The first stream of an expensive game from the Hustler casino took place in August 2021. In fact, the play was not that expensive back then – $5/$5 with a $50 ante. The line-up was also not the most stellar.
But in 2022, the show has changed dramatically and has become the flagship of poker streams. The limits have increased several times, and the most famous players in the world have marked themselves at the table.
In January, a two-hour selection of the best hands of the past year was released on the Youtube channel of the show.
20. Yoh Viral vs. Mariano, $69,850
A modest $50/$100/$100 game by Hustler standards. French high roller Yoh Viral has been a frequent guest on poker shows lately, most recently he participated in an expensive game organized by the WPT.
His rival is a popular poker vlogger.
Yoh Viral raised pre-flop and called a 3-bet, Mariano bet a quarter of the pot on the flop, and Yohan check-raised. Yoh Viral bet half the pot on the turn and Villain quickly paid. On the river, the Frenchman overbet $27,000 into a $15,000 pot. Mariano thought for a long time, burned several timebank cards, but called.
19. Nick Vertucci vs. Luda Chris, $151,870
The distribution between the local regular and the main organizer of the show, Nick Vertucci, who has been assigned the nickname Nitucci on the streams.
After limping UTG to $100 and raising to $500 from the CO, Vertucci called on the SB and Luda Chris reraised to $2,600 after him – Vertucci called. Nick check-raised on the flop. On the turn, Luda Chris bet 70% of the pot and Vertucci called. On the river, Vertucci finally took the lead and bet $9,000 into a $62,000 pot. This sizing had the desired effect, Luda Chris reraised to $35,000 and instantly heard an all-in.
– What can you have here? Luda Chris began to reason aloud. – Four of a Kind, Fulls, or Straight Flush? I'm always beaten.
He asked me to calculate exactly how much he needed to call.
– $20k? Crap! Hoped there would be more. You definitely have sixes or threes. How lucky are you? You can't expect action without a strong hand, you only play the nuts. This, by the way, is the first time in my poker career that I've been really angry. I'm just pissed that you hit the river again. I want to throw chips at the glass door. You will never bluff like that, okay, I fold.
18. Ben vs. Poker Bunny, $68,100
Paulina Loeliger recently became famous for her strange bust on the PCA Main Event bubble.
It turned out that for her this is quite normal behavior. In one of the sessions on the Hustler stream, the CO opened up, Paulina 3-bet in the BB.
Paulina checked the flop and Ben bet 2/3 of the pot. The girl announced all-in for $26,500, and then strange things began.
“Oh, wait,” she said, embarrassed, and began to count the stack. – I didn't want to... Although there's nothing to be done. This is not some kind of angle shooting, I myself don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Pauline clutched her head.
– What is going on? her opponent did not understand. How much do I need to call?
“$22,600,” the dealer said.
– Incredible – Ben threw the chips in the center and made it clear that he agreed to run the board only once.
Turn , river . Ben took the pot, but the situation clearly pissed him off.
"I'm sorry," Pauline said to him. I didn't mean anything bad. Thought I only had $20k.
“Do this more often,” Ben snapped, tipping the dealer for $25 and leaving for a walk.
17. Alan Keating vs. Mickey Mays, $282,000
One of the most expensive games in Hustler history – $200/$400/$800 with constant straddle and restraddle. Both participants are bright characters and the main stars of the show. Mickey even has a personal thread on 2+2 (https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/mikki-mase-1797804/) where members discuss his outrageous antics.
Mickey bet a $6,400 triple straddle on the HJ, Alan raised to $20,000 on the SB, and Mickey called. The flop didn't seem to suit anyone, but that didn't stop Alan from betting a little over half the pot and paying his opponent. The pot was $96,000 and Mickey had $93,000 in his stack. The turn did not improve anyone, but the participants did not pay any attention to this. Keating bet 2/3 of the pot, Mickey thought for a bit and shoved. Alan nodded in understanding and quickly delivered the $28,000. Mickey suddenly became sad, but cheered up when he saw the opponent's hand.
“I thought you were a little better.”
They ran the river twice, Mickey took the whole pot.
“One of the best value bets in the history of poker,” Jean-Robert Bellande assessed the hand.
16. Jean-Robert Bellande vs. Matt Hanks, $469,000
JRB needs no introduction, and Matt Hanks excelled in the show No Gamble, No Future, which we recently talked about.
Blinds $200/$400, Matt opened to $1,500 from second position, JRB in CO raised to $5,000, Villain 4-bet $20,000, and got an instant shove.
“Great performance, Hanks, and I'm the dumbest *****.
The board was opened twice. First, an ace came on the river, and on the second board, JRB caught a gutshot on the flop, which came on the river.
– This is the most vile thing I've ever done with rivals on TV – Bellande clutched his head. – I'm sorry, bro. It turns out that sometimes stupidity can also have its advantages.
