The grand finale of Hustler Casino Live’s “Million Dollar Game” marked a historic moment for the poker world. Tom Dwan, an eminent high-stakes poker veteran, who made a name for himself as “durrrr” in the heyday of online poker, took home the largest pot ever witnessed in televised poker history. The epic showdown, streaming live on Tuesday, captivated over 50,000 concurrent viewers. Dwan’s victory involved an unprecedented pot of $3,081,000, redefining the boundaries of live-stream poker.
The “Million Dollar Game” is renowned for its heart-stopping sequences and adrenaline-fueled bluff attempts, with stakes set at $500/$1,000 and an added $3,000 ante from the big blind. A unique twist in this session was the introduction of the “stand up game,” a playful rule known for ramping up the intensity and inviting aggressive maneuvers. This eccentric aspect of the game rules that all players must play standing up until they win a hand. When a player wins a hand, they are allowed to sit down. The last player standing loses the prop bet and has to pay each other player at the table $6,000. Consequently, this rule creates a fascinating dynamic, stimulating players to increase their aggressiveness in gameplay in order to avoid being the last to stand, which in turn led to a heightened level of excitement, uncertainty, heightened aggression, and massive pots. In practice, this meant that as soon as a player won a hand, they were safe and would look for opportunities to capitalize on the aggression from the other players.
The highlight of the night was an audacious bluff attempt by “Wes Side” Wesley Fei, a fan favorite of the HCL community. Wesley, having bought in for $3 million – more than any other player at the table – found himself in an untenable position five hours into the game.
The record-breaking hand played out as follows: Wesley, holding an Ace of Diamonds (Ad) and King of Hearts (Kh), three-bet to $30,000. This action prompted Dwan, who had initially called from under the gun with a pair of Queens (Clubs and Spades), to re-raise to $100,000. Wesley answered the call, and the flop came down 3d-8s-8d.
Dwan checked, and Wesley, stuck with an ace-high, launched a $125,000 bet into the pot. Dwan called this bet, and the turn revealed a 5 of Hearts (5h). Undeterred, Wesley launched another volley, this time $350,000, into the pot. Despite the mounting pressure, Dwan held firm and again found the call. The river came down, displaying the 6 of Clubs (6c), and once again, Dwan checked.
In a desperate bid to clinch the hand, Wesley, recognizing that only an all-in wager could possibly grant him the victory, put Dwan to the test for his remaining stack of $786,000. After several minutes of careful consideration, Dwan made the bold call and sealed his historic victory.
An additional twist to the hand was the presence of Doug Polk. Polk had folded early in the hand after having seen Wesley’s cards. He stayed at the table for the entirety of the hand, potentially offering Dwan a chance to glean some tells from both Wesley and himself.
The historic showdown was promoted by HCL’s Twitter page as the hand that would “break the internet.” True to the prediction, Dwan’s victory has reverberated across the poker world, confirming that the “tight” playstyle Wesley had cultivated in previous games could be overturned. Despite the massive loss, Wesley seemed to accept the outcome in good spirits.
In addition to the record-breaking pot, Dwan had previously triumphed in a $1.1 million pot against Doug Polk, effectively demonstrating his dominance throughout the event. The hand against Polk had Dwan holding pocket 7’s and flopping a set against Polk’s 5-4. Dwan went deep into the tank on both the turn and river, sparking speculation that he was sending a message to Polk, possibly in response to comments Polk has made about Dwan. The river turned Dwan’s set into the third nuts – a sevens over sixes boat – further adding fuel to the speculative flame. At the end of the hand, Dwan was up around $500K on the day and Doug Polk purchased more chips to add to his stack.
Tom Dwan’s landmark victory sets a new high watermark for live-stream poker, and his calm, collected, and meticulous approach to the game underscores the importance of strategy and perseverance in the face of daunting odds. As live-stream poker continues to grow and attract a wider audience, it remains to be seen if, or when, Dwan’s record will be challenged.
The previous largest televised cash game hand happened just a few months earlier, on Sunday, February 19, when Finnish professional poker player, Patrik Antonius, took down a pot worth $1,978,000. This victory took place against Eric Persson. The game stakes were $1,000/$2,000 with a $2,000 big blind ante. By the turn, the pot had already swelled to $594,000, with Antonius holding an ace-king of hearts against Persson’s queen-nine of hearts. Antonius called Persson’s all-in of $692,000, eventually securing the record-breaking pot.