Lowland Hum, 262 4th Ave, Brooklyn, NY (2025)

10/16/2025

Straight Flush Beats Straight Flush for $1.6 Million Poker Bad Beat Jackpot

Playground, a popular card room in Canada, saw one of its players run into a brutal cooler — straight flush losing to a better straight flush — that turned into one of the biggest bad beat jackpots in live poker history.

The hand that led to a room-wide celebration paid out CAD $1.6 million (approximately $1.14 USD) across dozens of players on Oct. 13, with two individuals taking home life-changing money.

Another Poker Bad Beat Jackpot for Canada's Finest

Playground, located in Quebec, has hosted most of the biggest bad beat jackpots ever, including the record-setting CAD $2.6 million payout in August 2023 when quads lost to a straight flush in a $1/$2 no-limit hold'em cash game.

The newest bad beat jackpot hand was even more unlikely, but it also occurred during a $1/$2 game. Play was stopped at 11:59 p.m. on Monday when two players in the game turned over a straight flush, both playing two hole cards, a requirement to set off the bad beat jackpot at Playground.

The jackpot had reached $1,595,087, according to Assistant Director of Poker Operations Andrew Johnson, when the improbable hand hit. Two players, one holding 9♣8♣and the other with 4♣3♣, flopped a straight flush draw on a board of 4♦5♣6♣.

Darin H., the player drawing to the higher flush, was in position to win the pot against his opponent, Bill K. But the player with the best hand would actually win less than the smaller flush when the 7♣appeared on the turn, giving both players a straight flush.

Bill, for losing the hand, will collect the largest share of the bad beat jackpot — 40%, or approximately CAD $640,000. The player with the losing hand receives 20% of the pot, which should come out to around CAD $320,000. Payouts won't be official until the casino has concluded it's review of the hand. Playground's bad beat jackpot rules call for 20% of the pot to go to the other players at the table, and the final 20% spread evenly among the remaining players seated in other games.

The bad beat jackpot has been reseeded to just under $170,000, with quad aces being the minimum qualifying hand. Playground, a popular poker room that has hosted major tournaments such as the World Poker Tour (WPT), also has progressive bad beat jackpots for Omaha and high-stakes cash games.

10/14/2025

Tomasz Brzezinski Wins Rollercoaster Heads-Up to Capture 2025 EPT Malta Main Event Title

For Tomasz Brzezinski, 2025 has been nothing short of extraordinary. Just weeks after finishing fourth in the EPT Barcelona Main Event, the 37-year-old from Poland completed his dream run on home soil in Malta by capturing the 2025 PokerStars EPT Malta €5,300 Main Event at Casino Malta.

Brzezinski, who has lived in Malta for the past decade working in the sports betting industry, outlasted a record-breaking 898 entries and defeated Ukrainian debutant Mykhailo Ostash in a rollercoaster heads-up battle to secure the trophy and €631,632 from the €4,355,300 prize pool after a heads-up deal.

He also became just the 11th player in EPT history to reach back-to-back Main Event final tables, and his victory adds a career-defining title to the breakout year of his poker journey.

“It was wild,” Brzezinski told PokerNews moments after his win. “At some point, yes, I thought it might slip away. I’m not the luckiest in heads-up. I’ve been second six or seven times at festivals before, so it almost felt like I was cursed. Especially after losing so many flips in a row and watching the stacks even out again. But in the end, it went my way, and I’m very happy.”

Despite his recent hot streak, poker remains more of a passion project than a full-time profession for the Polish champion.

“I used to play poker years ago,” he said. “Then came the choice to continue with poker or start a regular job. I decided to go the safe route, but I’ve always played on the side. I enjoy live poker much more than my actual work sometimes,” he laughed. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are great players, and I try to be a sponge, learn from them, and analyze spots. Somehow, it’s paying off.”

Boika Falls Short in Title Defense

Tom-Aksel Bedell spent Days 3 and 4 at the top of the chip counts, but his Day 5 run took a different turn as he entered the finale as the short stack. Despite a brief early rally, the Norwegian businessman and high roller was the first to bow out. On the first hand back from the opening break, Bedell went with deuces, but couldn’t leapfrog Ostash’s pocket threes.

