Poker Pro Talks Trash Before Losing It All as the Table Gets the Last Laugh
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Wednesday's Hustler Casino Live stream proved to be a lively one with a lineup that included Martin Kabrhel and Nick Palma, two polarizing poker players who got into it with one another during the high-stakes cash game.
Palma, who recently won his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, traded not just chips but verbal jabs with others the table, including HCL regulars Nikhil "Nik Airball" Arcot and Turbo.
"I Would've Walked Here to Play With You"
The $100/$200 cash game started off friendly enough before a change in atmosphere as Turbo began needling Palma about being too tight of a player after a missed straddle, a criticism shared by Arcot. Palma didn't take kindly to the ribbing and made his annoyance known.
"Be careful what you're talking," Palma told Turbo. "Just watch what you're saying out of your mouth ... I would've walked here to play with you. Anywhere you play, I'll play."
Palma then made a point to rub a well-timed bluff in his opponent's faces as a $10,000 bet forced Peter to fold his top pair on the 2♥2♣9♦8♣ board, sending the pot to "Nicky P" with just king-high.
"If you guys are talking all this sh**, I'm going to f***ing destroy you," he said after tabling the bluff. "I told you, I would've walked here to play with you, Turbo. I wake up and I think about people like you. I dream about guys like you."
Palma at one point turned his attention to Kabrhel, whose table antics and excessive tanking made him the anti-hero of the 2025 WSOP. "You invited this clown?" Kabrhel asked Arcot as he pointed to Palma.
Palma replied: "You're right in my face. You're not calling me a clown right in my grill. So shut up. Straight up ... Don't worry, Martin, you're going to learn with the rest of the table today, don't worry. And it's like that."
"Buddy, you talk a lot for a guy that plays no hands," Arcot said at one point.
Palma is a polarizing figure in his own right. The longtime poker pro with $3.3 million in Hendon Mob earnings clashed with Hustler regular Mariano Grandoli earlier this month over alleged tanking in a big pot.
The Wednesday stream featured several six-figure pots, most notably when Big Mike's aces were cracked in a three-way all-in that saw Henry spiking a set of sixes.
Palma Gets Humbled in the End
As the night neared its end, things took a dramatic turn for Palma. Fresh off a huge pot against Henry after hitting quad queens, he was up over $60,000 on the night. But with just a few hands left in the stream, everything unraveled.
It started when “Pipi” opened to $2,000 from middle position with Q♠10♠, which was called by Palma in the hijack holding A♦J♦, and Nik Airball also called on the button with A♣6♣. Big Mike then woke up in the big blind with Q♦Q♣ and three-bet to $10,000. Pipi made the call, Palma called, and Airball folded.
The flop came 10♥2♣J♠, giving Palma top pair, but still well behind Big Mike’s pocket queens. Big Mike fired $20,000, Pipi folded, and Palma called. The turn brought 8♦, and Big Mike bet $50,000, most of Palma’s remaining $81,000 stack.
Palma took a long pause before saying, “This is going to suck, I’m all-in.” And Big Mike snapped him off.
Palma, seemingly knowing he was crushed, had already left his seat and started removing his mic before the river hit. When the 4♥ landed, the $235,000 pot went to Big Mike, who finished the night up $93,700.
The big winner, however, was Turbo, the same player Palma had traded trash talk with all night, and ended the session as the big winner, up $434,900. As Palma left the live stream, Turbo delivered one last jab: “You made a lot of bad decisions today, but that was a great decision to play one more round.” And for the first time all night, Palma was left without a comeback.
But The table wasn’t done with needling him even after Palma left. Kabrhel commented, “Well, I think it was a great result in the end,” and kept saying “Why is everyone so happy?” as the table debated who was the happiest. Airball then added one last shot, saying “I will bet any amount of money he will never play a big game here again, at least not while I’m playing. Trust me I won’t let him, too f*****g annoying and too f*****g nitty”
