How This $12 Million Poker Show Did The Impossible

The Million Dollar Cash Game at ‪@HustlerCasinoLive‬ was an ambitious project. They brought together professional Texas Hold'em players and recreational high stakes poker enthusiasts, all of them millionaires. Household names like Tom Dwan, ‪@RampagePoker‬, Doug Polk, Tony G, Alan Keating, and Nik Airball took part in the first year of the event. This year, many of the same people have returned, along with a few new faces. The show had viewership that rivals the World Series of Poker, but it wasn't without it's hiccups.
This year featured insane poker hands, brutal coolers, and perhaps the hottest winning streak any poker has ever had in such a short span of time. It was one for the record books, and today we're taking a deep dive on it.
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[@DougPolkPoker]

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[@ninteniimelonjuice]

Thomas is definitely BERRI SWEET, what are you on about?

[@gabbykeith2198]

You guys hiring over there at the lodge? I’ll fly out for an interview if yes. I’m tired of living in Florida and would love to deal some livestreams

[@hungrybruce]

Doug I need your help. I am the best broke player in the world

[@potsgetbuilt]

“You will die if your heart stops working” - Douglas K Polk circa 2024

[@MrKidxam]

“One of the most important organs”

[@bigfr0g]

"maybe your most important organ"

[@JohnnyPresto]

😂

[@roberthorry621]

thats Dr. Doug to you peasant 😮

[@supersmoo7377]

False. Many people have been revived after their hearts had stopped working.

[@cronstrubzo]

dwan looks like he hasnt slept since 2010

[@Evil_Dan999]

When he started owing money.

[@NickLang66866]

It’s not about sleep it’s about Vegas and Triton lights they effect your skin lol , he clearly doesn’t workout either or tan

[@favor4afavor823]

Tom Dwan is a 317 year old vampire

[@supersmoo7377]

Constantly watching your back for debt collectors will do that to you.

[@thebackflowbro6864]

dwan is the man

[@marce4241]

"He's from Portugal or Europe" is the most American thing i've heard.

[@Trailer__Swift]

Especially when he’s wearing a hat with the Swedish flag on it…😂

[@bigfr0g]

@@Trailer__Swift what, thats not a logo from a soccer club? 🤣

[@martinworld7214]

@@Trailer__Swiftif he wore a hat with Sweden on it he must be Swedish……i have a Ralph Lauren cap - i’m the best polo player in Europe….d’uh

[@doriandundee9906]

@@martinworld7214 That's not the point.. nobody is saying he must be swedish because of that hat but it's an indicator.

[@martinworld7214]

@@doriandundee9906 Trailer Swift kind of is

[@essambialy]

cant wait for the lodge 1 million dollar game

[@nicklazzaro5055]

There was probably a time when someone once said, "I dunno if we will ever see a stack this large again.... 371 dollars."

[@andershaggbom2721]

Inflation 😂

[@Dahk]

Me at the red dead 2 tables stacking the fish

[@jimmygunz81]

Doug does infomercial for the game and can't get a seat

[@RustyWells2]

I know right I hope he puts a big game together at the Lodge it doesn't even need to be a million dollar buy in it could be a half or even a quarter million and it would be way better than what we got from hlc!

[@danielmahusky5780]

I agree and if there is a future Milly buy in They need to make it 2k/4k with 4k bb ante Then we'll see 2 mil plus pots

[@AIDENST]

He played in it…

[@dundeedideley1773]

Well he already delivered, so he's not needed at the table.

[@OneEyedJack01]

@@AIDENST Not for as long as he was promised.

[@enjoisk8er811]

21:45 “in a spot i foolishly tried to bluff the flop, nice play doug” had me laughing the 5 times i rewatched it. Thank you doug

[@acesbros2966]

“You will die if your heart stops working” Always leave it to Doug to save our lives with super special life tips like this.

[@papadwarf6762]

Texas Mike is the worst player I’ve ever seen at that level

[@joeingram1]

Would have been great to see you in more days next time! Great recap

[@junito1008]

The $1Million dollar game where fish killed the Pros !! 😂

[@tflo75]

Colossal mistake by the guys running the game to pass on having one of the best ambassadors of the game at their table for more than the one night. Besides the action Keating and Texas Mike bring, it's the great players 'we' all want to see battling with big stacks.

[@mrhumble2937]

Yea but he's also their competitor. Can't give him to much FaceTime.

[@toynoob2051]

Not true, Phil Ivey has been on twice and it was the worst shows I've watched. Boring poker from pros. Mike the mouth and helmuth all boring.

[@matthewwestcott9138]

​@toynoob2051 Hellmuth is a losing player in these games and Mike isn't a pro. Ivey was boring, I'll give you that. But Doug and Garrett are much more entertaining in their play style and general demeanour

[@toynoob2051]

@@matthewwestcott9138 so you are arguing against me with people I didn't mention? Love Doug , and watching him play. Garrett already said he don't trust the stream and would never play on it again. The original comment is horrendous, maybe address that poster over mine?

[@matthewwestcott9138]

@@toynoob2051 No, you disagreed that pros were good for the game. By naming Hellmuth, a celebrity who can't win at high stakes cash games. And Mike, who hasn't been a pro for 15 years at high stakes. And Ivey, which I agreed with. So I named 2 relevant pros in Doug and Garrett.

[@DougPolkPoker]

When I said they were saying he was from Portugal or Europe, what I meant was the broadcast was saying either "Thomas is from Portugal" or "Thomas is from Europe" I did not mean he is from one or the other. I know where Portugal is my friends.

[@SiamakBahadori]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Super necessary to explain yourself to those trolls

[@mitchs.7583]

the broadcast also said that was berri sweet??

[@martinworld7214]

@@mitchs.7583no it didnt - idiots in the live comments did & the commentator was mocking them…ffs

[@jb-rx2ig]

sure Doug , we believe you Kappa

[@roberthorry621]

@@SiamakBahadoridoug is an og troll tho

[@JCBCoin]

Bro I live in West LA. I play in games in hidden hills and Brentwood. Everyone says avoid Feldman at all costs. Also Nick doesn’t have a stellar rep.

[@KronStaro]

yea games are probably rigged

[@beforelandx]

"everyone says avoid Feldman" hahaha what a 🧢

[@lotharheinz5481]

@@beforelandxsounds pretty believable. I sure as shit wouldn’t be caught dead in his home game. Him and vertucci are crooks.

[@JCBCoin]

@@beforelandx you aren’t from here.

[@chrisungoed8793]

why do they say to avoid feldman?

[@ThePsychoticOtter]

Peter's run was too fucking pure man. Not only applying the get there strategy, but getting max value every fuckin time.

[@MB-vk8cv]

He lost a lot of value in several hands actually.

[@iced_tea99]

He got value cause most of them were coolers. He lost a ton of value.

[@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWX-fk7ux]

@@iced_tea99 This

[@user-zp7bv3rz5y]

He should've won like 1.5M more than he actually did

[@rdf274]

player on fire, happens a fing lot... I mean we get Jamie Gold as an example, that was an insane hot run for the WSOP, 10x as big as Peter's streak

[@MDWeezer]

Steve deserves more credit - he made the first few days watchable.

[@Oeyoeyoo]

Ur back round music sound like a ring tone

[@bradhere]

fr i kept thinking I was getting a Teams call

[@KEEPlT1K]

Yall hate airball but then complain how there was no talking or conversating and it was very quiet but if airball was on there I guarantee the table talk would have been 1000x better

[@UncleBenjs]

We love airball

[@toynoob2051]

Only people who don't like airball are fly-by scumbag watchers. Not real fans of the show. ❤ Airball and missed him this year.

[@secretguyoz2]

Conversing

[@leftrightfilms5697]

Airball talking is a bit much though, tbh.

[@potsgetbuilt]

@@secretguyoz2they added conversate to meriam-Webster…you’re gonna have to retire policing this one @secretguyoz2…but thanks for your years of service. 🤝

[@Notoysoldier]

For me Doug is the hero for others he is the villian. Either way we want to see Doug Polk play. I enjoy Tom Dwan as well. 😊

[@jeredsandry3836]

CCPeter ran like a GOD. Also, watching Texas Mike making that terrible 520K bet when nobody is calling unless he is beat, and then have to put in his last 205K when Keating raised all-in was as sad as watching poker gets. It was like watching a puppy get steamrolled. To go from +500K to -2.2 million is the ultimate gut punch and honestly uncomfortable to watch.

[@xLxUxSxTx]

yeah. it was legit hard to keep watching him torch it.

[@rushinburrito]

At 34:00 that doesn't look like angling at all to me. Chips move sideways not forward, and he's not even looking at Keating while doing it. Great coverage, Doug!

[@LongTran-nd6fx]

Doug video can never be too long. ❤

[@rashisti]

really enjoyed this long form breakdown. I did watch live on the K7 77 hand, and in a few other spots, but this is a great breakdown for someone who enjoys the game but isn't the bigtime HCL viewer.

