later hand, the action folded to Cates in the big blind, who raised to $600 with Q♠10♦ to put pressure on Xuan Liu, who had straddled to $100. Xuan picked up A♠A♦ and three-bet to $1,800. Cates responded with a four-bet to $4,000, and Xuan made a small five-bet to $6,500. Cates called, and the 3♣8♥Q♣ flop gave him top pair. Xuan fired a $3,500 continuation bet, and Cates called. On the J♣ turn, Xuan bet $4,000, and Cates called again. The 8♠ river changed nothing; Cates checked, and Xuan moved all-in, putting Cates to a decision for his remaining $8,375. Cates thought it over and said, “I don’t believe you’re bluffing here,” before folding. Xuan Liu scooped a $36,650 pot, showing poise and applying well-timed pressure on her opponent. Xuan Liu Catches Shaun Deeb Bluffing In one of the episode’s most talked-about hands, Erick Lindgren opened to $600 with Q♥7♥ from the cutoff. Cates called from the small blind with K♠J♣ , and Xuan Liu called from the big blind with K♦10♦ . Shaun Deeb, in the straddle, three-bet to $3,000 with A♦9♦ . Lindgren and Cates folded, and Xuan called. The flop came 2♠10♣3♦ , giving Xuan top pair. She check-called Deeb’s $1,600 bet. The J♦ turn gave both players a flush draw, with Deeb holding the higher draw. He bet $5,000, and Xuan called again. The Q♣ river didn’t improve Deeb, and after Xuan checked, he fired $12,500, trying to take down the pot with a bluff. Xuan tanked for a while but ultimately called, winning a $45,650 pot. This call showcased her ability to sniff out bluffs, even from seasoned opponents. Climax: Hellmuth vs. Cates — All-In and a Chop In one of the most dramatic hands, Phil Hellmuth opened to $600 with Q♠10♠ from the hijack. Cates reraised from the small blind to $2,100 with pocket threes 3♠3♣ . Hellmuth called, and the 5♠4♠5♥ flop gave him a flush draw. Cates moved all-in, and Hellmuth quickly called off his $4,075 stack, building a $12,750 pot. The players agreed to run it twice to reduce variance. On the first run, the 9♦ and 3♥ gave Cates a full house and half the pot. On the second run, the 2♥ turn didn’t help Hellmuth, but the A♠ river completed his flush, giving him the other half. As a result, the pot was split evenly, and both players were satisfied with the outcome. Final Hand: Xuan Liu vs. Cates In the last hand of the episode, Cates was in the first of three straddles with 9♣5♣ and raised to $1,300. Xuan Liu, in the second straddle, called with 6♥6♣ , while Shaun Deeb, in the third straddle, folded. The flop came 5♥7♠2♦ ; Cates checked, Xuan bet $800, and Cates called. On the A♣ turn, Cates led out for $1,500, and Xuan called again. The J♥ river went check-check, and Xuan took down the $7,725 pot with her pocket sixes. Episode Results and Stats There was no final tournament table in this episode, as it was a cash game, but the key hands highlighted several takeaways: Xuan Liu won two major pots: one against Cates with aces, and another against Shaun Deeb by catching his bluff. Jennifer Tilly played two pair confidently against Cates, forcing him to fold top pair with top kicker. Phil Hellmuth and Cates chopped the pot after an all-in and two board runs. Cates was active, but in the biggest hands, he came up short against his female opponents. The largest pots of the episode were: Xuan Liu vs. Cates — $36,650 Xuan Liu vs. Shaun Deeb — $45,650 Hellmuth vs. Cates all-in — $12,750 (split evenly) Final pot between Xuan Liu and Cates — $7,725 Context: The Series and Its Players “Hellmuth’s Home Game” is Phil Hellmuth’s signature show. Hellmuth is one of the most decorated players in poker history, with 16 WSOP bracelets. The series airs on national television in the US and regularly brings together poker stars and well-known amateurs. Regulars include Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, famous for his aggressive and creative style, Jennifer Tilly — actress and accomplished poker player, Xuan Liu — a pro with numerous live and online successes, as well as players like Shaun Deeb