WPH #521: When Poker Players Go CRAZY!!!!!!

Big Slick, Anna Kournikova, or just plain old ace-king can be one of the hardest hands to play when deep-stacked and out of position. Brown Balla found himself in this exact spot after he had just called a 5-bet out of position during a high stakes cash game at The Lodge Card Club. But the high stakes regular had some tricks up his sleeve after bricking the flop and turn. Can he find a way to win with just ace high?

When you are playing extremely deep-stacked poker, your 5-betting range should primarily consist of pocket aces and low-suited aces. In order to balance your range you want to make sure that you have some bluffs that block your opponent from having the nuts as well as having the nuts yourself!

Brown Balla whose real name is Eshaan Bhalla, has played only a handful of times on The Lodge Poker live stream. He is often seen on the Hustler Casino Live stream and is willing to play any stakes. He has over $550,000 in live tournament earnings with his biggest cash of $171,874 coming at the 2023 World Series Of Poker (WSOP), where he came 4th in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Max event.

Alex Jauregui who has previously appeared as “”Alp””, is a high stakes poker player from America who frequently participates on The Lodge Poker live stream at any stakes. He has over $690,000 in live tournament earnings. Alex is up over $670,000 from live streamed cash games in over 20 sessions.

In early 2022, poker professionals Doug Polk, Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme joined forces to acquire a controlling stake in The Lodge Poker Club & Card Room, which happens to be the largest poker establishment in Austin, Texas. This exclusive poker club, accessible only to its members, boasts an impressive array of amenities, including over 80 poker tables of cash games and tournaments, operating around-the-clock. Additionally, The Lodge provides an inviting ambiance with 40 large-screen TVs, allowing poker club members to enjoy sports entertainment while playing poker or while relaxing in the cozy waiting area. The live poker stream includes commentary from Skull Mike and Slick Rick, who have been long-time regulars at The Lodge. They provide viewers with strategic insights, complemented by a perfect blend of humor.

The Lodge Live Stream has had a variety of different poker players coming to play on stream, these include; Doug Polk ‘WCGRider’, Alex Foxen, Dan Cates ‘Jungleman’, Ben Lamb, Bill Perkins, Brad Owen, Andrew Neeme, and Nik Airball.

🔍 Preflop: Brown Balla raises to $500 with AK of spades from under-the-gun. Alex 3-bets to $1,500 from the lojack with A4 of diamonds. Nik Airball calls from the hijack with 76 of clubs, and Tricktime calls from the cutoff with 87 of spades. After the button and blinds fold, Brown Balla decides to 4-bet to $8,500 with his big slick. Alex then puts in the rare 5-bet to $21,500 with a game theory optimal (GTO) approved hand. Nik Airball and Tricktime fold their suited connectors before Brown Balla calls, and they head to the flop.

💸 Flop – Ts 9c 7d: The ten-high board misses both players’ suited aces. Brown Balla remains ahead with a backdoor straight draw and backdoor nut flush draw. He checks to the preflop aggressor, Alex, who puts out a continuation bet of $20,000 with just a backdoor flush draw. Brown Balla seems to think his ace-king, a.k.a Anna Kournikova, might still be good as he makes the call, and they head to the turn.

💣 Turn – 8h: The 8 of hearts on the turn completes the badugi board and puts a four-liner to a straight out. Meaning, any player holding a seven or jack would make a straight. Brown Balla seems to think he has more straights in his range as he leads out for a tiny bet of $18,000. Alex doesn’t believe him though as he puts in a min-raise to $36,000 with a worse ace-high. How will Brown Balla respond to this, will he fold with no pair or draw, will he call to see a river, or will he go do something only an insane poker player would do and decide to raise? Stick around to the end of this poker video to find out!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Poker Club & PokerGO. He also analyzes popular poker vloggers such as Rampage Poker, Brad Owen, Jaman Burton, Ashley Sleeth, Wolfgang Poker and others!

You will also find many poker hands on this channel that contain some of the biggest names in the poker world such as; Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, Garrett Adelstein, Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Fedor Holz & many more!

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