Aliaksei Boika was chasing history, aiming to become just the fifth player to win two EPT Main Event titles and defend the crown he claimed nine years ago in Malta. Only Victoria Coren Mitchell, Mikalai Pobal, Mike Watson, and Anton “WhatIfGod” Bergstrom (with two online EPT victories) have managed the feat.

Boika’s run ended in fourth place. He pulled off a brilliant ace-high hero call that briefly vaulted him up the counts, but the momentum didn’t last. In his final hand, Boika’s kings were cracked by Ostash’s pocket fives, with the Ukrainian flopping a set and extracting maximum value with a 2.5x pot river shove.

In the final three, Brzezinski surged into the chip lead, picking off a bluff, getting paid with quads, and going runner-runner to make a full house against Ostash’s flopped flush. This left Adria Calonge firmly rooted to the bottom of the counts, and he was gone in third after his king-five couldn’t get there against Brzezinski’s pocket tens.

Ostash Refuses to Lay Down

Stacks got close to even just after the duel for the title began, so the finalists agreed to an even split of the remaining prize pool. They shook hands on a deal that locked up €603,098 each, leaving €28,534 and the EPT trophy still to play for.

Brzezinski came out the aggressor in heads-up play, but Ostash proved almost impossible to finish. The Ukrainian rattled off a series of escapes that defied belief: first winning a flip with king-jack against tens, then spiking trips with queen-ten to beat ace-eight. He survived again with pocket fours against ten-nine before coolly picking off a river bluff to haul himself back into contention.

The momentum swung wildly. Ostash even surged into the lead at one point, but Brzezinski responded with a runner-runner flush that earned a 5 million river call to restore a commanding 2:1 edge. Still, Ostash wouldn’t go quietly, doubling for a fifth time with a flush of his own to drag the contest into deep waters.

From there, it became survival poker of the highest order. Ostash clung on with a sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth double-up, each more improbable than the last. When Brzezinski finally found himself all-in and at risk, his pocket eights held against ace-jack to leave Ostash nearly out of gas. But the Ukrainian wasn’t done yet. They say a cat only has nine lives, but Ostash seemed to have at least ten, spiking yet another flip with king-queen to stay alive, and even finding an eleventh double-up to briefly take the driver’s seat.

The miracle run, however, couldn’t last forever. Brzezinski’s ace-jack bested Ostash’s ace-ten to leave him on a single big blind. On Ostash’s 12th all-in — and the 14th of the heads-up match — the comeback finally collapsed, and Brzezinski scooped the last of the chips to seal one of the most chaotic finales in EPT history.

10/14/2025

Lex Veldhuis Gets Needled for Tight Call Against Rival Alan Keating

PokerStars ambassador Lex Veldhuis made an interesting decision to just call a river bet with a full house against the unpredictable Alan Keating on the newest addition of the PokerStars Big Game on Tour.

Season 2's eighth episode, released Sunday on YouTube, featured the addition of high-stakes crusher Chance Kornuth, who replaced Alexander "Wolfgang" Seibt's empty seat at the six-player table.

The $200/$400 no-limit hold'em (pot-limit preflop) cash game brought out some juicy action, but PokerStars pro Jason Koon was on the short end of the stick in some of those hands. He lost to a one-outer on the river with pocket aces when Veldhuis and Keating both hit a king on the river for a full house to chop the pot. Koon would later lose with top two pair to Kornuth's top set.

New Poker Rivals Go at it Again

The rivalry between Alan Keating and Lex Veldhuis started simmering back in Episode 7, and it didn’t cool off one bit in Episode 8. The two traded blows early, chopping a pair of pots before a controversial hand sparked some playful table talk.

The action began when Veldhuis raised from early position to $1,200 holding 10♥ 10♦.
Keating, on the cutoff, fired back with a three-bet to $4,000 holding A♠ 5♥ — and Veldhuis made the call.

The flop came A♣ 7♣ A♥, giving Keating trip aces and leaving Veldhuis in rough shape.
After a check from Veldhuis, Keating bet $5,000, which Veldhuis called.

The 9♥ landed on the turn. Same pattern — check, bet, call — this time for $15,000.
Veldhuis was down to just one live out, as Luke Moy, the "Loose Cannon," had folded a 10 preflop.

Then came the river: 10♠ 😮

Veldhuis checked again, having hit a miracle full house, and faced a $41,000 river bet from Keating.
Rather than springing a massive check-raise, he chose to just call, dragging in the $131,000 pot.

