On the latest episode of No Gamble, No Future, a semi-fresh crop of players took to the PokerGO Studio felt for a $100/$200 battle. Antonio Esfandiari, Matt Hanks, and Josh Greenly hung around for more action as Jennifer Tilly and Andrew Sasson joined the party. Both Darin Feinstein and Kirk Brown took seats for their series debuts, but it was the former who truly dominated the action at the table.
Esfandiari and Feinstein both started with $200,000 in front of them while Brown put $150,000 into play – the others all began with $50,000 stacks. It was clear from the jump that Feinstein, a Las Vegas based entrepreneur, not only had history with several players at the table but was also more than willing to mix it up for the cameras – and he showed it in two big pots against Hanks.
An early bluff gone wrong
With the $400 straddle in play, Feinstein picked up and raised to $2,500 – picking up calls from Tilly with
, Hanks with
, and Esfandiari with
. With $10,300 in the middle, the dealer spread the
flop and Feinstein continued for $8,000. Hanks, having burnt through much of his $200,000 stack already, made the call with his bottom pair while the rest of the field cleared out.
On the turn, Feinstein bet again when checked to – this time firing $17,000. Before Hanks could act, Feinstein exposed his
and told his opponent he would call an all-in on the river. Hanks, undeterred, called once more to bring in the
river and Feinstein immediately bet enough to put his opponent all-in.
"Why you gotta make me look bad?" Hanks asked Feinstein. "Now whatever I do, I look bad."
As he pondered his decision, Hanks explained his thought process. "It would be excruciating pain if I fold and you show me a bluff," he said.
Then, he slid a stack of chips across the betting line to make the call and scooped the entire $146,900 pot.
Lose a big one, win a bigger one
Hanks and Feinstein squared off again on the very next hand. With a limp from Greenly and his in front of him, Feinstein looked down at another premium –
– and raised to $3,300. Hanks peeled
and made the call, inviting Greenly to come along as well.
On the flop, Feinstein fired $9,000 into the middle and only Hanks made the call. While the
turn may have looked promising to Hanks as he made top pair, it was anything but. With $28,300 in the middle, Feinstein opted for a sizable overbet of $51,000.
"Man, playing with these two is pretty fun. Just sit back, buckle up, and hold on!" Esfandiari said as he watched the action unfold in front of him.
Hanks took a moment, but decided he couldn't fold and moved all-in over the top. Feinstein wasted no time in making the call.
"Nobody ever folds in this game," observed Tilly.
The two players agreed to run the river three times, but none of them came to Hanks' rescue and Feinstein dragged in the $262,100 pot.
No Gamble, No Future airs Tuesday evenings at 8:00pm ET, exclusively on PokerGO.
Images courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO