Michael “Texas Mike” Moncek has a reputation of playing any two cards and making massive bluffs, of which Andrew Robl is aware.
That reputation may have helped the high roller win a $1.5 million pot against Robl, the all-time winningest livestream player. Well, that and a fortunate turn card during Friday’s High Stakes Poker livestream on PokerGO.
Both players had over $700,000 worth of casino chips to start the hand, Robl the bigger stack. The No-Limit Hold’em game had multiple straddles up to $16,000, so it was only a matter of time before a seven-figure pot emerged.
Brutal Turn Card
Sameh Elamawy, CEO of Scratch and a regular on High Stakes Poker, began the action with a raise to $40,000 with A♥5♦. Texas Mike called with A♠5♠, as did Robl with 6♣5♥ in the biggest straddle position.
The flop came out 4♠2♠8♠, leaving Elamawy and Robl already drawing dead. Texas Mike, sitting on the stone-cold nuts, had no interest in slowplaying his hand, so he fired out a bet of $55,000. Elamawy folded, but Robl called with a double-gutter straight draw in position.
Robl would, unfortunately for him, hit that straight with the 3♥ on the turn. Texas Mike continued his aggression, this time betting $150,000 against a player who couldn’t possibly win the hand. A call was made before the 4♦ paired the board on the turn.
The possibility of running into a full house didn’t stop Texas Mike, who moved all in for $490,000. Robl thought for a minute, but given the unpredictable nature of Moncek, he couldn’t fold a straight. A call was made, leading to a $1,517,500 pot that went in the direction of the poker player from Illinois (who attended the University of Texas).
It was the second-largest non-chopped pot ever on High Stakes Poker, but not the largest. The biggest winning hand ever on the show goes to Santhosh Suvarna, who won a $2,421,500 pot during the recent Season 16.
Robl is playing for more than just to win money during this weekend’s multiple HSP livestreams. He’s attempting to hold onto his lead as the winningest livestream player ever, but Eric Wasserson, who is also in the game, wasn’t far behind him when play began.