No big deal, I was expecting something like this.
15. Rampage vs. CryptoApprenti1, $188,325
In this hand, two stars of the new wave collided – the popular vlogger Rampage, who has been showing excellent offline results lately, and the crypto investor Wesley Flan, who is one of the ten best traders in the world.
They hit the $188,000 pot in a $25/$50/$100 game.
Rampage from UTG put a $200 straddle, Wesley in the CO raised to $600, Rampage and another player named Ali G with made a call. On the flop, Wesley bet $2,000, Ali G raised to $7,000, Rampage just called, and Wesley three-bet $27,000. Ali G realized that there was nothing more to do with top pair and threw it away. Rampage shoved with a set and got called quickly.
Do you want to run it once or twice? he asked, obviously nervous.
“One,” the young crypto millionaire replied sharply.
“It's just the biggest pot in my life,” the blogger explained embarrassedly.
Do you want to sell me your hand? one of the neighbors suggested to him.
The amount of the possible deal was drowned in an extraneous buzz, but Rampage was not interested in it anyway and won the hand (turn , river ).
14. JR vs. Alan Keating, $749,000
Another hand from the $200/$400/$800 blind session.
Keating bet a $1,200 straddle from UTG, JR called in the BB, and Keating raised to $6,600. On the flop and turn, JR check-called bets of $10,000 and $35,000. On the river, Keating hit the nuts and overbet three pots. JR thought for several minutes but did not find the fold.
13. Airball vs. Buttonclickr, $272,500
We talked about the session with one of the strongest online regulars separately.
That evening was probably one of the biggest failures of the young Finn's career. And even in this hand, despite the victory, he clearly counted on more.
Buttonclickr 3-bet preflop and Airball called. On the flop, the Finn had only 4% to win, he had no idea about it and bet 17% of the pot, the opponent quickly paid. Puustinen hit top set on the turn, bet small, and called his opponent's raise. The river paired the board and Buttonclickr check-raised. Airball thought for a few minutes and threw it away in the last seconds of the time bank.
12. Rampage vs. Garrett Edelstein, $146,250
The young YouTuber chose clearly not the best opponent and not the best time to bluff with 5-high.
Rampage opened and called a 3-bet, post-flop Garrett check-called all streets, Rampage bet $6,500, $16,000, and $45,000. During the entire runout, the opponents uttered only two phrases – “nice hand” and “thank you” at the very end.
11. Mr. Dr. Batman vs. Erik Persson, $632,000
In this confrontation, two players met who obviously do not play poker for money.
After the straddle, Batman raised to $5,000 and got three callers. On the flop and turn, Batman bet $15,000 and $50,000, Eric called both bets, while the rest gave up on the flop. On the river, Batman checked and Persson bet $130,000 into a $152,000 pot. The hand didn't end there.
– What is he thinking about? – the commentator did not understand, this is the simplest fold.
But Batman decided otherwise and declared all-in. Persson made the fastest call of his life and let his emotions run wild:
“Come on, everyone, I’ll be happy to take your chips.” It's a pleasure to play with you.
“Easy,” one of the neighbors asked.
– Yes, I just tease him, he does it himself all the time. Isn't it fun? Welcome to the big leagues, baby.
“Good behavior, mate.”
– And who promised you worthy behavior here? Or do you call your jokes worthy of behavior after you take the stack with a bad beat? We play for real money here. Are you having fun with all this? You're always bullying people you just ran over.
It's funny to hear from you.
10. Airball vs. Buttonclickr, $870,000
This pot was the biggest in Hustler's streaming history for a while, and Henri Puustinen went home after it.
Buttonclickr opened preflop, Bill Klein called, Airball squeezed $13,000, and both opponents called. Airball bet half the pot on the flop, only Henry paid. Airball check-raised all-in on the turn and was almost instantly called. River didn't change anything.
9. Bill Klein vs. Brian Kim, $190,700
"Bluff of the century" was performed by one of the most deserving high rollers.
Brian opened in the CO and Bill called in the straddle. On the flop and turn, Brian bet 2/3 of the pot. On the river, Bill bet $13,000 into a $13,700 pot, Brian raised to $50,000, and Klein suddenly shoved.
– Taking off my hat. 10 out of 10 if it's a bluff, Brian was impressed. “Looks like I’m really throwing it away now."
After a couple of minutes, he nevertheless decided to send the cards to the muck:
"I only throw it away because I don't have any more money with me."
Bill did not deny himself the pleasure of showing the cards to the whole table, which caused a storm of applause. Brian was the only one not happy.
8. Alexandra Botez vs. Phil Hellmuth, $339,100
The eight-hour stream featuring popular bloggers and streamers remains one of the most-watched videos on the Hustler channel. We talked about this session in detail.
Phil did not perform well that evening, and this hand against Alexandra became the climax.
MrBeast bet a $25,600 straddle on the button. Phil went all-in for $52,700 at UTG+1.
