High Stakes Poker returned to PokerGO Monday night following a two-week hiatus due to the Poker Masters coverage, and Episode 7 of Season 13 was worth the wait.
Stanley Tang was the star of the newest episode. He pushed around some accomplished poker players such as Andrew Robl and Jennifer Tilly, and hit two lucky river cards in the same hand against Humboldt Mike. There were four other players in the $500/$1,000 no-limit hold’em cash game, including Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot, Justin Gavri, Sameh Elamawy, and Brandon Steven. Starting stacks when the cameras began rolling were as follows:
| Player | Chip Stack |
|---|---|
| Nik Airball | $478,000 |
| Justin Gavri | $319,000 |
| Humboldt Mike | $247,000 |
| Sameh Elamawy | $211,000 |
| Andrew Robl | $210,000 |
| Jennifer Tilly | $180,000 |
| Brandon Steven | $171,000 |
| Stanley Tang | $156,000 |
Humboldt Mike Bringing the Heat
It took no time for a juicy pot to pop off during Episode 7. The first hand of the show started off with a raise to $2,500 from Gavri in early position with Q♣J♠. Tang, in position against the raiser, three-bet it to $8,000 with A♠8♠, and then was the only player to call a four-bet to $26,000 from the A♥J♥ Humboldt Mike had in the small blind.
The flop came out 5♣4♦6♠, and the bigger ace was still out in front but facing a gutshot straight draw. Mike bet $21,000 and received a call before the 10♥ appeared on the turn, which didn’t improve either hand.
Both players checked and then paired up on the A♣ river card. That was bad news for Tang, who had kicker issues. Mike bet out $48,000, a bit too much to get value with the best hand as his opponent made the wise decision to fold with an inferior kicker.
Humboldt Mike would then attempt to make a play with 9♦8♥ on a board of 5♠3♣2♥7♠, betting $60,000 into a three-way pot of $46,500. Tang called with 8♦6♦ for an open-ended straight draw, but Elamawy moved all in for $196,000 with 7♥4♥. Mike folded his gutter ball, but Tang had to call with just $35,000 behind.
Each player agreed to run the river twice. The 9♥ showed up on the first river, completing the straight, and then the 4♣ on the second river gave Tang another straight and the full $297,500 pot.
Car Dealership Owner Runs into It
Humboldt Mike, who infamously feuded with Phil Hellmuth on a recent No Gamble, No Future episode on PokerGO, came to play. He tangled with multiple players for some big pots during Episode 7, none bigger than a hand against Steven.
Action started with Steven, a car dealership owner from Kansas, raising from an early position to $6,000 with Q♥J♠. Humboldt Mike called with A♠10♠from the small blind, while everyone else at the table folded their weak holdings.
The flop ran out Q♦8♣J♦, creating a two pair versus double-gutter situation. Humboldt Mike check-called a $6,000 wager before the K♣ on the turn gave him the nuts. He again checked and then check-raised a $17,000 bet to $78,000. Steven, who needed to hit his full house on the river to win the hand, moved all in for $217,000 total, and of course the player sitting on the nuts made the call.
There was $465,000 in the pot and Mike felt a sense of relief that he agreed to run the river twice because the first card was the J♥ to give Steven a full house. They’d chop it up after the 5♦ showed up the second time around.
Mike then found himself in another monster pot against Steven, who often plays on Hustler Casino Live. The board showed 8♠4♦8♣10♥2♥ and the pot had $166,000 in the middle. Steven bet $97,000 with trips but didn’t get called by top pair top kicker.
Billionaire Makes a Play
Tang, often viewed as a tight player on shows such as High Stakes Poker and Hustler Casino Live, didn’t live up to that reputation during Episode 7. The co-founder of the DoorDash food delivery app delivered one of the best plays you’ll see all season against a Hollywood actress and experienced poker player.
The hand began with Tilly raising to $6,000 with Q♠Q♦ and receiving calls from Steven’s 10♠8♥ in the big blind and Tang’s J♣10♣ in the $2,000 straddle. When J♠A♦10♥ hit on the flop, all three players had a piece.
Action checked to Tilly, who bet $10,000 with the best hand, earning a call only from the food delivery executive. The turn was the A♥, pairing the board and making it less likely for each player that they were up against an ace. Tang checked, then check-raised a $17,000 wager up to $70,000 with a weaker two pair than he was facing.
The bet didn’t scare away Tilly, who made the call to see the 7♥ on the river. But she couldn’t find a call on the river with the best hand when her opponent value bluffed all in for $204,000 and took down the pot.
Tang wasn’t done pushing around accomplished poker players. The episode wrapped with Tang betting $45,000 on the river with king-high, enough to convince Robl to fold top pair on a fairly wet board.
DoorDash Founder Stanley Tang Gets Clobbered on High Stakes Poker
Past High Stakes Poker Season 13 Episode Recaps
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*Images courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego