Over the last year, the ultra-high-stakes cash game world has delivered some of the biggest and most incredible pots in poker history. That trend continued in a massive hand that recently played out on a live stream from Jeju, South Korea.
The King Poker Cup million-dollar cash game featured $1,000-$2,000 blinds, with a straddle and a $3,000 squid game in play. Inevitably, big stacks clashed in a pot worth over $5 million, one of the largest ever shown on a live stream or TV broadcast.
The hand involved several key players, including a Chinese high roller under the moniker ‘ST’, and Triton Super High Roller Series event winners Aaron Zang and Wiktor Malinowski.
Zang famously took down the largest buy-in poker tournament ever held, earning over $16.8 million via a heads-up deal before coming from behind against Bryn Kenney in that £1,050,00 charity invitational event held in London back in 2019. Malinowski is known to many for his high-rolling online antics under the screen name ‘Limitless’.
How It Played Out
The hand began with ‘ST’ limping for $4,000. Zang and one other player did the same. Malinowski, on the button, raised to $35,000 with K♥J♣.
‘ST,’ whose hand was hidden from viewers at this point in the stream, called, as did Zang, with J♦9♣, and ‘HY’, who had 8♥7♥. They went four ways to a Q♠10♦7♣ flop, and action ultimately checked around to Malinowski, who bet $45,000. ST and Zang both called.
On the K♠ turn, the action once again checked to Malinowski, who bet $135,000. ‘ST’ paused for a significant stretch before he ultimately called. Zang also pondered his options for quite a bit before he eventually raised to $635,000. Malinowski, with his top pair and straight draw, thought for about a minute and eventually let his hand go. With $2.2 million remaining in his stack, ‘ST’ went deep into the tank once again and then called.
The 8♦ landed on the river. With a little less than $1.7 million in the pot, almost identical to his remaining stack, ‘ST’ checked. Zang bet $800,000, and ‘ST’ responded with an all-in shove. Even with almost half of ‘ST’s’ stack committed to the pot, Zang thought for almost two minutes before he called. ‘ST’ rolled over A♥J♥, taking down the $5,029,000 pot with his superior straight in a pot that ultimately took 14 minutes to play out from start to finish.
Another One For The Record Books
Live-streamed poker has reached new heights and pushed the limits higher with each subsequent year. Less than three years ago, Tom Dwan set a new record for the biggest live streamed pot in history with a $3.1 million win at Hustler Casino Live.
Ossi Ketola’s series of high stakes heads-up out bouts, many of which were live streamed, raised the bar even higher. Malinowski, who managed to avoid being the biggest loser to ‘ST,’ won a $5.7 million pot against Ketola during one of their clashes.
Alex Foxen lost an $11 million pot during one of his heads-up bouts against Ketola, almost doubling that record. A few days later, Ketola scooped a $12.7 million pot against Bjorn Li.
‘ST’s’ $5 million win, which came in a multi-way pot and a non heads-up setting, carries its own place in live-streamed poker history. The only thing that appears certain, though, is that the stakes, and the pots, will only continue to grow larger.