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

The poker gods were shining down on Peter during these sessions. He was on a tremendous heater. AND before anyone criticizes him for leaving early, it is every poker players right to leave when ever they want to. It sucks for the other players to watch the money walk, but technically , every player has the right to leave.

[@TMihai]

Thomas that wears a Sweden cap - some dude from Portugal :)

[@rcmysm9123]

Portugal or Europe.

[@LevelofClarity]

Dude, these videos are great. Doug may be one of the best creators of poker videos of this type. The mix of dry humor and sound analysis is excellent.

[@absolutelyuseless4232]

Alright Doug you don’t need to make these burner accounts..

[@LevelofClarity]

@@absolutelyuseless4232 🤣🤣🤣

[@nalanwaters3365]

Amazing video Doug. Great work! Watched the entire hour from start to finish and every second was entertaining. Good stuff.

[@jamesrad6317]

*Smirks*.... "Nuts" - Peter is a legend! 😂

[@ThePhantomasian]

tom was fuming at him lol

[@stevefromchicago8277]

Commentary was great all week - Soto, Charlie Wilmoth, and Tuchman. I liked the smaller table sizes, consistently higher pots than last year.

[@michealjaymurphy]

it will be interesting to see if they are even able to put on the game next year doing a week seems really hard, so many business people didn’t come back or even show any interest online this year

[@erebus79]

Unlikely that you will see any more of these. It looked like a rigged game even though it probably wasn't.

[@jessebooth2371]

That’s my thoughts. Where was all the rich business guys or even some other pros that surely would want to play. It also shows how many how many poker pros can’t play those stakes and are staked. If you’re playing that game you want minimum 2 million. To lose that and not feel much you have to have a significant net worth. My net worth is around 8 million being a 40 year old healthcare professional and a real estate investor. I would never play a game with these stakes. I worked almost every day the past 20 years too hard to get there and to lose that so quickly would cause me pain. I play poker sometimes and the highest stakes I can comfortably lose and not care is 10 or 15 k and that’s rare. Most of the time I play a game where it’s win or lose a few thousand. Enough to mean something, but not enough on the line where I leave and think about it. That’s also liquid cash, most people who are smart with money have it tied up in investments somewhere.

[@josephmcbrien7646]

Don't do it during wsop needs to be the first change they make. Only do two days. Make the blinds 2/4k so they aren't 1000bb deep

[@leroydouchenozzle4366]

@@jessebooth2371Self high five

[@michealjaymurphy]

@@josephmcbrien7646I think the big thing is maybe doing 300 k buyins with the expectation that pros will be in these games They need to change the expectation that vips can block pros And the pros are Tom and Doug these are not killers that aren’t talking there here to have fun just like them

[@FriendsForFriends666]

Peter's stack is from wsop Jamie gold final table era. 😂

[@cocosloan3748]

" You will die if your heart stops working " Doug Polk - 2024 👍 ' ' 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@BerardiOhio94]

" our 5th player is TRASH " 😆 ❤️ you Polk

[@herts9999]

Nik Airball got arrested 3x before this video ended.

[@GeneBlum-sp6ei]

Did Air dumb 😮. Get arrested for the selling the chips. Scandel

[@JohnnyUnrotten]

In short: Besides, Stanley Tang, no one knows how these guys are bankrolled and are all shady? 😮

[@roberthorry621]

@@JohnnyUnrottenniks wifes parents are multi multi illionaires

[@sfoyogi8979]

wes and huss going at it is kind of hard to top.

[@sean3533]

Aggies applauding and mooing for "Austin University".

[@Procastinatestoomuch]

Doug please run a million dollar game at the lodge. A majority of poker viewers want to watch players like yourself or anyone close towards your caliber (pros who will give action and go for bluffs - Robl, Garret, poker after dark Dwan). It sounds like you're the guy with the common sense, foresight, and connections to break all the records. It would also be really cool if you could convince some new age online crushers to get in the mix (Limitless, Linus, Berri Sweet, Stefan11222). Thanks as always for the content, you're the only non degenerate poker player that's any fun to watch.

[@andersnielsen6044]

A game like the one you describe here would only run if they all had shared winnings behind the scene.. It is utopia!

[@INKovari]

Can someone start a massive cheating scandal? I miss those days.

[@KronStaro]

Hustler is always rigging their games, its just that they ve learned to cover their tracks

[@favor4afavor823]

😂😂😂

[@Dahk]

Ok ill do it, Texas Mike was cheating in these streams, he just misread the signals from his vibrating butt plug controlled by Ryan Vertucci

[@drmattbarnes1371]

WSOP main event delivered 😂

[@fastfunpokerjamie124]

I’m still not entirely convinced this game was legit. Anything HCL touches is sus.

