In cash games, a huge pot is always just a few bets away, and sometimes, we see big pots develop in the unlikeliest of situations.
That’s exactly what happened in a recent hand from Hustler Casino Live, where two of the regulars, Mariano and Wesley, got involved in a betting war, resulting in well over $400,000 in the middle.
Making this whole situation even wilder is the fact that stakes are $25/$50, with a $100 straddle. Wesley is the effective stack, starting the hand with $305,600.
Preflop Action
The action begins with everyone folding to Mariano on the button, who makes a call with 10♠4♥. Henry in the big blind calls for $50 extra with A♣7♠, and it is up to Wesley in the straddle.
Wesley looks down at A♦J♦ and decides to bump it up. He goes for a huge raise, making it $4,000 to go.
Mariano wastes very little time making it $15,000. This gets rid of Henry in the middle while Wesley makes the call, so they go heads up to the flop, with $30,275 in the middle.
Preflop Play Analysis
This hand is somewhat unusual for Hustler Casino Live, as no one shows any interest in the pot, and it folds all the way to the button.
Mariano has a very weak hand and the one he’d most likely fold if there were any action in front of him. As is, he decides to limp in, looking to either see a cheap flop in position or get into some preflop raising wars if his opponents give him an opportunity.
This is definitely not a GTO play, so Mariano’s decision is probably motivated by his belief that he can outplay and out-maneuver his opponents.
Wesley has a very strong hand in the straddle, and he certainly wants to put some more money into the pot. His sizing, though, is so big that it’s hard to understand what exactly he’s looking to accomplish.
The only good reasoning for this massive raise is that he knows Mariano is not limping the button to fold and he has a hand way stronger than he should in the straddle. So, we are already into some serious leveling wars.
From the poker theory perspective, Mariano should fold here 100% without even a second thought. But when he decided to enter the pot with T-4o, he clearly wasn’t thinking in terms of GTO to begin with.
So, he makes it $15,000, responding to what he believes to be a bluff. Henry obviously gets out of the way as he doesn’t want to be a part of this madness, and it’s back to Wesley.
At this point, calling is Wesley’s most reasonable option. He has a hand that can flop well and if Mariano is bluffing, he can let him continue to do so on later streets. Putting in another bet would turn a strong hand into a pure bluff, as so much money has already entered the pot that if his opponent comes over the top, he’ll have to give up.
Flop Action
The flop is an interesting one, as it comes K♥10♣9♣, giving Mariano a weak second pair and Wesley a gusthot straight draw to the nuts.
Wesley plays it in flow and checks to Mariano, who bets $20,000. At this point in a hand, something strange happens, as Wesley puts in a min-raise to $40,000, but it’s unclear if his intention was to just call, raise more, or go for the min-raise.
Mariano certainly can’t go anywhere for that price, so he calls the extra $20k, and the pot grows over six figures, as there is $110,275 in the middle.
Flop Play Analysis
With the way this hand played preflop, it’s hard to say who has a range advantage on this flop, but Mariano should be the one holding all the strongest single pair hands, i.e. pocket aces and AK, and he can have a set of kings.
While limping with these super-strong hands is certainly not a standard play on the button, it’s safe to assume this might be part of his strategy, to balance it with the times when he limps in with these completely junky hands.
It is a pretty wet board, so the $20,000 c-bet seems reasonable, which is two-thirds of the pot.
Wesley’s raise is hard to comment on because he probably wanted to just call or raise larger but mis-clicked. When Mariano asks him, he says he wanted to raise (which he’d probably say either way), and his hand is a good candidate to raise with, as it is one of the weakest draws he’ll have on this flop.
With all the confusion, it would be very ambitious from Mariano to do anything other than call here. If Wesley made a bigger raise, he would possibly give up his hand on the spot, but with over $90k already in the middle, he certainly can’t fold for just $20k extra.
Turn Action
The turn is the 7♥, turning Wesley’s hand into the double-gutter on the K♥10♣9♣7♥ runout. He goes ahead and bets $80,000, continuing his flop aggression.
Mariano goes into the deep tank and after thinking it over, decides he has to have the best hand here and moves all-in for $250,600.
Wesley takes some time as well, but he can’t find the call with what’s just an ace-high at this point, so he gives it up, and Mariano drags in a big $440k pot.
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Turn Play Analysis
Having taken over the betting lead on the flop, Wesley will continue on most turns, especially the ones that give him some extra equity, which was the case here.
For the hands both players are representing, though, the 7♥ is pretty much a blank, so Wesley goes for a big sizing, which makes it look like he’s protecting a made hand.
Mariano barely has a bluff-catcher, but something about this whole hand doesn’t sit right with him. Somehow, he figures out his second pair – no kicker is the best hand here, and if he really believes that, shoving is the best play as there are so many rivers he won’t like.
The question how exactly he was able to arrive to this decision remains unanswered, and even Mariano wasn’t sure why he did what he did after the hand was over, but it seems his radar was spot on this time around, winning him a well-deserved pot!
