GGPOKER

This season’s highlights include the return of Phil Laak, along with many other high-stakes poker regulars like Jennifer Tilly and Jean-Robert Bellande. In addition to the "old-timers," newcomers Nik Airball and Santhosh Suvarna added extra excitement to the game. This season featured plenty of massive pots—here’s a recap of the five most thrilling hands. 1. Phil Laak’s Paper Money Shove (Episode 5) With two $1,600 straddles already in play, Phil Laak (A♠K♣) limped in. JRB (K♥7♥) called behind, followed by Brandon Adams (A♥10♦) on the button and Chino Rheem (3♥2♥) in the small blind. However, Santhosh Suvarna (9♠9♣) in the big blind raised to $11,600. Laak decided it was time to take a stand with AK and 3-bet to $42,400. Only Suvarna called.GGPoker The flop came 3♠2♣8♥—no help for the nines. Laak, holding just ace-high, shoved his entire stack of $167K into the pot. Suvarna ultimately folded. 2. A Brutal River Cooler (Episode 8) At this point, Adams and Andrew Robl were the only two players with stacks over $1 million. Preflop, Adams (8♦7♦) raised to $5K, and Robl (K♥Q♥) in the big blind 3-bet to $40K. Adams called. The flop (4♠9♠5♣) missed both, and they checked. The turn (10♣) brought some draws, but they checked again. The river (J♥) gave both players a straight. With their deep stacks, fireworks were inevitable. Robl, holding the nuts, slow-played by checking. Adams, with the lesser straight, bet $70K. Robl sprung the trap with a check-raise to $350K. Adams couldn’t re-raise but called—only to discover the bad news, losing the $783K pot. Robl’s stack soared past $2.8 million. 3. The Biggest Pot in HSP History (Episode 9) Robl had been running hot in the first half of the episode, but this hand against Suvarna took a shocking turn. With a straddle in play, Robl (5♣4♣) in the small blind raised to $16K. Suvarna (A♣K♥) in the straddle 3-bet to $54K, but Robl called. The flop (4♠4♦2♠) was a dream for Robl—Suvarna was in deep trouble. Robl checked, Suvarna bet $45K, and Robl called. The turn (K♦) gave Suvarna some hope. Surprisingly, both players checked. The river (K♠) completed Suvarna’s backdoor trips, crushing Robl. But Robl, convinced Suvarna didn’t have a king, fired a massive $300K bet. Suvarna shoved for $395K. Robl only needed to call $95K (pot-committed) and did—only to lose the $992K pot, the largest in High Stakes Poker history. 4. A Near-Record-Breaking Million-Dollar Pot (Season Finale) For the first time this season, a seven-figure pot was within reach. Stanley Tang (A♦7♥) opened to $5K, Yu (Q♥9♥) called on the button, Airball (6♦6♣) called in the small blind, and Adams (J♦J♣) called in the big blind. The flop (8♦10♥6♥) checked through to Yu, who bet $10K with his straight and flush draws. All three called. The turn (2♠) saw Airball lead for $50K. Adams and Tang folded, but Yu called. The river (J♠) gave Yu the nuts. Airball bet $200K with his set of sixes. Yu, with the deeper stack, took a sip of tea and raised all-in. Airball had $482K behind. After a 10-minute tank, Robl started a countdown. With 30 seconds left, Airball folded, and Yu took down the $1,044,000 pot (including the uncalled bet). 5. Airball Wins One of HSP’s Biggest Pots (Episode 6) Adams (Q♦J♥) opened, and Suvarna (A♦Q♣) 3-bet to $21K. Airball (K♦K♣) in the big blind 4-bet to $100K. Adams folded, but Suvarna called. The flop (4♥Q♥10♦) gave Suvarna top pair. Airball c-bet $75K, and Suvarna called. The turn (4♣) brought a paired board. With $358K in the pot, Airball shoved for $308K. Suvarna, with $348K behind, called, creating a $974K pot! They agreed to run it twice. The rivers (8♠ and 8♦) changed nothing, and Airball scooped one of the largest pots in HSP history.