“Who’s going to say it?” joked Chance Kornuth as both hands were revealed.
“I’m not going to say it,” replied Jason Koon, smiling.
“You can never be too careful,” Kornuth teased, poking fun at Veldhuis for not raising.

After the hand, Veldhuis reflected:

“I think this is definitely a hand that will get talked about a lot.
I really thought in that moment, I cannot open the door to any craziness and then have to fold because he’s fearless.”

Kornuth admitted his comment was “all in good fun,” and Veldhuis laughed it off as “just regulars ribbing each other.”

The episode closed after 30 hands (87 overall) with Veldhuis leading the leaderboard at +$153,300, Moy still in profit at +$13,600, and Keating, who dominated Episode 6, now sitting as the biggest loser of the session at –$44,300.

🎬 The game continues next Sunday on YouTube, with 150 hands total still to play — and plenty more fireworks to come.

10/14/2025

From Fraud to Bribery: 7 Poker Players Incarcerated or Awaiting Sentencing

Cory Zeidman, sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Tuesday, became the latest poker player to serve time.

There are currently dozens of poker players locked up or awaiting sentencing. Some, such as Zeidman, are well-known pros and high-stakes players. This list of seven players locked up or about to be imprisoned includes some high rollers, high-profile cases, an attempted murderer, and one skilled pro you probably didn't even know is in jail.

1. Shawn Sheikhan

Shawn Sheikhan is a high-profile player who infamously feuded with Mike Matusow during the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. But his professional poker career is on hold for a few years while he serves a four-year prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute ma*****na.

"Sheiky" was sentenced in November 2023 following a guilty plea agreement in the United States District Court, Southern District of California. From a date unknown until February 24, 2022, the Iranian born poker player, per his own admission, along with his co-defendant, knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute 100 kilograms and more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of ma*****na, a Schedule 1 controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(c) and 846.

Sheikhan, who has over $1.5 million in live tournament cashes, operated a lucrative, unlicensed ma*****na business dubbed "Cannaland." The main purpose of the business was to wholesale ma*****na and ma*****na products to illegal cannabis dispensaries, mostly within San Diego County.

2. George Janssen

George Janssen, a four-time World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring winner and car salesman, originally claimed to have been kidnapped in January 2024. He told police he was the victim of a $2 million extortion scheme.

But the Michigan poker pro with over $460,000 in The Hendon Mob cashes entered a guilty plea on fraud charges this past summer. How'd he go from victim to criminal? It turns out that his extortion claim was all just a big fat lie.
Janssen defrauded several credit unions by filing millions worth of fraudulent auto loans. The month before going missing for three weeks in 2023, he allegedly lost his license to sell cars in Michigan for five years for falsifying business documents.

Investigators say multiple friends of Janssen approached law enforcement "to clear their name and express concern they had been defrauded by Janssen, who convinced them to take out multiple vehicle loans."

Janssen, while awaiting his Dec. 11 sentencing, won a Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) tournament on Oct. 8 in Michigan.

3. Cory Zeidman

Zeidman, a 2012 WSOP bracelet winner, is a longtime pro who imfamously slowrolled Poker Hall of Famer Jennifer Harman during a 2005 WSOP broadcast on ESPN. He was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on Oct. 7, 2025, after pleading guilty in 2024 for his role in an illegal sports betting scheme.

The New York poker pro initially professed his innocence to PokerNews following his arrest in 2022. But that all changed two years later when he agreed to a plea deal.

Zeidman was accused by the government of falsely claiming to bettors to have "privileged" or inside information about various sporting events and he "falsely claimed that there was no risk associated with their wages," court documents state. Zeidman placed radio ads to "lure victims."

In exchange for the information, which, according to prosecutors, "was either fictitious or obtained from an internet search," Zeidman and his co-defendants demanded that the victims pay fees and collected millions in fees between 2004 and 2020. The poker pro claimed the "privileged" sports betting information he had meant his clients would be taking on no risk betting on the games.

4. Jordan Cristos

Jordan Cristos has gone M.I.A. for a few months, and most poker players might be surprised to know the reason is that he's locked up in the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas for multiple charges ranging from domestic violence to stalking. He also picked up a charge for intimidating a public officer.

