One of the benefits of being a poker player known for bluffing is that when you eventually have a premium hand, there is a good chance you will get paid off as opponents will think you’re full of it! Continuing to appear in the ever-popular Hustler Casino Live stream, poker vlogger Rampage Poker, who is famously known for bluffing off on stream, got involved in another massive pot. Was Rampage able to pull the chips towards his stack this go around? Read below to find out!
The Game: $100/$200 + $100 Big Blind Ante Cash Game
Effective Stack: 288 Big Blinds
Where: Hustler Casino – Los Angeles, California
This video comes from Jonathan Little’s YouTube Channel. If you would like to stay up to date with more video content such as this, including hand breakdowns from Hellmuth vs Dwan, Garrett Adelstein, Brad Owen and more, be sure to check out the channel.
Playing Suited Connectors Preflop
Under-the-gun +2, Rampage looked down at 9♥–8♥ and made it $600 to play. Holding A♣-K♦ in the cutoff, Nick Vertucci, one of the producers of the Hustler Live stream, three-bet Rampage $2,000. Folded back around, Rampage would call with his suited connectors, taking it to the flop.
Both players played straightforward and strategically sound with their respective hands. Despite being three-bet, Rampage was perfectly fine calling in this spot, as his suited connectors had the potential to flop extremely well.
Rampage Poker Flops An Open-Ender
The Pot: $4,310
The Board: A♠-7♦-6♣
Effective Stack: 278 Big Blinds Effective
Rampage: 9♥-8♥
Vertucci: A♣-K♦
Flop Analysis
Out of position with an open-ended straight draw, Rampage checked to Vertucci, who held top-pair, top-kicker. Vertucci continuation bet another $2,000. Not going anywhere with his straight-draw, Rampage made the call.
When checked to, Vertucci is likely to bet the majority of his range on the ace-high board. While he was wise to bet with his strongly paired ace, was his bet sizing strategically sound? When playing deep stacked, you want to size up slightly with hands that don’t mind a large pot by the river. Top pair-top kicker certainly qualifies, making Vertucci’s half-pot bet standard and proper.
Although having an open-ended straight draw on a rainbow board, Rampage made the right decision calling as opposed to raising Vertucci. While his draw had a lot of potential to get there on the turn or river, Rampage would have put himself in a tough spot if he had raised and was then re-raised. Sticking around and holding out for a straight was the right strategy, and Rampage properly executed it.
Rampage Hits His Straight On The Turn
The Pot: $8,310
The Board: A♠-7♦-6♣-10♠
Effective Stack: 268 Big Blinds Effective
Rampage: 9♥-8♥
Vertucci: A♣-K♦
Turn Analysis
Not wanting to scare Vertucci away with the nuts, Rampage sneakily checked. Not knowing how crushed his paired ace was, Vertucci fired out a $7,000 bet. In response, Rampage check-raised Vertucci $19,000. Facing an opponent he knew was capable of bluffing, Vertucci made the call.
Even though he had hit the nuts, Rampage correctly checked being the first to act. If you have a strong hand like a straight, it makes no sense leading out as it only tips your opponent off to your strength!
While Vertucci has a strong hand with top pair-top kicker, Rampage could have easily had an assortment of hands that beat him. However, Rampage also could have had hands that Vertucci was ahead of, like paired aces with a worse kicker. If Vertucci only expected his opponent to check-raise with hands better than ace-king, he was incentivized to bet. Although Rampage is definitely considered a loose and splashy opponent, Vertucci was still incentivized to bet in this spot, making his $7,000 bet Poker Coaching approved.
Hitting his straight, not only was it the perfect time for Rampage to check-raise, but he had the added benefit of having bluffs in his range. Utilizing his loose and aggressive table presence, Rampage can draw calls that players with a more conservative table presence would not be able to. Rampage made a beautiful play in this spot, taking advantage of his reputation to draw a call from Vertucci for an additional $12,000.
Six Figures On The River
The Pot: $46,310
The Board: A♠-7♦-6♣-10♠-6♦
Effective Stack: 95 Big Blinds Effective
Rampage: 9♥-8♥
Vertucci: A♣-K♦
River Analysis
Having no fears on the river, it was time for Rampage to play for all of it, as he forced Vertucci all-in for his remaining $34,750 stack. Vertucci was in an extremely tough spot, while there were plenty of hands in Rampage’s range that had him beat, Rampage could also be bluffing! Pot committed and unable to shake the feeling Rampage may be bluffing yet again, Vertucci reluctantly made the call and saw the bad news.
With the stack-to-pot ratio Vertucci was facing, Rampage had a pretty easy all-in on the river. Vertucci had a much tougher decision, facing one of the biggest known bluffers in the poker community.
Unfortunately for Vertucci, with the stack-to-pot ratio and considering the tendency of his opponent to bluff, he had to pay. When offered a good price, there are times in poker when you must make reluctant calls when it makes sense to do so. Despite being the one to organize the game, Vertucci would be on the receiving end of a big loss for over $50,000.
Thank you to Hustler Casino and the Hustler Casino Live stream team for allowing us to use footage from this hand. If you want to watch some of the most entertaining high stakes action on the internet, be sure to check out their YouTube channel.