– $55,000? – Alexandra clarified at MP.
“Yes,” Phil replied, “and you owe me, so I want to see a call.”
Botez thought for a moment and called. Alan Keating, who was sitting behind her, did not spend a second thinking, and MrBeast also quickly called.
“If you show the queen, I'll give you a $20,000 tip,” MrBeast promised the dealer on the turn.
“Only Botez could pay here with Phil grumbled.
The river was a deuce, and Alexandra celebrated her most significant poker success.
– What the **** is going on? – Hellmuth vented. – She paid $50k with A9 off and I manage to lose in this *** game. But I'm calm, I'm sure she will quickly lose all $500k back.
Alexandra, hardened by the twitch chat, ignored the attacks.
7. CryptoApprenti1 vs. Garrett Edelstein, $193,300
The players in this hand played for almost 2,000 blinds.
Garrett opened with a $300 raise from UTG, and three players called. On the flop, the set owners checked in unison, the CO with bet $1,000, button with raised to $3,500, Wesley paid, and Garrett raised to $14,000. Wesley thought for a long time, the announcer even suggested that he was going to fold, but in the end, he called. The turn was check-checked. On the river, Wesley checked again quickly, and Garrett went all-in for double the pot size. Wesley went into deep thought but called anyway.
“I thought you had jacks.” Looks like you overplayed your hand a bit.” Wesley didn't miss an opportunity to needle Garrett.
6. Dylan Gang vs. Garrett Edelstein, $186,600
Another example of how not to behave after winning a big pot.
Before Garrett limped $800 in the BB, he reraised to $7,000 and got four calls. The flop and turn all checked. On the river, Garrett bet $20,000 into a $36,000 pot and Dylan raised to $75,000. Garrett didn't fold top pair.
“Good call,” Dylan rapped on the table.
Confident in victory, Garrett began to collect chips.
“I was just joking,” Dylan opened his full house.
Garrett didn't raise an eyebrow.
5. Dylan Gang vs. Garrett Edelstein, $389,500
In the next session, Garrett took a convincing revenge.
Edelstein opened with a raise from the button and called a 3-bet of $6,500. On the flop, Dylan c-bet a third of the pot and Garrett raised. On the turn, Dylan check-shoved for $35,000.
"I don't even know what I'm thinking." Garrett stood up. – I have a monster. Okay, call. Once.
On the river came .
“I have nothing,” Dylan announced.
But Garrett did not move and waited until the opponent showed his cards. Only then did he show his hand. Dylan ended the session with that and left the room.
4. Alan Keating vs. Mickey Mays and CryptoApprenti1, $653,000
This pot took place at the very end of the 14-hour marathon. It all ended with a triple all-in preflop.
Ryusuke made a record $35,000 straddle at BB. Mickey just behind him called with $105,000, Keating also limped with aces, and CryptoApprenti1 shoved $183,000. Ryusuke called with a $600k stack (he had ), but folded to Keating's all-in.
The flop came a ten.
In the middle of this session, Alan Keating was losing about $700k, then he won everything back and went into the black, but after this hand, he again went into the red zone for a modest $100k.
3. Phil Hellmuth vs. Ninja, $99,500
Another pot from the streamer session. A fairly modest pot that ended in a split, but it turned out to be so high largely due to the reaction of the participants. Phil, who had been short-stacked the whole session, waited for the right situation and 4-bet all-in with jacks. Ninja called with sevens.
“I'll suck a dick for a ten,” the young streamer shocked the audience on the turn. And the card he needed came.
2. Handz vs. Alan Keating, $1,200,000
Record pot in the history of the show. Hustler was playing $200/$400/$800/$1,600 that night.
Alan Keating bet a $3,200 straddle in the CO. Handz on the button opened to $9,000 and got called three times. On the flop, Keating had a flush draw and check-called two streets. The flush hit on the river, Alan bid $155,000 into a $227,000 pot, and his opponent with the blocker to the nuts went all-in for $464,000. Keating thought for several minutes but did not dare to throw it away.
1. The infamous hand
The hand, after which Garrett Edelstein retired, and Robbie Lew woke up famous, was played at the end of September.
She already has 7.6 million views on the official twitter of the show.
We talked in detail about the hand itself and what effect it had on the community.
After that session, Robbie was very active in the media space, gave out a lot of interviews, came on the streams of Joe Ingram several times, but did not play poker on the streams. Recently, she announced her return to the tables. From February 14 to 16, she will play three sessions in the company of Phil Hellmuth on the Live at the Bike stream, the main competitor of Hustler.
Hustler Casino responded the same day with the announcement that they were hosting a $1 million record game with $500/$1,000 blinds in May.
The lineup is promised to be announced later, but those who wish have already begun to line up.
“I can play if I can find a spot.” Even Garrett Edelstein came out of hibernation.