[dStrangefate]

IMO the following players came off very well in terms of their play and attitude: Doyle, Antonio, Phil L, Erik L, Barry G

These players seemed a little outclassed (if not exactly weak): Zeidman, Sheikhan, Grey, Elezra, Todd, Chamanara, Juanda, Matusow

Of course, who knows, given the editing? Juanda might have played brilliantly, we just didn't get to see much of him, and Grey seemed to be cold-decked. Zeidman, Todd, and Elezra all made some poor plays to my eyes, but then don't we all from time to time? I actually thought Elezra and Matusow played fairly well until they got tired/bored and started tilting off chips.

I would like to see the following done to improve the show:

- Cut down on the unknowns. Zeidman, Chamanara, Nassri, etc, are nice enough guys with plenty of money I'm sure, but they're not really that interesting to watch. If the game needs some wealthy amateurs to attract the pros (and I doubt it does) stick with guys like Jerry Buss who at least have some claim to fame outside poker.

- Elimination of props

- Pre-selected tables and rotation. Talkative, charismatic players should be spaced out among the episodes, so the show flows more evenly. This season seemed to start out very lively then got rather subdued as players like Matusow, Farha, Sheiky, Laak, etc, left. Ended on a bit of a whimper. Also, there needs to be some sort of forced rotation so we don't have to watch the same players every week. I don't mind watching Negreneau play but he was in every episode and nearly every hand. High Stakes feels like the Daniel N show sometimes.