Wine-Drinking High Roller Starts Betting $50,000 in the Dark, Gets Hammered
Justin Gavri's bad luck on High Stakes Poker has never been more apparent than during the final episode of Season 15, which is available exclusively on PokerGO.
The recreational high roller has long been considered one of the unluckiest players in the iconic poker show's history. But he'd take that misfortune to a new level in Episode 17, which concluded with a seemingly intoxicated Gavri moving all in multiple times preflop before looking at his cards.
Playing Poker in the Dark
Gavri had some good fortune go his way early in the show when he won a race for a $200,000 pot against Andrew Robl. But it was all downhill for him from that point.
Action in a quadruple-straddled pot to $6,400 folded around to Gavri in the third straddle, who raised to $50,000 in the dark. Robl, the biggest straddle, called it off without looking at his cards. They both agreed to reveal one card and run the board out through the river without any further betting.
Robl showed the K♣ and Gavri turned over the 8♥. The board ran out K♠6♥5♥10♠7♠, giving Robl at least top pair, while his opponent had a chance to win the hand with the right second hole card. But, after Robl showed the 2♥, he disclosed his second card was the useless Q♦.
Gavri then four-bet preflop to $40,000 with K♥3♥ before Robl came back over the top all-in with A♠K♣, a bet that ended the hand before any community cards were dealt. The two rivals then agreed to "do the fifty thing" again if action folded around to them on the next hand, which it did.
Gavri dark bet $50,000 and his opponent called. Robl's first card was the 7♦, and he would go up against the 7♣, a fair fight this time. The dealer turned over a board of 6♠2♣K♦J♥J♣, and the $101,600 pot would again go to Robl, whose 6♦ second card pairing up on the flop was enough to win the hand.
"Who do I want to flip against? Literally the luckiest gambler on the planet. That's who I want to flip with. That sounds good," Gavri, who continued to sip on an expensive bottle of wine, sarcastically said, referring to Robl.
Gavri would get off a bluff with bottom pair against Nik Airball, who had top pair. The river fold shocked commentator Nick Schulman.
"Airball, you got him hook, line, and sinker, pal. This guy is stone hammered. Top pair," Schulman uttered while Airball pondered his move, facing a $91,000 all-in bet.
Gavri then moved all in on the turn with two pair against Airball's top pair, only to frustratingly chop the pot after the players agreed to run the river twice, the first one favorable to Airball. That led to Gavri itching for another blind raise.
Action folded around to Gavri, the double straddle. He moved all in for $80,000 in the dark. Robl, who also hadn't seen his hole cards, called. Robl showed the 6♣ and Gavri, who demanded the dealer wait to deal the cards until he poured another glass of wine, flipped over the K♥.
The community cards came out 10♣6♠9♠A♣8♣, meaning Gavri would need a pair with his second hole card to have any shot of winning the $162,400 pot. Gavri turned over Robl's second card, the 2♣, so all he needed was any pair to win. But the card he showed was the J♣, which of course was of no help.
"Bro, how many flips do I have to do with the guy? I can't win one. It's unbearable. What the f**k?" a seemingly intoxicated and frustrated Gavri asked.
Gavri bought back in and then moved all in for $50,600 with A♠J♥. Jon Isaac would look him up with A♣K♠, and they both agreed to run the board twice. Both runouts went to Isaac, forcing Gavri to reach for another $100,000 chips.
On the following hand, the final hand of Season 15, the table folded to Gavri in the straddle, who had 8♠6♦ and moved all in for $100,000. Robl, holding J♥7♣, called. As you probably guessed, Robl hit top pair and won the pot.
"You won every one. What the f**k?" Nik Airball said to Robl.
Robl won all the flips against Gavri, who just might be the unluckiest player in the history of High Stakes Poker, taking the honors away from Daniel Negreanu.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
