There are times in a poker game where you just have to go with your gut. That was the case on a recent episode of Hustler Casino Live, which featured a battle between high-stakes YouTuber Mariano Grandoli and Wenzhi ‘Wesley’ Fei.
It started with Wesley getting the best of it, dragging a pot of nearly $140,000 when Mariano got a little wild preflop with 10
9. Wesley’s K 10
flopped top pair, but Mariano clearly regretted shutting down his bluff attempt on the river.
With that in mind, he added on an additional $200,000, bringing his stack to over $300,000.
Wesley still had him covered slightly when the two tangled again. With blinds of $25-$50 with a $100 straddle, Wesley raised to $4,000 from early position with A J. Mariano three-bet to $15,000 with 10
4 on the button. That brought a call from Wesley, who was a 69% favorite to win, according to the Card Player Poker Odds Calculator.
The flop came down K 10
9 with Mariano catching middle pair and Wesley with an overcard and Broadway straight draw. Wesley checked and Mariano fired $20,000, now with a 55% chance to win the pot.
Wesley check-raised to $40,000, which prompted Mariano to ask him if he was trying to raise. Wesley confirmed that yes, he was trying to raise, but later on Instagram would clarify that he meant to raise bigger to $60,000.
Mariano called and the pot swelled to more than $110,000. The turn brought the 7 and gave Wesley more outs for a straight with a double gutter. He bet $80,000 and Mariano went into the tank with his second pair, weak kicker.
“I just feel like I have the best hand,” he said.
After some more consideration, he announced all in, putting Wesley to the test. He asked for a count of Mariano’s stack and saw that making the call would cost him another $162,875.
“How did we get here?” Mariano said with a laugh as he realized the pot size. “That’s a lot.”
“Do not adjust your screen,” said commentator David Tuchman. “What you are seeing is correct.”
After going through the math, and ignoring some table talk from Henry Guttman, Wesley folded and Mariano dragged the pot of $440,875. He then told the table, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” as he turned over his hand, stunning his opponent.
Mariano Grandoli is a poker pro and YouTuber with 175,000 subscribers who has appeared numerous times on Hustler Casino Live and other live-streamed cash games. The Los Angeles resident has $1.9 million in earnings in his stream appearances, according to HighRollPoker.com. In November, however, he lost a $142,000 pot after playing a hand without looking at his cards.
*Photo by Hustler Casino Live