Cristos, a World Poker Tour (WPT) champion with $3.6 million in live tournament cashes, is a 38-year-old troubled poker pro who went to jail following his arrest in June. He was sentenced for domestic violence on Sept. 18 and is scheduled to be released on that charge on Oct. 20.

The California poker player is set to be sentenced for the intimidation count on Oct. 27, and he has a Nov. 5 status check court date for the stalking case. Cristos only cashed in one WSOP event this summer, and it was an online tournament. He didn't have many opportunities to cash, given he's been a little preoccupied.

5. Anthony Hutchison

Anthony Hutchison is a high-stakes private game player in Houston who had a brief cup of coffee in the NFL in the 1980s. He isn't a household name within the poker community because he doesn't play on livestreams or at the WSOP. But he regularly plays poker at nosebleed stakes, and according to court testimony, he's really bad at it.

Hutchison was found guilty in April 2025 on 21 counts related to bribing a Houston school district. The former athlete and his co-defendant Brian Busby, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Houston Independent School District (HISD), bribed district employees to favor Hutchison's businesses and overbilled customers for landscaping services, which caused "millions of dollars in loss" to a school district that paid his company.

Hutchison would, according to prosecutors, use the money he made from the HISD despite never providing any meaningful services, to fund his poker habit. Prosecutors argued that Hutchison and Busby overbilled HISD more than $800,000 each year from 2013-2020. Multiple exhibits showing five-figure payments made from Hutchison to HISD employees were presented in court.

He faces over 20 years in federal prison on 11 counts of wire fraud, six counts of bribery, two counts of willfully filing false tax returns, one count of witness tampering, and one count of conspiracy. Hutchison is out on bail awaiting his Nov. 17 sentencing.

6. Rudy Gavaldon

Rudy Gavaldon won a WSOP Online bracelet in 2023 while awaiting trial for brutally beating his wife, Lara. The Michigan poker player would inevitably plead guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to no less than 10 years in prison on June 6. He won't become eligible for parole until May 1, 2035, and is currently serving his term at the Muskegon Correctional Facility.

Gavaldon, 38, attacked his wife in July 2022 while, according to his claim, on hallucinogens. He told officers upon their arrival at the crime scene that his wife was dying and needed medical attention.

Authorities spotted Gavaldon walking in the roadway while carrying his child. His 28-year-old wife was discovered in their home and transported to a nearby hospital, and eventually med-flighted downstate to Grand Rapids Hospital, with life-threatening injuries, while he was taken into custody. Lara Gavaldon suffered an injury so severe that she required a prosthetic eye transplant.

7. Salman Behbehani

Salman Behbehani, a California poker pro with over $3.3 million in The Hendon Mob cashes, was arrested on July 16, 2021 at the Ibiza airport upon flying a private jet carrying around 30 people to the Spanish island from Las Vegas.

Investigators found in his suitcase 315 grams of co***ne, 715 grams of Tusi, 705 grams of hashish, 80 grams of M**A, and some cannabis and L*D. Behbehani was convicted of being in possession of a large quantity of substances and was sentenced to six years in prison in March 2025.

Behbehani, who comes from one of the richest families in Kuwait, was also ordered to pay a €30,000 fine. The poker pro has 10 WSOP cashes and a number of large scores, including a career-best $818,799 prize for taking second place in the 2011 Partouche Poker Tour (PPT) Main Event, a tournament won by Sam Trickett.

10/12/2025

Hands of the Week 2025 WSOP Europe: Shaun Deeb Smashes River En Route to 8th Bracelet

Kohl Rivers Quads and Cracks Vittek's Flopped Boat

It was Level 38 (300,000/600,000/600,000) when reporter Kai Cocklin caught one of the wildest hands of the day.

Martin Vittek opened from under the gun to 1,300,000, and Jan Kohl defended from the big blind.

Both players checked the Q♣ Q♠ 7♠ flop, and when the 3♠ hit the turn, the action stayed the same — check, check.

Then came the river: Q♥. Kohl checked once more, and Vittek fired 1,500,000. Kohl thought briefly before raising to 4,000,000, and Vittek snap-called.

Kohl confidently tabled Q♦ 2♦ for quads, while Vittek flashed 7♥ 7♣ before mucking his full house.

Slow-playing likely saved Vittek from disaster — avoiding a full double-up pot for Kohl that could’ve ended his run. In the end, Vittek finished 3rd for €60,850, while Kohl went on to take 2nd for €79,350.

