HCL Million Dollar Game returns -- will it break the $3.1 million record?

Mo Afdhal
Posted on: February 21, 2024 10:15 PST

The last time Hustler Casino Live put together a lineup for its Million Dollar Game TomDwan and WesleyFei played a pot worth $3.1 million, setting the record for the largest-ever pot in televised poker history.

Today, HCL announced plans to run it back again. From May 28-31 the HCL set will transform into the proving ground for one of the biggest cash games of the year. While it is by no means the goal of the stream, there's no doubt that the production team at HCL will be rooting for another record-breaking pot this time around.

RyanFeldman, producer and co-owner of HCL, told PokerOrg, "We’re very excited for the Million Dollar Game this year. We have early commitments from some very exciting players — Alan Keating, Santhosh, Peter, Tony G, Brandon Steven, Doug Polk, and some others. After the success of last year, there’s a lot of interest already from pros and recreational players. We’re gonna have our work cut out for us trying to figure out the lineups for each day and who to say no to. It’s a great problem to have. We think this year is gonna be even more exciting and action-packed than last year."

In accordance with the name, the minimum buy-in for the Million Dollar Game is, well, $1 million. With the stakes set at $500/$1,000, stacks will be deep, affording the players plenty of room to maneuver. That being said, it's unlikely that the game stays that size for the duration--straddles and re-straddles will almost certainly come into play.

The lineup

As the game takes place over the course of several days, the lineups each night will see new players join in as others tap out. The announcement from HCL included the names of several confirmed players--NikAirball, CharlesYu, Antanas"Tony G" Guoga, DougPolk, AlanKeating, SanthoshSuvarna, Handz, BrandonSteven, and Peter.

Tony G expressed his excitement to return to HCL saying, “I’m ready to return and would like to thank Ryan for the invitation. I’ll pack the bike, trike, or whatever it takes to make me a winner!” The last time he appeared on the show was during last year's Million Dollar Game, profiting $415,000 over the course of three sessions despite facing some tough spots along the way.

Tony G HCL Million Dollar Game

Plus, there are more names and details to come in the lead up to the game. As Feldman told us, "We’re still over 3 months out, so it’s very early. We’ll have more updates on confirmed players and lineups once we get to May."

The HCL Million Dollar Game kicks off May 28 streaming exclusively on the HCL YouTube channel. As mentioned, further details are still to come in terms of the lineup of players and which days they are playing.

Check back in with PokerOrg for all the latest Million Dollar Game updates.