The fourth iteration of the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game kicked off today – streaming live from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
Alan Keating was the headlining act – and showed up to the game fashionably late as all great rock stars do. Keating was joined by everyone's favorite tablemate Martin Kabrhel, as well as high stakes cash game regulars 'Texas' Mike Moncek, Eric Wasserson, and Peter Wang.
Santhosh Suvarna – fresh off a third bracelet win in the $50K 8-Max High Roller for $1,922,870 – was in the mix as well. Chang 'Jack' Lee, the opponent he bested during heads-up play, was there too.
With the stakes at $1K/$2K with a $5K big blind ante and nearly $12M on the table, the fuse was set.
Add to that a table full of players more than ready to put it all on the line and it was only a matter of time before the explosion of big pots and wild antics arrived.
Kabrhel's casino royale
We've heard him say it on repeat every time he graces the streamed coverage at the WSOP – but tonight one of Kabrhel's catchphrases lived up to its reputation.
With the $8,000 double straddle in play, action folded around to Wasserson in the big blind and he opted to limp in with 
. Kabrhel, in the single straddle, bumped it up to $25,000 with 
.
The 
flop was a juicy one – an open-ended straight flush draw for Kabrhel and the naked straight draw for Wasserson.
Kabrhel quickly continued for $50,000 and Wasserson called.
The turn 
was gin for the Czech as his straight flush came in, no waiting. Even better, Wasserson improved as well, but was drawing stone dead.
With $164,000 in the middle, Kabrhel doubled his previous bet and in came another quick call. The 
river completed the board and Kabrhel entered monologue mode.
After some back and forth with Wasserson, he settled on a slight overbet of $472,000.
With more than $3M in his stack, Wasserson could afford to call and be wrong, but he's too good for that. Instead, he threw on his detective's cap and went to work.
Eric Wasserson gets up close and personal with Martin Kabrhel. "Why you so serious now?" he inquired of the stone-faced Kabrhel. "You thought I was going to snap fold?"
And then he leaned in for the serious cross examination, checking for any tells, any signs that might give up the game. Kabrhel offered nothing.
"F**k it," Wasserson said as he pitched his cards into the muck.
Kabrhel, for once, was silent.
A race for almost $2 million
Earlier in the night, Wasserson found himself on the winning side of poker's most classic coin-flip – ace-king versus pocket queens.
With the quadruple straddle in play, Moncek peeled 
in the face of a limp from Lee and raised to $92,000. Wasserson, next to act, looked down at 
and fired out a $240,000 three-bet. When the action folded back around to him, Moncek announced an all-in for $948,000 and Wasserson beat him into the pot with a call.
"Do you want to go once or once?" Moncek asked, jokingly.
"You want to go once?" Wasserson replied.
"Yeah," Moncek said.
With $1,933,000 in the middle, Wasserson had the slight mathematical edge – and it held up this time.