Elhaiany Four-Bet Rips Seven-Deuce, Tumbles Down the Counts

At Level 32 (200,000/400,000/400,000), reporter Kai Cocklin caught one of the most jaw-dropping hands of the tournament.

From the button, Daniel Elhaiany opened to 800,000, only for Stanislav Koleno to fire back a three-bet to 3,000,000 from the big blind.

Elhaiany glanced at Koleno’s stack — roughly 13,000,000 — before going deep into his time banks. After a long pause, he shoved all in, and Koleno instantly called off his stack, setting up a monster showdown.

Daniel Elhaiany: 7♥ 2♣
Stanislav Koleno: A♦ Q♥

Yes — Elhaiany had the worst hand in poker and went for glory.

The flop came 5♦ Q♦ J♦, giving Koleno top pair and a flush draw, and Elhaiany’s hopes quickly faded. The 3♠ on the turn sealed the deal, and the 8♦ on the river completed Koleno’s flush, sending him a huge double-up.

Deeb Smashes the River to Double Up

At Level 16 (20,000/40,000/40,000), reporter Kai Cocklin captured a massive clash involving poker pro Shaun Deeb.

Deeb opened from the cutoff to 80,000, and Salih Atac responded with a three-bet to 275,000 from the small blind.
Action folded back to Deeb, who four-bet to 480,000 — only for Atac to five-bet shove. Deeb quickly snap-called for his 1,440,000 stack, setting up a huge showdown.

Shaun Deeb: A♠ K♠
Salih Atac: A♥ J♣

Deeb was in great shape to double, but the flop came 6♥ J♠ 3♥, giving Atac top pair and turning the tables.

The 9♥ on the turn brought Atac a flush draw, leaving Deeb in deep trouble — needing one of just two kings to survive.

Then, the river... K♦ 💥
Deeb’s face went from despair to disbelief as he spiked top pair to score a massive double-up and stay alive in the GGMillion€.

Schnitzler Finds Huge Hero Call in Epic Hand

At Level 21 (10,000/25,000/25,000), reporter Richard Hayes caught one of the most unforgettable hands of the tournament.

Rene Schnitzler opened from early position to 50,000, only for Georgios Tsouloftas, the tournament chip leader on the button, to three-bet to 150,000. After a brief pause, Schnitzler made the call.

With his hoodie pulled tightly over his face, Schnitzler watched as the Q♠ Q♣ 10♦ flop hit the felt. He checked, and Tsouloftas continued with a 100,000 bet, which Schnitzler called.

The A♦ fell on the turn — another check-call, this time for 180,000.

Then came the 6♥ on the river. Schnitzler checked once again, and after just a few moments, Tsouloftas moved all in, easily covering his opponent.

The room went quiet. Schnitzler leaned back, unzipped his hoodie, and stared down the table. After nearly a minute of thought, he flicked in a single calling chip — looking away from the table as if bracing for bad news.

Tsouloftas: K♣ 9♦ (pure air)
Schnitzler: K♥ 10♠ (two pair, queens and tens)

The crowd erupted. Tsouloftas could only shake his head as Schnitzler realized his read was spot-on. “Amazing call!” someone shouted as he exhaled deeply, smiled, and raked in a monster pot.

Savino Eliminated in Unbelievable Hand

At Level 20 (10,000/25,000/25,000), reporter Kaelaine Minton caught an absolutely unbelievable hand that had the entire table gasping.

Ratmir Kesidis opened to 50,000 from the hijack. On the button, Yuhan Wang shoved for 2,050,000, and in the small blind, Iago Savino called off his last 355,000. Kesidis quickly got out of the way — and what followed was pure poker chaos.

Iago Savino: K♠ J♣ (all in)
Yuhan Wang: 7♠ 7♣

The flop came K♦ 7♦ J♥ — giving Savino top two pair, but also Wang a set of sevens.

Then came the turn: J♦ 😲
Savino spiked a miracle card to make jacks full of kings, roaring back to take the lead — though one of the kings had already been folded preflop, leaving just a single out for Wang.

And then… the river. 7♥ 💥

Gasps, shouts, disbelief all around the table — Wang hit the one-outer for quads!

