Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot was in quest of a fortunate river card simply to cut a $716,000 pot towards Andrew Robl, whereas Jennifer Tilly could not catch a break on the most recent version of Excessive Stakes Poker on PokerGO.
Episode 8 of Season 13 featured a monster bluff — among the best in Excessive Stakes Poker historical past — and a number of pots that cracked $500,000. Each participant made their presence felt throughout Monday’s episode, which is not typically the case when every present is crammed into simply 45 minutes of play.
There have been eight gamers within the recreation and over $2.5 million on the desk when the cameras started rolling, an enormous spike in comparison with final week’s episode. The identical gamers from Episode 7 returned to motion this week, together with Robl, Nik Airball, Tilly, Brandon Steven, Stanley Tang, Sameh Elamawy, Humboldt Mike, and Justin Gavri. Here is a have a look at the beginning stacks as proven on PokerGO.
Good and Unhealthy Begin for Humboldt Mike
Episode 8 started with a three-bet and 5 gamers to the flop of A♦Q♣Ok♦. Robl wager $12,000 with A♠5♠ earlier than having to fold to Humboldt Mike’s elevate to $50,000 with A♥Q♠ for 2 pair.
The subsequent hand was much less form to Mike, who infamously triggered Phil Hellmuth to some extent the place the “Poker Brat” simply up and left the sport out of anger on No Gamble, No Future just a few months again.
Elamawy began the motion by elevating to $3,000 with Ok♦Q♣. 4 gamers referred to as — Mike with A♦Ok♥, Tilly with 9♠8♥, Nik Airball with A♥Q♥, and Steven on the button with 5♠2♣. The flop got here out Q♦Ok♣Q♠ and Airball wager $5,000 with journeys and an ace kicker. The preflop raiser, who had everybody in serious trouble, simply referred to as, making an attempt to disguise his full home.
Mike, who was under-repped with Huge Slick, additionally made the decision to see the 8♦ on the flip. Motion checked to Airball who wager $21,000, nonetheless with no purpose to consider his monster hand was beat. Each gamers referred to as after which the pot ballooned following the uneventful 4♥ river. Elamawy wager $25,000, forcing Mike to make a clever fold. However Airball raised it to $100,000 solely to accurately fold to an all in re-raise to $328,000.
Humboldt Mike Places Phil Hellmuth on Severe Tilt
Bluff of the Season?
It is not simply the monster arms that make Excessive Stakes Poker such an iconic poker present — it is also concerning the bluffs. And there was an epic bluff that transpired throughout Episode 8, and it’ll go down as among the best within the present’s 13-year historical past.
Motion started with Robl elevating to $3,000 with 6♠6♣. Elamawy, holding Ok♦Q♦, referred to as, as did Humboldt Mike with Ok♣3♣ and Tilly on the button with A♦9♣. Gavri, within the huge blind with 10♠10♣, three-bet it to $21,000, and all beforehand talked about gamers referred to as and noticed a flop of 5♠4♦A♥.
Tilly was the one participant who ought to have appreciated that flop a lot, and even her high pair hand could not have felt too robust given there have been 4 others within the pot. Nonetheless, after motion folded round to the Hollywood actress, she wager $25,000. However that did not skinny the herd a lot as Elamawy and Mike each made some fascinating calls.
The flip was the 8♥ and all three gamers checked to the Q♣ on the river. Mike, with $181,500 within the pot, made a gutsy transfer, betting $210,000 with king-high. Tilly was in a tricky spot with high pair and a weak kicker, and he or she opted to fold what was truly the most effective hand by a large margin. Elamawy, after all, could not look his opponent up with simply second pair going through such a large wager, which meant Mike took down the $391,500 pot with diddly squat.
Nik Airball Wants a Coronary heart
One of many largest arms of Season 13 performed out throughout this week’s episode, and naturally Nik Airball was concerned. The hand we’re referring to opened with Robl making it $6,000 with Ok♠Ok♣ and receiving a name from Tilly, who had 8♣7♦ on the button.
Airball, like Robl, additionally had an actual hand — A♦Ok♦ — so he popped it to $45,000. Robl then four-bet to $135,000, making the fold a simple resolution for Tilly. However Airball, properly behind the unique raiser, moved all in for $353,000 and his opponent snap-called with a much bigger stack and a greater hand. Each gamers agreed to run the board twice.
The primary board got here out 2♠Q♣J♣3♦3♣, making certain that Robl would declare at the least half the pot. However the second run-out began out 4♥Q♥Ok♥10♥, giving Airball some half-pot chop outs (any coronary heart) or to win half your entire pot (non-heart jack). The river, nevertheless, was the 9♣, no assist to Huge Slick, which meant Robl scooped your entire $716,000 pot.
Wasn’t Tilly’s Evening
Generally, it simply is not your night time on the poker desk. Issues did not go Tilly’s means throughout the latest episode of Excessive Stakes Poker. She misplaced a monster pot with ace-queen, betting $50,000 on the flop with ace-high, however was bluffed off the hand by Steven, who had a weaker ace however with a straight draw.
Tilly then bumped into a tricky one on the ultimate hand of the episode. Steven opened to $3,000 with 4♠4♣ and acquired three calls — Gavri with J♦2♦, Tang with Q♠10♣, and Tilly within the small blind with A♥10♦. The flop confirmed J♥9♣7♦, which satisfied Tang, after motion checked round to him, to wager $10,000 with an open-ended straight draw.
Tilly, who technically had a greater hand than Tang, referred to as. However Gavri, who hit high pair and had everybody beat on the time, made the decision whereas Steven folded. The 8♦ on the flip was maybe the juiciest card possible. Motion checked to Tang who hit the nuts. He wager $40,000 earlier than Tilly, who turned an inferior straight, moved all in for $96,000. Gavri folded high pair with a flush draw earlier than Tang snap-called.
Solely a ten on the river might save Tilly and permit her to cut the $244,000 pot. However the A♦ wasn’t sufficient, and the DoorDash meals supply app co-founder reeled in all of the chips. Gavri, coincidentally, would have gained the hand with a flush on the river had he referred to as the all in wager on the flip. Hindsight is at all times 20/20.
Previous Excessive Stakes Poker Season 13 Episode Recaps
To look at new episodes of Excessive Stakes Poker, go to PokerGO.
*Photographs courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego
