Wesley Fei, JRB Win all the Money, Persson Torches Off $600K on HCL
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"Wes Side" Wesley Fei won a house, while Eric Persson lost one during a memorable nine-hour Thursday night Hustler Casino Live stream that included dozens of six-figure pots.
The high-stakes cash game that started with a $50,000 minimum buy-in at $100/$200 stakes, but turned into a much bigger game with the blinds increasing, straddles on throughout most of the session, and many players adding on to their stacks.
Jean-Robert Bellande, making his debut appearance on Hustler Casino Live, was, to the surprise of no one, the most talkative player at the table, and also one of the most active. What appeared to be headed towards a brutal six-figure losing session for "JRB" turned into a massive victory thanks to a late heater deep into the night.
Alan Keating, who infamously lost $1.1 million in the historic "MrBeast Game" in May, showed up with a $500,000 stack, only to dust most of it off with his usual loose play before battling back to near-even before the stream ended at around 2:30 a.m. PT.
More than 16,000 were tuned in at any given time throughout the night, a stark contrast to rival Live at the Bike, which had over 600 concurrent viewers for the second straight night of "Phil Hellmuth Week."
"We murdered them. Like a crime scene with yellow tape and a coroner is needed," HCL co-owner Nick Vertucci told PokerNews of the battle for views this week against Live at the Bike.
Hands of the Day
Bellande's session started off by having his pocket aces cracked, a common occurrence it seems when he appears on a televised poker show. He didn't lose a ton of his $100,000 buy-in in that hand, but he did lose a heck of a lot more in the most memorable hand he played all night against Fei, who couldn't seem to lose a pot for hours.
With A♥7♥, Fei went for a limp-reraise to $33,000 and was called by the J♥10♣ of Bellande. The flop came out A♠10♥3♦ and both players checked to see the J♣ on the turn. Action checked to "JRB," now with two pair, who bet out $40,000 and received a call from top pair.
The river was the 7♦, a brutal card for Bellande, who still moved all in for $86,000 and knew he was beat when "Wes Side" snap-called and then showed a better two pair to take down the $282,000 pot.
"Oh my god!" Bellande exclaimed as he angrily stood up from his seat.
That was an epic hand but perhaps not the best hand of the night. Late in the stream, Persson made the mistake of trying to bluff Keating, one of the loosest players around. And it cost him dearly.
On a flop of J♣5♦2♣, Persson fired off a $20,000 bet with A♦Q♠ into a pot of around $30,000. There was no way that bet was going to get through, not with Keating, who just called, holding 5♠5♣.
The turn was the 7♥, leaving Phil Hellmuth's newest rival drawing dead, but that didn't stop him from betting another $50,000. Keating made the call and then filled up on the 7♦ river.
Persson was unable to take his foot off the gas and moved all in for $150,000. Keating snap-called and won the $478,000 pot, the largest of the day. The frustrating session came to a conclusion for Persson, who was steaming on the way out, understandable after dusting off over $600,000 over nine hours. Moments before that hand, he had lost a $443,000 pot when he bluffed into the pocket kings of the happy-go-lucky Ryusuke, who joined the table late.
How it Played Out
Mikki Mase, a controversial poker player who claims he can beat baccarat, battled throughout most of the night and was actually up a bit for quite some time following a rough start. In the end, however, he couldn't fold top pair with a weak kicker and lost to the ace-kicker of Bellande in a six-figure pot that sent Mase to a disappointing exit.
That hand completely turned around Bellande's night as it finally put him up for what was an otherwise rough session. He'd go on to finish the stream with an impressive $210,000 profit. Fei, however, was the biggest winner on the day, and booked a $482,000 win when the cameras stopped rolling.
Ben, another player who joined the game late, finished with a $182,000 profit and only played for a couple of hours. J.R., an HCL high-stakes regular, quietly profited $67,000 before leaving early, leaving a seat open for others to enter the game.
Ryusuke, like Keating, took a small loss, while Mase and Persson were the biggest losers. Boxer Ryan Garcia, who has a 23-0 record in the ring, was knocked out early and lost his $100,000 stack.
On Friday night starting at 5 p.m. PT, Hustler Casino Live will wrap up High Stakes Week with a $200/$400 game with many of the same players, including Fei and Keating, seated at the table.
