With Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates in the building for Friday’s Hustler Casino Live $100/$200/$400 game, it was seemingly inevitable that Cates would battle his old friend Nikhil ‘NikAirball’ Arcot over the course of the night.
It was also likely that the pair would exchange some “friendly” barbs along the way.
It didn’t take long for the pair to get tangled up in a pot in which Cates cold four-bet from the big blind and NikAirball responded with a preflop five-bet. Naturally, the showdown pitted NikAirball’s 
against Cates’ 
.
With $75,000 in the pot before a flop, and six figures in each players’ stack, the fireworks launch was primed for a countdown.
With Cates electing for caution rather than a $300,000 pot with second pair, NikAirball had the upper hand. It was all too appropriate, then, when Cates took a Nik Airball-esque line to try to get a chunk of that money back.
Despite a preflop three-bet while way behind, and a small continuation bet on the flop, any memory of this hand was seemingly headed towards the ether until Jungleman check-raised the double paired board to $16,500 on turn. Airball was inclined to call, and with $52,200 in the pot, a potential diamond flush draw added another element to the already double-paired board. Cates bet $42,000 on the river, and put Airball in an unfamiliar position, on his heels.
“I don’t have much, Jungle, but I don’t know if I believe this. I don’t know if I can call,” laments NikAirball. “I feel like you’re bluffing, though.”
Airball spent three-plus minutes in the tank, before finally letting his hand go. Cates tabled his bluff as he scooped a pot that netted him almost $27,000.
“I thought you were going to call,” Cates said. Airball complimented Cates on the hand, but Cates had one more swipe to take. “Who’s my b**** now?” Cates added, with a nod back to Airball’s infamous quip when they clashed in Texas back in February.
Despite getting bluffed, the night was kinder to NikAirball, who made just over $3,000 on the night. The bluff was one of just a few bright spots for Cates, who dropped almost $150,000 over the course of the stream.