Will Airball Make This Call in Season 12 Finale to Create Largest Pot in High Stakes Poker History?
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PokerGO’s High Stakes Poker Season 12 wrapped up on Monday night, putting a cherry on top of one of the show’s best seasons, one that saw a $992,000 pot, the largest in HSP history. However, the Season 12 finale showed a hand that had a chance to beat it (more on that below).
The latest episode was a continuation of last week’s $1,000/$2,000 game at PokerGO Studio featuring Santhosh Suvarna and Andrew Robl, who three weeks earlier squared off in the aforementioned record-setting pot.
They were joined at the table by the same cast of characters including Charles Yu, Stanley Tang, Nik Airball, and Brandon Adams.
Here’s how things stack up at the start of the show.
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Santhosh Suvarna | $1,084,000 |
| Charles Yu | $1,081,000 |
| Nik Airball | $697,000 |
| Andrew Robl | $533,000 |
| Stanley Tang | $328,000 |
| Brandon Adams | $275,000 |
Tough to Win Twice
The first hand of the episode was a big one and began when Yu raised to $6,000 with the 10♥10♦ and Airball called with the A♥J♦. Robl came along from the button with the K♥Q♣, Tang did the same from the small blind with the 8♣5♣, and Suvarna made it five-way action by calling $4,000 more from the big blind with the 6♣2♠.
The J♣7♣8♦ flop saw action check to Airball and he bet $20,000 with top pair. Robl folded from the button and Tang woke up with a check-raise to $75,000 from the small blind. Both Suvarna and Yu folded, Airball called, and the 4♠ appeared on the turn.
With $182,000 in the pot, Tang moved all in for $247,000 and Airball hit the tank for several minutes. The two talked a bit before Airball ultimately called and the duo agreed to run it twice on the $676,000 pot.
The 7♠ river on the first gave half the pot to Airball, but the 9♣ on the second gave Tang the other half with a club flush. Chop it up.
Will Airball Call to Create Largest Pot in HSP History?
Tang opened for $5,000 with the A♦7♥ and Yu called from the button with the Q♥9♥. Airball came along from the small blind with the 6♦6♣, Adams did the same from the big with the J♦J♣, and the flop fell 8♦10♥6♥.
Three checks saw Yu bet $10,000 with his straight and flush draws, and all three of his opponents called. After the dealer burned and turned the 2♠, Airball led out for $50,000 and Adams released. Tang did the same but Yu called to see the J♠ on the river, which gave him the nuts.
Airball bet $200,000 with a set of sixes and Yu, who had the bigger stack, took a sip of his tea before raising all in. Airball had $482,000 back and for the second time in the episode went deep into the tank.
“I played the hand weird and now it is weird,” a conflicted Airball sighed. “I really don’t know what I want to do in this one … This might be the biggest pot of the season, Charles.”
“This is probably the biggest pot in High Stakes [Poker] if you call,” Tang said after Airball apologized for taking so long.
Eventually, it was Robl who called a clock giving Airball, who had been tanking for 10 minutes, one last minute to act on his hand. After about 30 seconds, Airball folded and Yu pulled in the $1,044,000 pot (which included his last uncalled bet).
Nik Airball Set Up on High Stakes Poker; One Player Turns a Straight Flush
Kings & Aces for King Charles
In the next televised hand, “King Charles” Yu picked up pocket kings and won preflop after four-betting Adams. Right after that, Robl raised to $6,000 with the 9♠6♠ and action folded to Yu in the big blind. He looked down at the A♠A♦ and three-bet to $25,000.
Robl called and the flop came down 9♥4♣J♥. Yu bet $15,000, Robl called with middle pair, and the 6♥ on the turn gave the latter two pair. Yu checked, Robl bet $65,000, and the former called to see the river, which was the 4♠. Yu’s aces and fours counterfeited Robl’s nines and sixes, and he won a $213,000 pot after action went check-check.
“Show Me Some Respect”
Speaking of pocket aces, Robl three-bet with the A♥A♣ from the button after Airball had opened for $6,000 with the Q♥9♠. Tang then four-bet to $80,000 with the A♠7♠ in the small blind and action folded back to Robl.
