With more and more poker live streams taking to platforms like YouTube, poker fans are spoiled for options these days, and last week was quite an extraordinary one in this regard.
While popular live streams like Hustler Casino Live, Venetian Poker Live, and Poker at the Lodge all aired new content, a brand-new played joined the live streaming world in Onyx Live.
The new live stream is dedicated to high-stakes poker cash games and tournaments from the private, invitation-only, Onyx Club in Cyprus.
Last week saw the new channel air the first episodes of its cash game show, and they were not a disappointment, as we saw familiar faces like Rob Yong, Paul Phua, and Hanz battle with wealthy newcomers from places like Dubai.
While the super high rollers clashed down in Cyprus, player favorites like Rampage, Nik Airball, and Jeff the Cash played some huge games back home in LA.
Over on Poker Night in America, Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow got into a bit of a tussle, reminding us of the good old days of the Poker Boom, when the Poker Brat and The Mouth were among the most popular players in the world.
If you didn’t get a chance to watch too much live poker these days, keep reading and find a full rundown of some of the most memorable hands of the week.
Handz Flops a Set Against the Newcomers
A player who only seems to surface to play in the biggest games around, Handz showed up to play in the inaugural live-streamed games on Onyx Live, along the likes of Paul Phua and Rob Yong.
The $200/$400 game with a $1k ante saw him and Paul take on a group of players from Dubai, along with a couple of American and European players, most of whom are largely unknown to the viewers.
Handz did reasonably well in the game, with one of the critical hands happening a few hours into the stream, as he was sitting on a $650k stack to start things off.
The high roller opened the action to $1,500 holding 6♥6♣. One of the players from the Emirates, going by the name of Arrow, came along with A♥8♥, before Frenchman Loopoo applied the squeeze play, bumping it up to $6,000 with his A♣K♦.
Others got out of the way, but both Handz and Arrow made the call, taking us to the ultimate cooler flop of K♥6♦5♥. All three players hit this board very hard, and we were in for a massive pot.
Action checked to Loopoo, who bet just $8k into a pot of nearly $20k. Handz opted for a trap, just calling the bet, and Arrow was happy to realize his equity and see the turn.
The turn brought the A♠, improving both Arrow’s and Loopoo’s hand, while Handz still sat pretty with a set of sixes.
Action again checked to Loopoo, who confidently bet $20,000 with his top two par. Handz was done slow-playing, as he bumped it to $75,000, before Arrow somehow found the fold with his top pair and nut flush draw.
Loopoo could do little but move all-in for his $134k stack, and was quickly shown the bad news, as he only had three live outs to improve to a better full house.
The 2♦ was enough to seal the deal for Handz, as Arrow quietly celebrated making the good fold with his monster draw and getting away from what could have been a disaster.
Handz walked away from the game a quarter of a million dollars richer, while Loopoo lost $133k on the day, just about the amount he lost in this massive cooler spot.
Nik Airball Gives Action on Hustler Casino Live
Last week saw Nik Airball involved in several high-stakes poker streams over on Hustler Casino Live, winning and losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.
One of the more confusing hands the self-proclaimed King of LA played saw “King” Henry open the action to $1k holding a pair of red Kings and Rampage 3-bet to $5k with his K♣Q♠ from the small blind.
Not one to be left out, Rampage put in the 4-bet to $14k with his 9♦8♦ from the straddle, trying to buy the pot, or at least position against Airball.
Henry kept playing the hand straight-up, bumping it up once again, and putting in a 5-bet to $35k. Just as it seemed the hand was over, Nik Airball played true to his name, opting for a rare 6-bet, clicking it back to $70k.
Of course, this was enough to get rid of Rampage, while Henry decided to slow-play this time and set the bear trap for Nik.
The dealer put out a flop of 8♣7♦6♠ and Nik obliged, lighting another $75k on fire, before Henry put in his $250k stack into the middle.
Airball quickly folded, but ended up losing almost $150k in a hand that could have potentially cost him only the $5k he 3-bet to, or even just $1k if he had opted for a flat call in the first place.
Hellmuth Is Back on Poker Night in America
Phil Hellmuth was back once again on Poker Night in America, joined by the likes of Mike Matusow, Kelly Minkin, 3Coin, and his own son Phillip.
The stakes were nowhere nearly as high as we are used to seeing on some of the other streams, but the entertaining group of characters made the stream every bit as fun to watch.
One of the most entertaining hands of the night saw 3Coin and Kane Kalas limp in on Hellmuth’s $100 straddle, which he opted to check with 6♥4♥.
With just $350 in the pot, the dealer put out a flop of J♠8♥6♠. 3Coin was holding J♣8♦ for flopped two pair, while Kalas bricked out on the board.
3Coin bet out for $300, and Hellmuth quickly made the call, taking us to the turn. The turn was the 6♦, which turned Hellmuth’s bottom pair into a monster hand.
Once again, 3Coin bet just $300, and Hellmuth went for value, raising to $900. In his recognizable fashion, 3Coin then ripped it all-in for nearly $13,000, giving the Poker Brat something to think about.
As Hellmuth took more than five full minutes to think about it, Mike Mattusow to his left started talking quietly about the hand to Kelly Minkin, with Hellmuth asking him to “shut up.”
The Mouth went on to start recording the table, and eventually started recording Hellmuth himself. At this point, Phil knocked the phone out of his hand, which went flying across the table, and even hit the dealer briefly before landing on the floor.
True to his image, Phil eventually folded the winner, only to be shown he was once again bluffed by one of the wildest players we have seen in recent years.
To his credit, Phil had correctly deducted that 3Coin was going for a value bet, but was wrong about just how big 3Coin’s hand actually was.
