no gamble no future, ngnf, antonio esfandiari

Top Streamed Hands of the Week – Nosebleed Action Returns to PokerGO

Poker Streams, Venetian Poker Live / / By

Fans of high-stakes cash game action were in luck this week, as in addition to regular programming, we had a chance to see a couple of No Gamble No Future live streams from the PokerGO Studio, along with a special WPT-sponsored game from Venetian Poker Live. 

The NGNF action was dominated by Antonio Esfandiari, who has become a star of that show, and Senor Tilt, whose rivalry with the Magician is becoming well-known throughout the poker world. 

Over at the Venetian, the likes of Nik Airball, Humboldt Mike, and Turbo kicked up the stakes, giving us another game with nearly a million dollars on the table. 

If you missed the action this time around, keep reading for a full rundown of some of the most interesting hands, and a glimpse at the winners and losers of this week’s sessions. 

Esfandiari Loses Big on No Gamble No Future

The first of this week’s two high-stakes No Gamble No Future cash game streams saw Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari take center stage against the likes of Senor Tilt, Tickets, and Boost. 

Antonio was firing on all cylinders, as he usually does, but things didn’t work quite as well as he’s used to, as he ran into quite a few unfortunate spots. 

After running his pocket Tens into quad Fives early in the game, and already being stuck about $100k, Antonio was ready to gamble it up and play the wild style of poker we have grown accustomed to seeing from him. 

With the $400 straddle on, Antonio raised it up to $1.4k with his K♣Q♦, which got called by Cowboy Shawn’s pocket Sevens, and Boost’s A♥6♥. 

The flop brought 9♥6♣4♦, leaving Antonio as the only player without a pair. He checked his option, and when Shawn fired a $2k bet, he check-raised to $6k, hoping to get rid of both his opponents. 

Sandwiched between the two players, Boost made a very loose call with his pair of Sixes, while Cowboy Shawn let go of what was the best hand for the moment. 

The turn brought the J♦, giving Esfandiari a few extra outs, but he checked the turn, and the two went to the A♠ river, which gave Boost the two pair he was hoping for. 

With just $18,900 in the pot, Antonio now put Boost all-in for $87,800, a massive overbet at the wrong time. Boost was confused by the bet, but made a call in just a few seconds, as he had a very strong hand and simply didn’t believe the Magician. 

This hand put the final nail in Esfandiari’s coffin, as he ended the game down $336,500, as Boost and Doc Hollywood split the amount evenly between them, and Cowboy Shawn joined Antonio in the loser’s column. 

The Magician Gets His Revenge

It took just a single day for Antonio Esfandiari to recoup most of his losses from the first game, as No Gamble No Future was back for another live stream on Wednesday. 

One of the key hands of the day came down to Antonio and his good friend Sam Kiki, also known as Senor Tilt, who has become a staple on high-stakes cash game streams. 

Antonio had straddled all the way to $1,600, and Cowboy Shawn completed with K♠Q♥, pulling Kiki into the hand with his J♠2♠ as well. Antonio checked his 4♦3♥, and the three went to a flop. 

With $5.3k in there, the dealer put out 5♠3♠2♦, a flop that favored Senor Tilt, considering he had a pair and a good flush draw on a relatively harmless board. 

He led out for $5k, but Antonio decided to fire back with his pair and straight draw, making it $14k to go. Kiki didn’t want to overplay his hand, so he made the call. 

The turn was the 7♣, and Antonio bet $26k, thinking he would probably have to keep bluffing if he was to win the pot, as his third pair was not likely to be good all the way to the river. 

Sam made the call, as both players hoped the river would be one of the cards that would improve their hands. Antonio was the one whose wishes came true, as the 3♦ gave him trips. 

The pot was now inflated to over $85k, and Antonio bet almost full-pot, making it $79k to go. His wild image and willingness to bluff in any spot were the decisive factors that led Kiki to make the call. 

With this $243k pot and the rest of the session going his way, Antonio won a total of $245k in the game, enough to recover the majority of his losses from the day before, and remind the live poker world who the Magician was. 

Turbo Finds the Wrong Time to Bluff on Venetian Poker Live

The Venetian Poker Live hosted a high-stakes poker stream sponsored by the World Poker Tour this week, with Nik Airball, Humboldt Mike, Turbo, and Cherish Autumn Andrews in the mix. 

All players started with $50k, enough to play deep-stacked $100/$200, but the stacks quickly grew out of proportion, as reloads were imminent. 

About four hours into the stream, we saw a wild hand play out between Turbo, a wild high-stakes gambler always willing to pull the trigger, and Humboldt Mike, whom we had seen earlier on shows like High Stakes Poker. 

Turbo had straddled to $400, and Mike opened the pot for $2.5k holding A♥5♥. Turbo decided to turn a baby pair of Fours into a bluff and re-raised to $9.9k, which Mike gladly called. 

The flop brought K♥Q♥6♦, and Turbo continued for $18k with just his baby pair. Mike played it passive and called, and the dealer put out the 8♥, completing his nut flush. 

Holding the 4♥ and hoping he can simply push his opponent out of the pot, Turbo now bet $35k, which was an awkward sizing, as it would leave Mike with some $55k behind if he called, while the pot would be in excess of $120k. 

Holding the absolute nuts, Mike made the call, and an inconsequential J♠ completed the board. Turbo moved all-in instantly, and Mike made the easy call, winning a $237k pot without breaking a sweat. 

Despite losing this hand, Turbo managed to win $44k in the game, while Humboldt Mike took home $215k in profits, and Tiger ended the game as the big loser, losing $253k for the day. 

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