As the dates for Hustler Casino Live’s Million Dollar Game get closer, the action on the show’s weekly Friday night high-stakes game keeps getting wilder.
Just last week there was more than $5 million in play, with two players holding stacks of $1 million or more. And this week, there were multiple hands that went down during the broadcast where there was more than $500,000 in the middle.
Case in point is this must-see hand in which popular poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli dragged a pot of more than $600,000 after flopping a straight flush against Andy ‘Stacks’ Tsai, who held the third nuts with the ace-high flush.
The game was playing at $100/$200 ($200 bb ante) when Mariano, sitting on a stack close to $300,000, raised from under the gun to $500 holding the 
. Hustler Casino Live regular Charles put in a three-bet to $2,000 with suited connectors and Stacks made the call with the 
.
With the action back to Mariano, he put in a four-bet to $9,000. After Charles made the quick call, Stacks took some time and ultimately made the call.
“Diamonds are cheap,” said David Tuchman before he added, “Can we get a potential diamond flop?”
As if on cue, out came the flop of the 
bringing Mariano an unbeatable straight flush and Stacks the ace-high flush. There was no looking away from the collision that was about to happen.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Tuchman said. “We’ve got a straight flush against the nut flush. I cannot believe this. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life!”
The flop checked through and after the 
turn, action checked to Mariano who bet out $8,000. Charles folded as quickly as he called earlier and, out of position, check-raised to $35,000. Mariano called.
The river came the 
, and with a pot of $97,000, Stacks led out, overbetting the pot for $120,000. It didn’t take long for Mariano to declare “All-in”. Stacks took a second or two, made the call, flipped his cards face up and then Mariano showed him the goods. The pot swelled to $611,300 and Mariano sat, stunned, shaking his head in disbelief at what had just happened. (Even though this has, in a sense, happened to him before.)
“Mariano can’t believe it,” Tuchman said as Mariano put his head in his hands for a moment. “$611,000 pot, headed over to a man who was playing $1/$3 a couple of years ago. Just unbelievable.”
For his part, Stacks gave little visible reaction. After a moment, he stood up from the table and went into the back, and returned with a bag of chips to pay out the final tally of what he owed – $256,300.
“You can deal the next hand,” Stacks said. “I got it.”
And the game played on.