“Let’s do it, run it twice,” Tang said. Robl paused for a few beats before moving all in and action was on Tang. “I was just kidding,” he said while debating what to do with the $234,000 he had behind.
“Show me some respect,” Robl said with his head propped against his right hand. Tang ultimately showed respect by folding to Robl, who in a recent episode of the PokerNews Podcast was floated as a first-ballot Poker Hall of Famer.
“Some Big Hands, Boys”
Yu opened for $5,000 with the A♣4♣ and Adams three-bet to $20,000 with the A♦K♣ in the cutoff. Tang picked up the K♠K♥ in the small blind and four-bet to $80,000, Yu folded, and Adams moved all in for $237,000 total. Tang snap-called and the two agreed to run it twice.
With $483,000 in the pot, the first runout came 9♣A♥2♠9♥10♦ to pair Adams’ ace and give him half the pot, while the second ran out 3♣2♥7♠10♥J♥ to give Tang the other half. For the second time in the episode, a juicy six-figure pot was chopped up.
“Some big hands, boys,” an envious Airball said.
“Could’ve Been a Much Bigger Pot”
Robl raised to $6,000 with the Q♥Q♣ and Tang called behind with the Q♦10♥. Yu then three-bet to $25,000 with the A♥K♣ on the button, both blinds folded, and Robl just called. Tang came along and it was three-way action to a flop of 8♠5♥7♥.
Robl led out for $20,000 into the $80K pot, Tang folded, and Yu called to see the A♣ turn. Robl slowed down with a check and Yu, who took the lead by pairing his ace, coyly checked behind.
Robl then bet $15,000 on the 8♥ river and Yu quickly called to win a $150,000.
“That could’ve been a much bigger pot,” Airball observed. Indeed, with both players sitting on seven-figure pots, they could’ve flipped for it all had they wanted and played it differently.
Final Hand of Season 12
In what would be the final hand of the season, a triple straddle was on and Suvarna called $16,000 from the button with the A♥7♠. Robl, who was in the second straddle for $8,000, called with the A♠8♣ and Tang checked his straddle option with the 10♠9♦.
All three players checked the 4♠2♣Q♠ flop and the J♥ appeared on the turn. Robl checked, Tang bet $35,000 with his open-ended straight draw, and Suvarna folded. Robl sprung to life with a check-raise to $80,000 and Tang called to see the 8♠ on the river.
Robl paired his eight and checked to Tang, who moved all in for $236,000 with his rivered straight.
“I was going to shove any spade except for that one,” Robl lamented. Eventually, he folded and Tang took down the last hand of Season 12.
The Largest Pot in High Stakes Poker History
High Stakes Poker Season 12 Episode Recaps
- Episode 1: JRB Needs to Fade Flush vs. Tilly or Lose Big on High Stakes Poker Season 12 Opener
- Episode 2: Andrew Robl Gets a Generous River Card to Win Massive Pot on 'High Stakes Poker'
- Episode 3: Phil Laak Makes His First Appearance on High Stakes Poker Since 2011
- Episode 4: Andrew Robl Pretty Much Wins Every Pot on Latest High Stakes Poker Episode
- Episode 5: Phil Laak Busts Out the Bricks of Cash on High Stakes Poker Episode 5
- Episode 6: Wow! Nik Airball Involved in Some of the Biggest Pots in High Stakes Poker History
- Episode 7: Phil Laak Busts Out the Bricks of Cash on High Stakes Poker Episode 5
- Episode 8: Cooler River Card on High Stakes Poker Between $1 Million+ Stacks
- Episode 9: Gross $1 Million Runner-Runner Suckout on High Stakes Poker
- Episode 10: Santhosh Suvarna Suddenly Owns Andrew Robl on High Stakes Poker
- Episode 11: Nik Airball Set Up on New High Stakes Poker; One Player Turns a Straight Flush
- Episode 12: Will Airball Make This Call in Season 12 Finale to Create Largest Pot in High Stakes Poker History?
To watch new episodes of High Stakes Poker, visit PokerGO.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
