Phil Laak Busts Out the Bricks of Cash on High Stakes Poker Episode 5

Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S.

Mar 18, 2024 5 min read

Short and Big Stacks Battle Early
Bricks of Cash Make Poker Shows Fun
High Stakes Poker Cruel to Santhosh
Robl Plays “The Robbi”
Airball and Suvarna Gamble Against Chino’s Aces
Past High Stakes Poker Season 12 Episode Recaps

High Stakes Poker Season 12 has been action-packed through the first four shows. But it really picked up in Episode 5, which aired Monday night on PokerGO.

The table remained the same from Episode 4, with Andrew Robl having everyone easily covered and nearly $1 million in front of him. Vivian Yang, Nikhil "Nik Airball" Arcot, Phil Laak, Santhosh Suvarna, Jean-Robert Bellande, and Chino Rheem rounded out the table at the start of the show.

Player	Chip Stack
Andrew Robl	$969,600
Vivian Yang	$476,500
Nik Airball	$208,500
Phil Laak	$202,100
Santhosh Suvarna	$134,000
Jean-Robert Bellande	$100,000
Chino Rheem	$57,300

Short and Big Stacks Battle Early

The show began with the big stack – Robl – pushing around Rheem, the little stack. Six-high took down a small pot to start off the night. Laak would then take down his own small pot with pocket queens against Suvarna.

Brandon Adams then joined the game, appearing on High Stakes Poker for the first time since 2008, and bought in for $200,000. He folded his junk hand, but Rheem and Robl would tangle for another small pot.

This time around, the small stack hit a three-outer on the river (pair of aces) to crack pocket 10’s to ship the pot.

Bricks of Cash Make Poker Shows Fun

Part of what has always made High Stakes Poker one of the most entertaining poker shows ever is the incorporation of fat stacks of cash, or bricks of cash, if you prefer. They were out in full swing during Episode 5.

In one hand, action began with Laak limp-trapping with A♠K♣ for $1,600 (double straddle on), as did Bellande with K♥7♥ behind him, and then Adams on the button with A♥10♦. Rheem followed suit in the small blind with 3♥2♥. But Suvarna, holding 9♠9♣, opted for a raise to $11,600.

Laak decided it was time to make a move with Big Slick, so he $42,400, and only Suvarna called. The flop came out 3♠2♣8♥, no over cards to the pair of 9’s. Laak, with just ace-high, shoved his bricks of cash in the middle, an all in bet for $167,000. But Suvarna was unable to make the call.

Moments later, “The Unabomber” picked up Big Slick again and won a much smaller pot against Rheem, who didn’t connect on the board and folded queen-high.

High Stakes Poker Cruel to Santhosh

Santhosh Suvarna Poker — Santhosh Suvarna

In the old school High Stakes Poker days, JRB often lost to some pretty sick coolers. He was long known as one of the most, if not the most, unlucky players on the show. But times have changed for him a bit during the PokerGO era.

On Episode 5, one hand he played against Suvarna proved his reversal of fortune. The action began with Bellande straddling for $800 with A♥6♦. Rheem, in an early position with 4♠4♦, raised it up to $3,000, and Suvarna behind him sitting on A♦J♣, made the call. Laak, in the small blind with K♠J♠, called, as did Bellande.

The flop of A♣6♣A♠ created quite the cooler situation. Laak, who missed the flop almost completely, checked. Bellande hit a full house and opted to bet it, firing out $6,000, about one-third the size of the pot.

Rheem made the call to keep JRB honest, and Suvarna, who flopped trip aces, also called, while Laak folded. The 7♥ on the turn was of no help to any of the three remaining players in the hand. Bellande went bigger this time, throwing out $25,000 worth of chips. Only Suvarna called, and the 2♥ on the river ensured JRB would win the hand. He went for a $69,000 wager, a bit under the size of the pot, and his opponent couldn’t find a fold.

Bellande would again pick on Suvarna with both players holding AxQx on a jack-high flop. A bet of $50,000 was enough for JRB to take the pot down with the same two cards his opponent held.

Role Reversal: JRB Runs Hot, "Durrrr" Does Not on Latest High Stakes Poker

Robl Plays “The Robbi”

Last week on High Stakes Poker, the cards smacked Robl in the face. But this week, the cash game crusher made some moves in an attempt to win big pots.

Take, for example, an entertaining hand he played against Adams on a board of 8♣4♠A♠5♥9♠ and $125,300 in the pot. Robl, with J♠4♥, aka “The Robbi,” which is named after Robbi Jade Lew, had the smallest pair on the board and knew he couldn’t win at showdown. So, he made an aggressive play, betting $100,000 in cash bricks hoping it would be enough to convince the Harvard professor to send his cards into the muck.

Adams, a former Full Tilt Poker pro, tanked before instinctively calling it off with 10♥8♥, a difficult decision with a small pair of his own, but the right decision. He took down the $325,300 pot.

Airball and Suvarna Gamble Against Chino’s Aces

One of the most thrilling hands of the night ended up in a three-way all in situation. Rheem held A♦A♣ in the $1,600 straddle, while Suvarna had 8♠7♠ in the $3,200 straddle. Nik Airball, with A♠J♠, opened the action from an early position by raising it up to $10,000.

Rheem surprisingly decided to just call the raise, which allowed Suvarna to come along for the ride. The flop came 2♠K♠7♥, and Airball led out for $20,000 with the nut flush draw. But he’d face an all in raise of $95,000 from pocket aces.

Suvarna also flopped a flush draw to go along with middle pair, and he had both players covered. He called the all in bet, as did Nik Airball. All three players agreed to run the turn and river twice. On the first runout of 3♥K♦, Rheem’s hand held up. But the Q♥10♦ on the second board brought Airball a straight to chop it up.

To finish out the night, Airball won a $324,700 pot with a set against Suvarna’s top two pair. It’s the second consecutive night the Hustler Casino Live regular won big. During last night’s livestream at The Lodge Card Club in Texas, he booked a $370,000 profit during a marathon session.