
Getting out of line with speculative hands may not be the optimal strategy in poker, but it’s certainly one that fans love to see. And, when it works, it often leads to huge pots, as those finding themselves on the other end of these creative lines find it hard to assess hand ranges correctly.
One such hand comes to us from the Hustler Casino Live stream, featuring Mariano, one of the most popular poker vloggers, who is not known for a cautious style of play.
To kick things off, blinds are $25/$50, with a big blind ante of $50 and $100 live straddle. Tthe effective stack is just a smidge under $50,000.
Preflop Action
The hand starts with Brown Balla opening from the button to $300 with J♠7♥ from a stack of $20,000. Henry ($50k in his stack) in the small blind looks down at A♦J♣ and 3-bets to $1,200.
Mariano in the big blind peaks at 10♦8♦ and decides to make things interesting, throwing in a 4-bet of $3,000.
Linglin, who posted the $100 straddle and also has about $20,000 to start the hand, decides to flat call Mariano’s 4-bet with 8♥5♥. Brown Balla gets out of the way and Henry makes a call, bringing the pot to $9,350.
Preflop Play Analysis
The preflop action in this hand is certainly off the rails, maybe in part due to the fact that the game was just 4-handed at the time, so everyone was looking to get into the action.
Brown Balla’s button raise is on the looser side. Stealing blinds in this setup is probably not an option as you’re almost guaranteed to meet some resistance, and, as you can see below, J-7 off is outside of the regular button opening range in a deep-stacked cash game.

Henry’s 3-bet is super standard, especially in a short-handed setup. Given that he’ll be out of position to the entire table if he gets called, though, maybe an even bigger sizing is warranted to discourage others from getting involved.
Mariano’s 4-bet with suited gappers is definitely not a standard play, and it’s not GTO-approved. That said, he’s using a small sizing that allows him to take control of the pot or get away from his hand in the event things get too heated up.
Linglin has the easiest fold in the world, not only because her hand is weak and there is so much action in front of her, but she’s not closing the action, either. So, her call can only be explained by her wanting to gamble against all odds.
Brown Balla has no real decision, and he easily gets out of the way. For Henry, this is a tricky spot, but he is closing the action and getting great odds after Linglin’s call, so he has to at least see the flop, especially against a player who certainly has some light 4-bets in his arsenal.
Flop Action
The flop comes 2♦9♦9♥, giving Mariano a flush draw. He continues for $4,000, which gets rid of Linglin, but Henry makes the call. The pot gets up to $17,350.
Flop Play Analysis
A paired flop is certainly not bad for Mariano’s perceived range, as he can easily have all the overpairs, and this particular board texture isn’t likely to hit his opponents very well.
Linglin did not connect whatsoever, so despite her clear willingness, it’s impossible to justify sticking around any longer.
Henry faces a bet of less than half the pot, and he holds a key blocker in A♦. With the key flush card and two over-cards to the board, calling is very reasonable. Giving up on the flop would be too weak.
Turn Play
The turn card is the 4♦, making the board 2♦9♦9♥4♦. This card completes Mariano’s flush, and he continues betting after Henry checks to him. He makes it $6,400.
Henry takes a few moments to go over his options and goes for a check-raise to $19,500. Mariano takes a little time moving all in for Henry’s remaining $23k. Henry makes the call, and they’re playing for the pot of $103,050.
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Turn Play Analysis
The turn card is a great one for Mariano’s actual hand but it is also a very good card for Henry. Not only it gives him the nut flush draw but it also allows him to attack a variety of Mariano’s hands that don’t contain a diamond.
After 4-betting pre, Marino’s range mostly consists of big pairs and big aces, and some suited A-5. Since Henry has the ace of diamonds, he knows Mariano can’t have the nuts, and he certainly doesn’t have any full houses on this board.
So, in the worst case, which happens to be the scenario here, Henry will still have out to make his flush, which makes his turn check-raise a very good play. There are many hands Mariano would probably have to fold here.
As is, he has an easy call with a flush, and if his opponent happens to have a better flush, so be it.
The two agreed to run it twice but Henry bricked on both rivers, allowing Mariano to scoop a six figure pot after taking an unorthodox preflop line, which worked out to perfection this time around.