“Oh my God!”
“Are you serious?!”
“What did we just watch?!”
And of course, the classic: “Always coming seven!” 🎰

Savino could only shake his head as he hit the rail just before the final break of the day — one of the most brutal exits of the tournament.

10/12/2025

Did Poker Player Slow Roll Near the Bubble with Quads in Major Tournament?

A player on Day 2 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Malta Main Event flopped quads but took his time calling an all-in bet.

The questionable incident occurred only 13 players away from the money bubble bursting in the €5,300 buy-in tournament at Casino Malta, which attracted 898 runners. PokerNews captured the controversial hand, and it appears some who've viewed it are a bit confused as to what exactly transpired.

What Just Happened?

The board ran out 10♥ 8♣ 8♠ 7♦, and Michael L**h, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, had already moved all in holding A♦ A♥ — sitting on the biggest stack at the table.

There was a bit of confusion about who acted last in our clip, but here’s exactly how the action went down.

The board showed 10♥ 8♣ 8♠ 7♦, and Michael L**h, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, had already moved all in holding A♦ A♥ with the biggest stack at the table.

Then Dylan Cechowski, the short stack, shoved all in with 10♣ 10♦ for a top full house. Moments later, Michael Rodrigues, quietly sitting on 8♦ 8♥ for flopped quads, took just a few seconds to count his chips before making the call.

Cechowski proudly tabled his hand — only to be crushed seconds later when Rodrigues revealed his pocket eights. L**h was drawing dead, and the 4♠ on the river changed nothing, giving Rodrigues nearly a full triple-up in one of the wildest hands of the session.

10/12/2025

Journalist Hacks Card Shuffling Machine to Prove How to Cheat in Poker

Can automatic shuffling machines be hacked to cheat in poker? A journalist put that question to the test in a new video that explores the vulnerabilities of shuffling machines like the Deckmate 2 used in casinos and poker rooms around the world.

The video, titled "I Cheated At Poker By Hacking A Casino Card Shuffling Machine," gathered more than 100,000 views in less than 24 hours. In it, WIRED Senior Writer Andy Greenberg speaks to security consultant and hacking expert Joseph Tartaro and poker pro Doug Polk before rigging a shuffler and putting it to the test in a real-world scenario.

Machine Hacking & Signaling

Tartaro has spent years researching how automatic shufflers could be used to cheat in games like poker. In the video, he shows Greenberg that the USB port on the back of shufflers leaves them vulnerable to hacking. He demonstrates by plugging in a device capable of reading the order of cards.

"This device has a Bluetooth model and it will wirelessly connect to this phone," Tataro says in the video. "And every time a deck gets shuffled, it will get the exact order from the camera (in the shuffler) and send it to me."

With a hacked machine ready for testing, Greenberg arranged a private poker game with Tataro and two unsuspecting players. Tataro, who had access to the shuffler on his phone, signaled to Greenberg whether to fold, call or raise by playing with his chips.

As a result, Greenberg was able to play perfectly and easily won the sit-and-go match despite not being an experienced poker player.

Should Players Be Concerned?

Hacking shufflers is one of several modern cheating methods that have emerged with advancing technology. In October 2024, psychologist Maria Konnikova told PokerNews about nano cameras that make card protectors, electronics and sunglasses all potential cheating risks at the poker table.

While automatic shuffling machines are common in poker rooms, Doug Polk, an owner of The Lodge in Texas, said there's a much bigger risk of cheating in private and unregulated games than in casinos.

"The Deckmate 2 in a casino location, you shouldn't be too scared of," the content creator said. "They have all these casino contracts, so they have licensed people fixing problems that there might be. The problem is once somebody has a Deckmate 2 on a black market or a secondary market, they are now no longer being upkept by the company itself. Some guy is just basically in the back fixing the machine and then putting it on the table."

"I have heard so many cheating stories of people using these to cheat players out of their money when it's not happening at a casino location."

A spokesperson for Light and Wonder, the gaming manufacturer that makes the Deckmate 2, told WIRED in a statement that they've addressed the security flaws and "updated the firmware on all our Deckmate shufflers to all our customers worldwide at zero cost to them." Still, Tartaro says the machines remain a cheating risk.

10/11/2025

🃏 The Rules of Poker: How the Game Works

Poker is one of the world’s most popular card games, and while it looks complex at first, the rules are simple once you break them down.

🎯 The Goal

Make the best 5-card hand or convince everyone else to fold before the showdown.