[@BigL718]

👀🎥💯

[@georgyputts4049]

The K-7 v 77 hand sealed the deal for me.

[@34Zero]

A mechanic dealer? This is just the movie, "Shade" in real life. For sure 3-4 people werent in on the scam..

[@Zingyvlogs]

@@georgyputts4049 Right! Kinda fishy

[@baosommurr4566]

​@34Zero they use auto shuffling machine. Certain ppl in the show is definitely cheating, probably some relying device from the production team

[@johnyschissler752]

This year had big pots but let’s be real, when Wesley and huck went at t….this was really the best hcl moment of all time even more than the streamer live stream.

[@johnyschissler752]

Also @dougpolkpoker @joeingram1 to have a retiring dealer dealing (who has been dealing and is leaving the country basically post 4mill profit ) during one of the biggest live streams ever….dealing to assist one of the craziest player style, profit and time at the table adjustments ever….while a loose aggro unemotionally attached and eternally stuck player is in the game taking breaks and getting mad while running uncalculateably good (it borderlines lottery numbers when considering his time away from the table ). My does not add up censors are going off

[@johnyschissler752]

@joeingram1 @dougpolkpoker please shout me out for this one…but where it really starts to get interesting is Peter didn’t really start to play until after the first million dollar game in 2023. he lost like 1mill in 2 months prior to this years game playing stupidly insane. Then he makes unimaginable folds (we are talking jboogie folds to a 5x over bet pot with the second nuts) vs. Peter folding 35% pot with 2 pair on a dry board or 3rd best set with a 5 Bet flop player calling 3 barrels to a gutterball. I love the show, loved the lineup from my perspective no way it’s believable. Nothing about the story aligns. Guess who also plays with airball, mars, Charles, and Wesley..it’s absurd no one sees it. literally either blatantly insulting the viewers or are just not vetting any behaviors.

[@DMalek]

"Portugese or something" - wearing a hat say - Sverige (Sweden)...

[@Giddy239]

I appreciate you making this one video instead of 5 over a month!! ❤

[@83Henno]

Is “Steve” not the guy from the movie the “The Master” that questions PSH?

[@iacosta79]

Steve is actually a sitting traffic Judge in Illinois.

[@fanden]

Peter had an incredible run, but he also seemed to manage to get max value each time.

[@loganwilliams8312]

Doug Polk cutting it thin to win.. looking like he is wearing his dads shirt after a shower

[@zordek]

"He is from Portugal or Europe" lol

[@jkapown]

Doug I'm guessing the spread sheet software Joey used to create that chart had decimal point for the "cents" built in and he had no choice but to include it...

[@Grimm.Reader]

Thanks for the great content, Doug! 👍

[@83Henno]

Here before the inevitable Peter cheating recap polk vid

[@Sw2Swag]

Brother ur content is so pure quality 100% caviar

[@TTtv86]

Someone here at the comment section accusing rahul is connected to this guy, Byrraju Ramalinga Raju (born 16 September 1954) is an Indian businessman. He is the founder of Satyam Computer Services and served as its chairman and CEO from 1987 until 2009. Raju stepped down following his admission to embezzlement from the company to the tune of ₹7,136 crores (approximately US$1.5 billion),[1] including ₹5040 crores (approximately US$1 billion) of non-existent cash and bank balances.[2][3] In 2015, he was convicted of corporate fraud, which led to the collapse of Satyam Computers. Ramalinga Raju Born Byrraju Ramalinga Raju 16 September 1954 (age 69) Bhimavaram, Andhra State (present-day Andhra Pradesh), India OccupationBusinessman YPS22Known forFounder and former Chairman of Satyam Computer ServicesCriminal penaltyConvicted to 7 years prisonSpouse Nandhini ​ (m. 1976)​ Children2 (Teja Raju, Rama Raju) BUT RAHUL isn't mentioned here.😅

[@khalid969]

Excellent content Doug. I do get the feeling though that there was a lot unsaid behind the scenes with regards to you and Tom.

[@fraboato]

Doug back being funny😂 love it!! Im serious!!

[@corysatx8730]

lodge san antonio ! excited for the tournaments coming our way.

[@vaidenplus]

I wonder why the viewership is down? Also an hour of analysis and not a single mention of Triton Poker? 😅

[@330miggs]

GREAT RECAP + FUNNY COMMENTATOR AS ALWAYS DOUG 👍 15" POLK-ER HAAAAARRRRDDD

[@jsss.invisiblr6414]

48:20 😂😭😂 see you tomorrow.

