The holidays are officially behind us, and all major poker streaming shows are back with regular programming, which means poker fans can look forward to tons of action in the coming weeks.
The first full week back from the break saw Hustler Casino Live host their regular Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday high-stakes shows, while Poker at the Lodge also hosted a big game with some familiar faces.
The likes of Nik Airball, Jungleman, Senor Tilt, Doug Polk, Mariano, and Taras were all in action this week, and if you missed the shows, here is a look at a few of the biggest pots and most creative hands we saw.
The Bounty Game Plays with Nik Airball’s Head
The Thursday game on Hustler Casino Live started off relatively slow, with the blinds set at $25/$50, and occasional straddles in the mix.
Nik Airball was the star of the show, and HCL regulars like Jasper, Dr. P, Big Mike, and Francisco made up quite a fun lineup.
One of the most shocking hands of the day came as a direct result of the bounty game. Sitting on two bounties already, Jasper decided he would go for the third one in a big way, hoping to win a thousand bucks for each bounty from his opponents.
The hand started innocently enough, with Dr. P and Chief both limping in with weak holdings. When the action got back to Jasper, he pushed in his entire $49.5k stack, knowing that the limpers had $8k and $18k in their stacks.
Jasper held A♥Q♣ and simply wanted to take the pot down and win his bounty, which is what would have happened if Nik Airball wasn’t one of the players still left to act.
When the action folded to him, he looked down at A♣9♥, a hand certainly not worth a thousand big blinds under any circumstances.
Yet, Nik’s gut feeling was telling him that Jasper was just stealing the pot, and after some deliberation, he decided to make the call, bloating the pot to an incredible $99k out of nothing.
The players agreed to run it just once, and Nik hand was in serious trouble, as two of the Nines he needed had been folded before the flop.
The board ran out Q♥3♣4♥J♥2♣, and Jasper quickly went up some $50k for the day. At the end of the day, this pot proved critical for both players, as Jasper ended the game up $59k and Airball lost just about the same amount over the course of the game.
Jungleman and Mariano Mix It Up on Hustler Casino Live
The High Stakes Friday game on HCL was another fun one, as high rollers like Dan “Jungleman” Cates, Sam “Senor Tilt” Kiki, and Ohio David joined Nik Airball and Mariano for some $50/$100 action.
The lineup was very promising, but the action actually ended up being much tamer than expected, as players mostly kept in line and played solid poker.
Known for his bravado and wild play, Jungleman stepped out of line a few times and played several hands that got plenty of attention from the fans.
About five hours into the game, Jungleman limped into the pot for $200 with 6♠2♠, followed by Ohio David. Senor Tilt decided to put on the squeeze play with Q♥4♥, as he bumped it up to $2k.
Next to act was Mariano, who held nothing but 8♥5♥. Yet, something was telling Mariano that Kiki was out of line, so he put in another re-raise, this time to $6k.
When action was back on Jungleman, we expected him to fold, but he put in the fourth raise with his trash hand, bumping it up to $17k, representing a strong hand like AK or pocket Aces.
Everyone is trying to bluff @junglemandan tonight
— Hustler Casino Live (@HCLPokerShow) January 10, 2026
This time it’s Mariano
Can @junglemandan make yet another insane hero call?!? 😱
Brought to you by @bet_105 — where +EV isn’t punished pic.twitter.com/BSM2dApWug
Everyone gave up except for Mariano, who made the call for $11k. The two went to a flop of 10♦10♥2♥, and with $36k in the pot, Jungleman continued for $12k.
Mariano decided against raising here and made the call instead. The turn brought the Q♦, and this time around, both players checked.
When the K♠ peeled off on the river, Mariano made a small bet of $18k, likely trying to fold out some of Jungleman’s Ace-highs or medium pocket pairs.
Yet, Cates decided there are still enough bluffs in the Argentine’s range to make calling for this price profitable, so he chucked in the chips and won the $96k pot.
Jungleman ended up winning just under $70k, much thanks to the creative way he played this hand, while Mariano lost $57k, a tiny dent in his massive 2025 profit.
Taras Puts on the Act Down at the Lodge
Poker at the Lodge was back with some high-stakes poker streaming this week, as a group of superstars led by Doug Polk and Taras played a game with over half a million dollars on the table.
One of the most fun hands of the session involved Taras, whose high VPIP and unpredictable playing style make him a true wild card in any poker game.
The hand started with Muscle Mike raising to $1,200 with his A♣6♦ and Taras putting in a big $6,500 re-raise with his A♦6♠.
While these two players held the same cards, EZ in the lojack held 10♠9♥, and decided his connectors were worth seeing at least the flop.
Muscle Mike also came along for the ride, and the dealer put out a flop of K♦8♦7♦, giving Taras the nut flush draw.
Taras led out for $8k when the action checked to him, and EZ made the call with his straight draw. The turn card brought the J♦, completing both draws, but giving Taras the checkmark.
This time around, it was EZ who took the initiative, as he bet $11k with his straight. Taras took a while before making the call, trying to convince his opponent he had a real decision to make.
When the A♥ rolled off on the river, EZ took the bait and bet out $30k into the virtual nuts. Taras eventually moved all-in for some $90k more, and while EZ could not make the call with just a straight, Taras’ Hollywood act likely earned him the $30k river bet.
Taras won a quarter of a million dollars in the game, once again showing just how dangerous he can be when the cards cooperate even slightly.
