It’s good to be Andrew Robl, a statement proven true again on Monday’s High Stakes Poker episode, the fourth of Season 12, which aired on PokerGO.
The high roller who is one of the most skilled cash game players in history did what he so often does on televised poker shows — run hot, much like he did last week during Episode 3. As for the rest of the table, which remained the same minus the subtraction of Jean-Robert Bellande and the addition of Chino Rheem, they didn’t stand much of a chance against the aggressive Robl, who simply would not lose against an all in bet.
When the episode began, Robl had the biggest stack thanks to last week’s performance. His opponents were Vivian Yang, Santhosh Suvarna, Phil Laak, Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot, Justin Gavri, and Rheem. Here’s a look at the starting stacks when the cameras began rolling:
| Player | Chip Stack |
|---|---|
| Andrew Robl | $594,300 |
| Vivian Yang | $383,000 |
| Santhosh Suvarna | $232,800 |
| Phil Laak | $204,600 |
| Nik Airball | $140,200 |
| Justin Gavri | $106,000 |
| Chino Rheem | $88,300 |
Gavri Drawing to a Royal Flush Against Robl
In no surprise, Robl began the show by winning a decent sized pot with ace-high after turning a flush draw against Suvarna, who had nothing but king-high and couldn’t call.
On the next hand, the action got a bit spicy with Robl raising the $800 straddle to $2,000 with 4♠2♠ in an early position. Laak, holding 5♥5♦ in a late position, called. Gavri, in the small blind, three-bet it to $10,000 with K♠Q♠, and he received calls from Rheem in the big blind with 6♦6♣, Suvarna in the straddle with K♥10♥, and then Robl and Laak.
The flop came out A♠J♠2♥, giving Gavri a Royal Flush draw. He fired out a continuation bet of $25,000, which received a call from Suvarna and his gutter ball. Robl, with a small flush draw and bottom pair, popped it up to $60,000, and then Gavri moved all in for $94,300, which wasn’t enough to convince Robl to fold.
Both players agreed to run it twice with Robl out in front but the underdog. The first board of 8♣A♥ changed nothing, and the 8♥A♦ on the second run-out somehow miraculously gave the entire $264,100 pot to Robl, who just never seems to lose a big pot on a televised poker game.
Robl Just Doesn’t Ever Seem to Lose
On the following hand, Robl was back at it again. This time, he called an all in bet of $77,000 preflop with 9♥9♦ and was up against the K♠Q♠ Rheem jammed with.
Once again, the agreement was to run it out twice. Certainly, Robl couldn’t possibly win consecutive run-outs on a race or worse, right? Well, the first board of 10♦5♣10♠7♦4♠ ensured he’d at least claim half the $164,500 pot. And then when the second board showed 3♥5♠J♥7♣6♥, he collected the entire pot.
Mind you, these hands occurred one episode after Robl crushed the game. When one of the most skilled cash game players in history is running this hot, good luck to the rest of the table.
Shortly after, Robl would once again pick up a big hand and play an all in pot. In this one, he had Q♦Q♣ against Suvarna’s A♥K♣, creating another race situation. Again, running it twice was chosen, and the first board, miraculously, went to Suvarna with an ace hitting on the river.
On the second board, the first four community cards showed Q♠9♥10♠J♠, a straight for Suvarna. Could Robl possibly lose the full $204,700 pot? Of course not. The board paired with the J♥, giving the high stakes crusher a full house. Chop it up.
It used to be widely acknowledged that nobody ran hotter on High Stakes Poker than Tom Dwan. After the past two episodes, there’ might be an argument for Robl staking that claim.
Andrew Robl Gets a Generous River Card to Win Massive Pot on ‘High Stakes Poker’
Rough Night for Suvarna
Suvarna would also lose an $80,000 pot to, you guessed it, Robl, who hit the nut straight on the river. But he did make a solid play against Nik Airball on a board of Qx6xQx6xQx. Both players were playing the board, but Suvarna’s aggression won him the pot on the river, avoiding a chop.
He also won a small pot against Yang with middle pair against bottom pair. But Yang would get her revenge on the next hand when she bet $55,000 into a pot of $72,700 on the river with queen-high. Suvarna, who had J♦7♠ on a board of 3♠9♣10♦7♥K♠, didn’t have it in him to make the call, and Yang took the pot down on a bluff.
Suvarna won a few hands, even making a couple impressive plays, but it was always the small pots that went his way. The larger pots, those were all shipped to his opponents, except for the chop pot against Robl.
Past High Stakes Poker Season 12 Episode Recaps
You can catch the full episode on PokerGO, along with future episodes, which air each Monday at 5 p.m. PT.
To watch new episodes of High Stakes Poker, visit PokerGO.
*Images courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego