What's the optimal play when you have a jack-high flush on the river getting 9:1 on your money facing an all-in bet? Snap-call, obviously. Well, not always as we learned from Tuesday night's wild and crazy $5/$5/$100 (plus a $50 big blind ante) no-limit hold'em game on Hustler Casino Live.
Nick Vertucci, HCL's co-owner, shipped what became one of the largest pots you'll ever see at these stakes ($151k) on any livestream, thanks to a fortunate river card against a popular player on the stream who goes by the name "Luda Chris."
"Stop doing whatever you're doing and watch this one," commentator David Tuchman told viewers during the hand.
Tuchman was right. The hand was just too good not to share, thus why we cropped it out for your viewing pleasure. You can watch the entire stream on the Hustler Casino Live YouTube channel, which has grown to 70,000 subscribers over the past few months.
You Won't Believe this Hand
The game took place at Hustler Casino, one of the biggest and most action-packed card rooms in the US.
The action in the hand begins with "Eli" getting a bit out of line by raising to $500 with a♣️
As Tuchman immediately acknowledged upon seeing the flop, the hand was about to reach some unthinkable heights for a game at these stakes. Vertucci had around $80,000 left in his stack and Luda Chris had that well covered.
Attempting to build a pot in case he were to hit his flush draw, Luda Chris bet big on the flop ($5,000). Sitting on top set, Vertucci min-raised to $10,000 and his opponent called to see a turn of 7♣️, which completed the jack-high flush.
With $25,000 already in the pot, Luda Chris bet $18,000 and Vertucci made the call before hitting essentially the perfect card on the river — 5♠️.
Vertucci decided to play it tricky, possibly inducing a shove, so he bet a mere $9,000 into a pot of $61,000. Luda Chris, confused by the goofy bet size, raised it up to $35,000, and Vertucci immediately jammed for around $17,000 on top.
Free to Play Slots in the US
Luda Chris, getting nearly 9:1 to win a pot of $151,000, actually had quite a difficult decision to make. What hands could he realistically beat in that spot even with a strong hand such as a jack-high flush? But with the board paired and the fact that Vertucci came over the top for just $17,000 more, there simply weren't many hands, if any, that he could beat unless Vertucci was punting, as he acknowledged.
"I know I'm never good, I know I'm never good," Luda Chris thought out loud as he pondered his decision.
It took Luda Chris more than five minutes to officially come to the realization that there just weren't many bluffs or value bets Vertucci could have in that spot that he beats. So, he eventually folded his hand and then expressed frustration at how unlucky he got for the next 20 minutes.
Vertucci took down a pot of $151,000, making it the largest Tuesday night pot ever on Hustler Casino Live.
