Who Won and Lost Fortunes on the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Games?
Thousands of people tuned in for hours on end watching some of the biggest livestreamed pots ever during the four Hustler Casino LiveMillion Dollar Games. When all was said and done early Saturday morning, four players lost over $1 million, thanks in large part to a player only known by his first name — Peter.
Peter won a fortune, nearly $5 million, while two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Michael "Texas Mike" Moncek was one of two players who dumped over $2 million into the Million Dollar Game economy.
Health Issues and Huge Losses for Texas Mike
One of the more entertaining and colorful players in poker, Moncek, brought the action during the two days he competed on the Million Dollar Game. He started off Day 1 (May 28) a bit slow, and then he turned on the jets and booked a $516,000 profit. In one hand, he flopped trips, then turned a full house. Tom Dwan picked up top pair on the turn, and Moncek was able to get paid off for a $340,000 pot. And then he made one of the gutsiest plays you'll ever see.
Texas Mike was scheduled to come back on Day 2, but he's been dealing with a heart condition. As such, he decided to rest up and then come back to the Million Dollar Game for Day 3. But he's likely wishing he'd sat that session out as well after losing just over $2.7 million, one of the biggest losses in televised poker history.
One of Moncek's worst hands came against Brandon Steven, who flopped a set and was called by top pair on the flop for over $700,000, creating a pot of more than $1.5 million. And, of course, we can't forget the $2.2 million race Texas Mike lost against Alan Keating.
A Legend was Born
Peter is one of the more private players on Hustler Casino Live. He'd appeared on the show about a dozen times prior to the Million Dollar Game, and was down over $1 million cumulatively. He's now the biggest winner in HCL history ... by a lot.
Peter showed up for Day 1 and just completely obliterated the competition to the tune of a $1.5 million profit. He came back the next day and had a bit of an off session, by his new lofty standards, winning a paltry $999,500. On Day 3, he decided to let someone else win all the money and took the day off before getting in the game late for the final stream, and that was his biggest win by a wide margin — $2,413,500.
On Day 4, however, there was a bit of controversy surrounding Peter's exit from the game. After tank-calling on the river a $575,000 bet from Keating with a pair of aces and a weak kicker, he lost a $1.6 million pot to the nuts, and then left the game shortly after, a decision heavily criticized on social media and in the YouTube chat.
$1 Million Poker Game Interesting Stats
Thirteen players competed in the Million Dollar Game across four days, including mainstream poker legends Dwan and Doug Polk, who lost $126,000 on Day 2 and wasn't able to get into another game. Peter was the biggest winner by a wide margin at $4,938,000, while the masked mystery player named "Thomas" took the largest overall defeat (-$2,731,000).
Dwan was the only player who competed all four days, and he had a rough week — down $721,500. If there's any consolation for "durrrr," who was initially blocked by some other players from playing Day 4, he made a bit of a comeback after having been down nearly $1.3 million through the first two sessions.
In total, six players turned a profit, while seven finished in the red. Texas Mike, Action Dan, Thomas, and Rahul all finished down seven figures. Peter, Keating, and Santhosh Suvarna are going home at least $1 million wealthier than they were before arriving at Hustler Casino in Los Angeles.
But the most important stat, at least for Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci, is the viewership, which had anywhere from 25,000 to 35,000 concurrent viewers at any given time across the four days. Even with the 2024 WSOP getting underway on the same day as the Million Dollar Game began, there were just as many eyeballs on the HCL streams.
