How I Met Your Mother Season 9 Episode 5 "The Poker Game" Recap

How I Met Your Mother reveals more secrets as Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), Ted (Josh Radnor), Robin (Cobie Smulders), Lily (Alyson Hannigan), James, Marshpillow, Tim Gunn, Ranjit, and Billy Zabka continue to play poker. During this game, James can’t stop crapping about marriage, which bothers Robin so much.

Later on, she dares James to wager his own wedding ring with her own engagement ring and chips. Robin wins the game, which makes Barney disapproves her. James comes back and brings his mother Loretta into the war, try forcing her to give the ring back. Consequently, Barney forces to take side between his mother and brother or Robin. In the next game, Robin wins again and defeats Loretta in a round of strip poker and gets her special blouse. Barney gets more confuse to help his family or stand by Robin, and asks his friends opinion. Lily advises him that in a marriage, the husband always stands by the wife no matter what. Nonetheless, Barney goes to James’ room and gives his ring back. But then Barney changes his mind, instead of giving James the ring, he breaks off his ties with James and Loretta after realizing that they're both selfish. He also says that Robin ordered it so. This makes Robin panics. 

Meanwhile, Lily is displeased to see Ted gives Barney and Robin three wedding gifts. Ted never gave Lily and Marshal a wedding gift six years ago even though Marshall has repeatedly given him hints about it ever since. When Ted is asked about it, he said he already gave them a coffeemaker as his gift but Marshall failed to send a thank-you note even though Ted also gave him hints repeatedly about “thank you note” ever since. Lily discovers that Ted never got the thank-you note because Stuart claim the coffee makes as his present. Marshall apologizes to Ted, but Ted has already gave Lily a new present and he also has ordered a Gazzola pizza to be delivered to Marshall as he travels through Chicago. Future Ted says he received a thank-you note from Marshall four months later.  Loretta lets Robin keep the blouse, but warns that she's not finished with her yet .

Rating: 8/10. It’s a fun episode to see there're more surprises coming to the wedding. But unfortunately, we don't see The Mother (Cristin Milioti) in the last three episodes. 

-B

See HIMYM Season 9 latest recap here>>
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