[@iverson2002939]

Alleged Portugal businessman rocking a Sweden cap

[@santaclause3487]

Wow. An hour long segment. Doug must have had alot to say. I like the 10 min segments more. He would get more views if he did a 10 min seg and played micro stakes for 60 mins than this.

[@m1shka26]

*first 3 seconds of the video* Imagine playing in a million dollar game just to sit down and the dealer doesn’t cover the bottom card of the deck 😂😂😂

[@wishitwas]

That is stock footage and not of this game.

[@mcxi]

streak! streak! streak! lol nice one Doug

[@davidoberry5309]

Bro great vid but I think your clock needs a battery. Unless you are stuck in time at 10:12

[@beebop9712]

It's me I'm in there 😎 i love you Doug 😂

[@Petty-Cash]

Bring on the video spree Doug. Great content as always

[@BDFTP69420]

These guys buy in for a million but when I hit the $2/5 game it's all Asians and Europeans with headphones and hoodies

[@favor4afavor823]

"The bigger the game, the bigger the donkey"- quote from a poker dealer I knew

[@OneOfDisease]

Do you have your nintendo running in the background?

[@danman274]

Excellent format

[@nandisaand5287]

The game's pretty easy when you make like 9 full boats over three sessions. I kept hearing Doyle Brunson in my head: "He holds more hands than a manicurist."

[@kaitlynblount7683]

Gonna go on a bit of a uploading streak he says... I wonder if it's to recoup some of the losses?

[@one1blue]

I wish I could play like Peter and just get beautiful rivers landing perfectly for me on million dollar hands.

[@BlackSheep_216]

"If your heart stops working you will die." Big facts Doug!

[@Vegasbonus702]

That looked like a tournament stack at the final table. 😊

[@Dahk]

Doug you gotta be trolling with this ringtone ass background music

[@jonathandennis7130]

Interesting observation The top 7 money winners in this list all have VPIP over GTO? 🤔🤔🤔

[@Eouseauctioneering]

We wanted to know more about the players personally, what they do, how they get their money etc. 😢

[@OdysseusMcNobody]

Steve is my hero, i do the i blind bet all the time 6 hours in a session and watch the poor fool raise out 1.5× pot on instict.

[@DaftyBoi412]

Rampage did the same thing recently too .. not the nuts, but he didn't realise he hit a stright.

[@Discreetspd]

Love watching this guy 😂

[@davidcapeeko7376]

I genuinely wonder what the KZbin algorithm thinks of you uttering the words "you will die if your heart stops working."

[@Cruz0e]

I could retire with $300 000 to $400 000 (for like 30-40 years), with $10k a year you can live ok life in many countries

[@Just_Pele]

Sun running is sun running, streaks happen and then they end. Can Peter stop when the luck runs out? Was the bell tolling for him on that last big hand?

[@Dustin_Platt]

I still don't know if i should shove or not to this day.

[@83Henno]

Doing it smack in the middle of WSOP is always a great idea

[@gratler]

29:38 it actually requires quite an imagination calling this still a "stack"

[@xLxUxSxTx]

"His first name is Action, whattya gonna do?"

[@xLxUxSxTx]

wait, Doug. Why did you say it's not likely we'll ever see you on the million dollar game again?

[@shaymoneydmv]

the goat for reason amazing content as always dougdaddy

[@MRJeremyLasvegas]

I saw airball at the aria the other day crying to someone on the phone

[@TTtv86]

For real? Coz he acted differently on the tables. 😂

[@iro9486]

Doug, I did the upswing courses and I'm still not playing in any million dollar games. I'm suing.

[@alexkuhn1451]

Hanz looks like The Hills Have Eyes

[@andrewmachaj3753]

you should show the viewership numbers reflective to their post date, 1 week after, 2 weeks after the events etc...

[@economistahonesto]

Bro has a Sweden cap, Doug: bro is from Portugal, Europe or something.

[@paystubspayton]

dwan got the ACR special

[@ballievlogs5515]

51:00 he mucks a free appartment

[@jacobolson7401]

Maybe I’m too far removed from watching the high stakes games, but I didn’t hear about this game untill it popped up on my KZbin algorithm. Maybe advertising was the reason it wasn’t as popular.

[@MeatShank]

Those other streams were not more "popular" Dougy P. They've just been out longer, accumulated more views in that time. The *J4* hand got those views "after" the fact. And the MDG2.0 will accumulate more views in time im sure.

[@mrhumble2937]

Rahul was a fun character and good player.

[@andrewcole1564]

let's get fired up in here boys!!! COME ON