The Hustler Casino Cash Game: $100k Stacks, a Bored Phil Ivey, and an LA Lakers Reject
The Hustler Casino live stream goes out to the world every Friday, but last week’s instalment was ground-breaking. Not only did it attract more viewers than ever before, it featured a bored Phil Ivey, a in-form Tom Dwan, and a player who got into an altercation with LA Laker’s point guard Rajon Rondo.
If that sounds like a wild series of events, you’ll be pleased to know it was. You’ll be even more pleased to know that almost all of it was captured on camera. Hustler Casino’s YouTube channel has an eight hour recording of the $200/$400 cash game that ran last Friday and Saturday.
Ivey was one of the special guests, but he wasn’t the only high-profile player in attendance. Matt Berkey, a high stakes pro and founder of training site Solve for Why, was also in the mix, as was LA legend Garrett Adelstein.
They were joined by an eclectic line-up of well-bankrolled grinders. Ivey, of course, was the star of the show, but he maintained a fairly low profile throughout the $100,000 buy-in game. Although he pinched a few pots, he was largely uninterested for much of the stream and ended up losing $147,000.
In fact, once Tom Dwan entered the game, Ivey was happy to hand over the mantle fade from the spotlight. However, before he slipped away, he slide a stack of chips to Dwan. It’s not clear whether he was paying off a debt or buying a piece of Dwan’s action.
Players Win Big but Gang Steals the Spotlight
If it was an investment, it was a wise one. The man known in real money poker online world as Durrrr had a solid session, despite the stakes being considerably lower than what he’s used to. Also putting in a strong performance was Berkey.
The American pro won $260,000 over the course of six hours to end the first session as the top player. Also doing well in the game was Adelstein who booked a $30,300 profit on Friday, finishing just behind local businessman, Krish, who won $83,600.
That poker on display was, at times, world-class. At others, it was less than stellar but indicative of high stakes games where rich amateurs rub shoulders with seasoned pros. However, for all the action at the felt, it was Dylan Gang who really got people talking.
The American played for two hours on Friday before heading off to the Staples Center to watch his team, the LA Lakers, take on the Phoenix Suns. Gang had courtside seats which meant he had a perfect, but unfortunate, view of the Lakers losing 115-105.
Rondo making an interesting hand gesture at that fan.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 23, 2021
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Well, he had a perfect view for some of the game, but not all of it. Gang was ejected before the final whistle following an altercation with Lakers point guard, Rajon Rondo. No one knows exactly what triggered the spat, but video footage (see above) shows Rondo putting his finger in Gang’s face. Moments later he was asked to leave and that was that.
The incident made the mainstream news, but Gang didn’t appear perturbed by it when he returned to Hustler’s cash game on Saturday. In fact, he was one of the more talkative players at the table and spent a large part of the session angling for a heads-up match with Dwan.
Hustler Casino Cash Game Hits Record Viewing Figures
The two never brokered a deal because Gang wanted odds in a match worth $200,000. Dwan wasn’t willing to accept the terms, even though Gang offered to buy a $7.99 set of poker chips and host an impromptu game outside the casino.
One thing is for sure, Gang made a name for himself. Between his confrontation with Lakers’ star Rajon Rondo, his table talk, and his desire to play Tom Dwan heads-up, the American certainly got people talking.
In fact, according to the statistics, he probably got a record number of people talking about him. Hustler Casino and the hosts of its live cash games, Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci, wanted to take their stream to the next level last week. That’s why Ivey and Dwan were drafted in.
Their strategy paid off. At one point on Friday, more than 15,000 people were watching, which is more than any Hustler live stream has ever attracted before. Beyond that, over 400,000 people have watched the YouTube replay in four days (see video below).
Those are impressive numbers, particularly at a time when the WSOP is attracting the poker community’s attention. The trick now is to parlay this interest into more viewers. Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan might not become regulars in the $200/$400 game.
However, with the likes of Dylan Gang making noise and Matt Berkey proving why he’s among the game’s best, the seeds have definitely been sown and that’s why we could see the live stream blossom in the coming months.
Hustler casino has currently suspended their Poker Tournaments until further notice but in the meantime we can take advantage all the live coverage of HUSTLER Casino Live streaming.