and Erick Lindgren. The deep-stacked, high-blind cash game format lets players showcase their skills in tough spots, and the absence of commentators gives viewers a rare chance to hear the players’ genuine thoughts and emotions at the table. List of Previous Episodes For those following the series, here’s a list of previous episodes with brief highlights: Episode 1: Jungleman faces off against Hellmuth’s son Episode 2: Jungleman gets his comeuppance for risky play Episodes 3 and 4: Phil Hellmuth III learns from his mistakes Episode 5: Poker Brat (Hellmuth’s nickname) plays aggressively Episode 6: Phil Hellmuth and his son suffer big losses Episode 7: Randy “3Coin” Sadler loses twice in a row Episode 8: A player falls into Hellmuth’s trap Episode 9: Attempt to “bust Phil” at the poker table Episode 10: Jungleman reads Xuan’s hand in the show’s biggest pot Episode 11: Hellmuth talks about his first tournament win Episode 12: Hellmuth motivates his son to build a bankroll from $75 Episode 13: Dan "Jungleman" Cates takes a loss Episode 14: Hellmuth’s eldest son, Nick, makes his TV debut Episode 15: Texas Mike loses, Jennifer Tilly dominates Episode 16: Phil Hellmuth falls victim to a slowroll Episode 17: Jennifer Tilly celebrates her birthday at the poker table Episode 18: Cates plays aggressively, targeting big pots Episode 19: Jungleman and Texas Mike play six-figure pots Episode 20: Hellmuth wins with quads live on air Episode 21: DJ Washburn wins, Hellmuth loses Episode 22: Mike Matusow makes quads, impressing Hellmuth Episode 23: Poker Brat is the episode’s biggest winner Episode 24: Hellmuth tanks on decisions, gets frustrated with Matusow Episode 25: Kelly Lucas slowrolls Hellmuth on TV Episode 26: Xuan Liu knocks out Hellmuth with a full house Episode 27: Cates crushes Poker Brat Episode 28: Cates takes a loss Episode 29: Deeb and Cates face off Episode 30: Jennifer Tilly dominates the table Episode 31: Jennifer Tilly keeps winning Episode 32: Deeb slowrolls Hellmuth and plays an $82,000 pot against Tilly Poker Terms and Formats Used in the Episode Cash game — a format where players play for real money, not tournament chips. Players can rebuy or leave the game at any time. Blinds — mandatory bets posted by the two players to the left of the dealer: small blind and big blind. Ante — an additional forced bet, in this case posted by the big blind. Raise, reraise, three-bet, four-bet, five-bet — successive increases in the bet during a single hand. Straddle — a voluntary blind bet, usually twice the big blind, made to increase the pot and add action. All-in — betting all of a player’s remaining chips. Run it twice — an agreement to deal the remaining community cards twice, splitting the pot between the winners of each run to reduce variance. Check, bet, call, fold — standard poker actions: pass, bet, match a bet, or fold. Top pair, two pair, flush draw, full house — common poker hands and draws. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this episode breakdown is a great chance to see how professionals make decisions in tough cash game spots. For example, Xuan Liu’s play against Cates and Deeb highlights the importance not just of playing strong hands well, but also of recognizing bluffs and protecting your stack. This is especially relevant for those playing mid and high stakes in online clubs. It’s also worth noting strategies for playing against aggressive opponents. As the hands involving Cates showed, even experienced players can be put under pressure and make mistakes if their opponent stays calm and consistent. In PPPoker online games, you’ll often encounter similar situations, and the insights from shows like this can help you make more balanced decisions. Finally, the deep-stacked cash game format with additional antes or straddles is becoming increasingly popular in online clubs as well. Keep an eye on new strategies, experiment with aggression and defense, analyze how the pros play — and your PPPoker game will definitely improve.