A few years ago, Todd Brunson watched one of the most recognized pros in the industry come close to the depths of poker despair by nearly wiping out his entire bankroll in one session. Down nearly $1.4 million in a high-stakes mixed game, he put in his last $50,000 during deuce-to-seven triple-draw still drawing to a 7-low against 8-6. Fate was kind. A 7 hit the board, which started a rush that took his stack back to upwards of $2 million.

“Afterwards, he was laughing and said, ‘You guys have no idea how lucky that was. That was all the money I had in the world. I didn’t know where I was going to get any more money. I was already thinking about who I might be able to borrow from,’” said Brunson with a chuckle. “If that 7 didn’t come, who knows, we may never have heard from him again.”

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Take a look around at any high stakes poker game. You’ll see a few seasoned pros like Brunson, seemingly at ease, despite the enormous stakes, and looking to pick on some equitable prey. Others are amateurs, playing with money earned from a day job. Then, there are the risk-takers, the gamblers, and the players who live and die in the moment, willing to put it all on the line for the next card.

Bricks of cash and large-denomination chips line the outside of the table, with the highest stacks indicating those who are either out-flopping or outplaying their opponents. Each pot passed by the dealer could easily be worth a Mercedes, or even a picture-perfect two-story dream home with a white picket fence. Chances are, one of these games is going on right now in one of America’s largest gaming destinations, places that have capitalized on the growing popularity of poker and the players’ needs to up the ante.

CapitalCity

It’s no surprise that Las Vegas, known as the “Gambling Capital of the World,” would serve as host to the biggest cash games ever played. The richest game of all time was between billionaire banker Andy Beal and “The Corporation,” a group of players who combined bankrolls to play heads-up limit hold’em with blinds as high as $100,000-$200,000. Indian casino near long beach. To put that into perspective, the most popular cash game in Las Vegas is $1-$2 no-limit hold’em.

That famous game was held at Bellagio, which is now home to the legendary Bobby’s Room. This is the place to find the highest stakes cash games around. Tourists and poker fans can walk into the Bellagio poker room and peer through the stained glass windows of the exclusive enclosed room. If they look closely, they may be able to catch a glimpse of Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, Minh Ly, or any of the many world renowned pros who are always eager and willing to put up a six- or even seven-digit buy-in. There will also be a few unrecognizable players, such as business people, like Beal, who can only get their thrills competing in the toughest and highest game in town.

But for Todd Brunson, poker is about the money, and if there is a high-stakes cash game going on in Vegas, he’s in it. The most common high-stakes cash game he plays is a $2,000-$4,000 mixed game wherein all games are played. So, not only do these players have to be proficient in all variations of poker, they must also have character and self-control in order to be successful, according to Todd.

“Someone with poker abilities overall and a lot of discipline makes a good high-stakes cash player. You also have to know when to quit. You see a lot of people come and go because they just don’t have what it takes,” said Brunson. “A lot of people in the big game have talent, and they are all really good players, but some of them will sit there and just lose $2 million or $3 million in one day, and I basically never do that. If I lose a certain amount, I’ll just quit. And, on the flip side of that, if I’m winning, I’ll stay there for a long time and try to maximize my win.”

Although Bellagio has dominated the high-stakes poker scene for the past few years, it isn’t the only big boy on the block anymore. Since the Venetian opened its poker room with a private high-stakes salon in the back, the Big Game has been splitting time between the two world-class venues.

“The Salon was built to accommodate the high-limit players and offer them a degree of privacy and the ability to relax,” said the Venetian’s director of poker room operations, Kathy Raymond.“If they want to have a three-course meal with filet mignon, absolutely they can do it. Closest casino to nashua nh. The butlers come in and serve it. Anything they want within our ability to accommodate, we definitely do.”

Everything from $50-$100 no-limit hold’em up to $4,000-$8,000 limit mixed games play in this room, and if the head of LFP, Larry Flynt, most well known for producing Hustler Magazine, is in town, they will be playing strictly seven-card stud eight-or-better for the highest stakes available. Should passersby peek through the hardwood sliding doors on a night when Flynt is playing, they see players like Phil Ivey and John Hennigan with piles of green $5,000 chips.

Though he frequents Las Vegas, Flynt doesn’t have to leave his Hustler Casino’s hometown to find high-stakes action.

Big City, Big Game

Located in a city where people match cars with outfits, it’s easy to see why the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles attracts big games.

“We have established a reputation for where the action is,” said High-Stakes Cash Game Host Jerry Stensrud. “People fly in from all over the world to play the high-stakes games here. The Commerce just kind of dominates here in California. If you want to small stakes, you can go to the other two casinos in the area, but if you want to play high, this is where all of the games are.”

When discussing the biggest cash games in L.A., there is hardly ever a conversation without mentioning Kenny Tran.

“There is just so much money in Los Angeles,” said Tran. “I play at the Commerce and in private home games. It is always a mix of celebrities and business people playing high.”

At the Commerce, the big game is spread about once a month. It is a $200-$400 no-limit hold’em cash game with $500 on the button and a $100,000 buy-in. For anyone who is saving up to buy a cool new game console, just think, these guys are playing with a PlayStation 3 as a big blind. Ouch.

According to Stensrud, there were only two pros in the last $100,000 buy-in game the Commerce ran.A theme common among L.A. players is anonymity. Movie stars’ transitions to the poker tables are made easier by the fact that they are used to wearing sunglasses and hats. Until the paparazzi turns into the “pokerazzi,” the identity of these players is kept very private. Not only is it a rule by the poker staff at the Commerce, it is also an unwritten rule among the pros that play with the celebrities.

The Commerce’s other high-stakes cash games include $1,000-$2,000 B.E.O.T. combo — which is badugi, seven-card stud eight-or-better, Omaha, and deuce-to-seven triple-draw — as well as a $100-$200 no-limit hold’em cash game with a buy-in of $20,000. Along with Tran, Bobby Hoff is also a regular in these games. Respected by other industry professionals, Dan Harrington is devoting space to him in his new book. Both Tran and Hoff were recently featured in a new section in Card Player magazine called C

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