🂡 Game Setup

Each player is dealt 2 private cards (hole cards).

Five community cards are dealt face-up in stages:

Flop → 3 cards

Turn → 1 card

River → 1 card

💰 Betting Rounds

Pre-Flop → After players get their 2 cards.

Flop → After 3 community cards are dealt.

Turn → After the 4th card.

River → After the 5th and final card.
At each stage, players can fold, call, raise, or check.

🏆 Hand Rankings (from strongest to weakest)

Royal Flush

Straight Flush

Four of a Kind

Full House

Flush

Straight

Three of a Kind

Two Pair

One Pair

High Card

🔥 The Showdown

If more than one player remains after the final bet, all reveal their cards.

The best hand wins the pot.

10/11/2025

🃏 Poker Challenge: Who Wins This Hand?

Let’s test your poker skills 🎯

👉 Player A’s Hand: Ace♠ + King♥
👉 Player B’s Hand: Ten♦ + Ten♦

Community Cards (on the table):
2♣ – 5♠ – 10♥ – K♣ – 7♦

💡 Question: Which player takes the pot?
Is it the powerful Ace-King? Or the pocket Tens?

Drop your answer in the comments ⬇️
(And no peeking at the solution 😉)
Player B wins with Three of a Kind (Tens) against Player A’s single pair of Kings.

08/10/2025

Poker Player Hits Draw on River Only to Lose a $909,000 Cooler

A pot exceeding $900,000 played out Friday night on Hustler Casino Live when both players involved hit the card they were looking for on the river. Little did one of the players know the dream card would turn into a nightmare.

Mariano Grandoli, a popular poker vlogger who ran red hot in 2024, took down the largest livestreamed pot of the summer, and one of the biggest in HCL history. The hand came at an opportune time for the high-stakes grinder who had been down $300,000 for the session.

Poker Content Creator Doesn’t Miss

Hitting the nuts on the river always feels great to any poker player. It’s even better when your big-stacked opponent rivers a monster but inferior hand. That’s precisely what transpired in the following hand, which began with Grandoli raising to $2,000 from the button with 10♣9♣.
Peter, who has won the most money ever on Hustler Casino Live, called from the big blind with 6♦4♣. Jeff the Cash, known to play massive pots, also called from the straddle with A♥6♥.
The flop came out J♣5♠7♥, which didn't pair any player up, but it did bring about some draws. Action checked to the vlogger on the button, who bet $2,000 with a gutshot straight draw. Peter, who flopped an open-ender, check-raised to $10,000. Jeff couldn't continue with nothing but ace-high and some backdoor draws. But Grandoli called to see the 2♣on the turn.
No help came for Peter, but he repeated his story of holding a big hand with a $30,000 wager. Grandoli added a flush draw, so he called, and then hit the nuts with the 8♠on the river. That card was even better than he realized because his opponent rivered an inferior straight.
"All the run-bad we've seen from him today, it's all about to vanish. There's no way we're not going to see an enormous pot here. Peter is thinking about Vegas and the bleeping Mirage," HCL commentator Charlie Wilmoth announced, right before Peter fired out a bet of $120,000.

Grandoli, who had $411,300 left in his stack heading to the river, moved all in. Peter paused for a second before calling, only to be disgusted by the cooler in what became a $909,400 pot, top five on Hustler Casino Live history outside the Million Dollar Games.

The monster pot put a stop to an otherwise brutal session for Grandoli, who had been down around $300,000, the biggest deficit in his poker career. He finished the livestream up $133,200, thanks to one fortunate river card. Peter, who was up over $2.6 million lifetime on the show, ended the stream with a $682,300 loss.

Grandoli wasn't the only six-figure winner in what was a wild $200/$400 game. Nikhil "Nik Airball" Arcot, for the third consecutive night, booked a massive win ($359,000). Airball has won over $900,000 this week on Hustler Casino Live.

Ethan "Rampage" Yau, whose struggles in high-stakes games the past year have been documented, won $299,900, his best session in months. It would have gone much worse for him had he called off an all in bet on the flop in what could have been a $732,000 against Mariano earlier in the session.

Rampage flopped a flush and straight draw against top pair. He decided to fold, which turned out to be a good thing for him as he rabbit hunted and discovered he would have bricked the turn and river.
♥♦♣♠

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