Low Viewership for First Hellmuth LATB Show, No Competition for HCL
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Phil Hellmuth's first appearance of the week on Live at the Bike didn't move the needle as the longtime Los Angeles poker live-streaming show again couldn't keep pace with nearby Hustler Casino Live.
Live at the Bike heavily promoted "Hellmuth Week," which runs August 24-26, across various social media platforms. But the advertising simply isn't working, at least not yet, as evidenced by the approximate 1,900 average concurrent viewers between YouTube and Twitch during most of Wednesday's session, according to our LATB sources.
Over at Hustler Casino, however, the year-old cash game show, running its own high-stakes week, had over 13,000 concurrent viewers throughout much of the five-hour stream.
Why the Viewership Disparity?
Since its inception in 2005, LATB had been the premier live-streamed poker show in the US right up until HCL launched in August 2021. It's now a one-sided rivalry.
Despite having over 200,000 YouTube subscribers, there weren't many tuned in to catch Hellmuth compete in a mostly short-stacked $50/$100 no-limit hold'em cash game Wednesday evening that included LATB regular Eric Hicks and little star-power beyond the 16-time WSOP bracelet winner.
Most players bought in for well under 100 big blinds. Only Hicks, who started with $50,000, had a big stack when the stream began at 4 p.m. PT. That's a stark contrast to Hustler Casino Live where the minimum buy-in ($100,000) was about equal to all chips in play when LATB's session kicked off.
During the first hour of the LATB stream, around 1,200 concurrent viewers were tuned in on the YouTube channel (plus Twitch viewership), which was actually lower than the number of people waiting for the HCL stream to begin at 5 p.m.
Shortly after Hustler Casino Live's $100/$200/$400 game began, Live at the Bike's viewership dropped significantly.
Although Hellmuth is one of the most popular poker players ever, and also one of the best, it's clear he alone couldn't carry the stream for a poker show struggling to attract viewers these days. What is the root cause of Live at the Bike's declining viewership? There are a number of potential reasons, starting with having a nearby competitor — HCL — that has taken over the live-stream poker scene the past year.
Beyond that, those in the chat during LATB streams and on social media often complain about the production quality since Bally's Interactive took over the show. Many claim the "dark" background is a turn-off that keeps them away from watching the show. That isn't the case for Hustler Casino Live. Co-owners Nick Vertucci and Ryan Feldman, both previously affiliated with Live at the Bike, have created a show that poker fans rave about the production quality.
Hellmuth Takes a Loss
The action in the Live at the Bike game also couldn't compete with Hustler Casino Live's game, which had numerous six-figure pots. No player on LATB Wednesday night lost more than $15,000 and no one won more than $21,000.
Hellmuth took a $10,500 loss thanks in large part to one cooler hand he lost with KxQx on a flop of JxKxQx against "JD," who was holding JxJx. The "Poker Brat" was stacked in that hand and then rebought for another $5,000, the equivalent of just 50 big blinds, par for the course at that table.
Hellmuth will return to the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday and Friday for two more high-stakes games. The lineup should be more intriguing with LATB and HCL legend Garrett Adelstein and Hellmuth's new rival Eric Persson scheduled to compete before the end of the week. Perhaps, that will help bring in some additional viewers.
"Wes Side" Wesley Fei "Overplays" Hand
Wesley Fei, who began playing poker in January, became one of the most entertaining and popular players on Hustler Casino Live months ago. A few months back, he needled Adelstein for "overplaying" his hand following a massive pot the two played. On Wednesday, it was "Wes Side" Wesley who, as HCL commentator David Tuchman acknowledged, overplayed a hand.
Fei had raised to $2,000 preflop with Q♥9♥ and received three callers, one of whom was Charles, a regular on the show, who was holding K♦9♣. The flop came out Q♣8♠10♣ and Fei continued for $3,000, which convinced two players to fold. Charles called, however, and saw the J♠ on the turn, giving both players a straight.
Fei again bet, drawing only to a chop at best, this time for $7,000 before being check-raised to $21,000. Then came a three-bet to $45,000, followed by an all-in for $105,000 from Charles. The cryptocurrency millionaire couldn't find a fold and called to find out the bad news. They agreed to run it twice, both rivers complete blanks, and Charles shipped the entire $2230,000 pot. Fei decided to take a lengthy break one day after suffering a $90,000 loss at Hustler Casino, but did return later in the stream.
When all was said and done, Stanley Choi was the biggest winner with a $139,000 profit. GGPoker Team China ambassador Andy "Stacks" Tsai took the largest defeat ($272,000). Adelstein profited $65,000, although he was up twice that amount at one point. Fei finished the stream down $95,000.
Japanese recreational player Ryusuke, who has become a fan favorite on HCL of late, booked a $106,000 win, one of his biggest ever. Aaron Zang, who won the $1 million Triton Super High Roller in 2019 for over $16 million, also had a solid session and ended the stream up around $74,000.
Hustler Casino Live returns at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday for another high-stakes affair with Mikki Mase, Eric Persson, Fei, rising boxing star Ryan Garcia, Alan Keating, and Jean-Robert Bellande in the game. We'll see if Live at the Bike can close the gap a bit with Day 2 of Phil Hellmuth Week.
