Poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli made a bold call with 10-high in a six-figure pot during Saturday’s livestream at the Lodge Card Club that paid off against the poker room’s co-owner, Doug Polk, who chuckled when he saw his opponent’s cards.
High-stakes livestreamed action returned to the Round Rock, Texas poker club. The game featured some fan favorites on the show, including Polk, Grandoli, T-1000, and Taras. Seven players battled for over six hours in a $50/$100/$200 no-limit hold’em cash game. The action heated up quickly, but one hand involving two high-profile pros was the biggest and most entertaining.
Poker Room Owner Moves All In
Polk, who purchased a stake in the Lodge Card Club three years ago, has been up and down throughout his numerous livestream appearances. Saturday’s result fits into the “down” category, thanks in large part to one six-figure pot.
The hand began with Mariano raising to $500 from the button with 10♦7♦. Polk, in the big blind with A♦K♠, three-bet it to $2,000 before the player in the straddle, Josh, moved all in for $9,400 with A♥8♥.
Mariano would call the all in bet, but then Polk also decided to go all in for $56,350 total. The poker vlogger who won nearly $500,000 playing high-stakes poker in 2024 then had a decision to make with 10-high.
A call would cost $46,950 more. There was $74,700 already in the pot, about two-thirds of that in the side pot. Mariano likely knew 10-high was almost certainly the worst hand. But sometimes you just have to gamble, and that’s exactly what he did by making the call, which shocked Lodge commentators Slick Rick and Skull Mike.
Polk then turned over his cards and asked Mariano, “what do you have?” Mariano announced his hand and both players had a chuckle.
The 8♦8♣9♦ flop put the laughter on pause as Polk was nearly drawing dead to the main pot given Josh had flopped trips. He was also in jeopardy of losing the much larger side pot with Mariano flopping an open-ended straight flush draw.
The 6♣ appeared on the turn, completing the straight and locking up the side pot for Mariano, and the river 10♠ gave him the entire $121,300 pot.
Mariano would finish the stream as the game’s biggest winner, up $69,400. Polk, however, was the biggest loser thanks to the aforementioned bad beat, down $71,025.
