The Million Dollar Game kicked off last night on Hustler Casino Live, and it didn’t disappoint, with a number of seven-figure pots and a spectacular opening from UFC ring announcer and poker enthusiast Bruce Buffer.
All eyes were on Tom Dwan after he won the biggest televised pot of $3.1 million last year. However, last night was a brutal session for him, punctuated by him losing two million-dollar pots to his nemesis for the night, Peter.
The first one started well enough for Dwan. Peter raised to $4K with 
, Steve called with 
and Dwan came along with the speculative 
. The 
flop was the jackpot for Dwan, with no overcards for Peter and the nut flush draw for Steve.
Peter bet $8K, Steve called, and Dwan raised it up to $36K. Both players called.
The 
turn was a disaster for Dwan.
“Oh my god, where did they find that card?” said Christian Vasquez on comms. “Excuse me? Where is that card coming from? Oh no, oh no, durrrr. I’m standing up in the booth right now, this is crazy.”
Dwan bet $76K, Peter called, and Steve got out of the way.
The 
river was a complete brick, and Peter checked again to Dwan, who bet $167K. Peter raised to $425K, which brought out Dwan’s inner monologue. “Why? Why, Peter, why? [sigh] What? [sip of water] What? [sigh] Ohhhhh… I feel I’m for sure beat, but I don’t think I can fold.”
He couldn't, and he saw the bad news in a pot worth $1,129,000.
Dwan gets stacked in second cooler hand
Dwan rebuilt a bit, winning two all-ins, but it all came crashing down in another hand against Peter.
In the third seven-figure pot of the night, Dwan raised to $3K with 
only to see Hook three-bet to $20K with 
. Peter called with 
and Dwan joined them to the flop.
The 
flop was great for Hook, with a ten on-board to keep Dwan and Peter in the hand. All three players checked to the turn, which seemed like another jackpot for Dwan but was actually another disaster in the making.
“Where does that card come from? The one out ten, and now you’re betting," Vasquez said as Hook bet $20K. “Excuse me? The case ten? Oh no. This pot is about to explode.”
Dwan raised to $73K, Hook called, and Peter raised to $223K. Dwan moved all-in, and Peter tanked but made the call to win the $1,059,000 pot.
With that, Peter was up $1.5 million, and Dwan was down $1 million.
You can watch the whole hand below.
Tom Dwan: “Don’t jinx me”
The good news, for fans and any backers, is that Dwan is going to come back tonight for his second of four scheduled sessions.
Talking to Veronica Brill after the game, he admitted, "It’s me making the game good. I did pay off Peter with a four when I really didn’t need to. The other hand, the J-T, there’s not much I can do.”
“You can’t beat Peter tonight, can you?” Brill asked.
“Don’t jinx me, there’s still a little hope left,” Dwan said, but added, “I’m not happy.”
“You are coming back tomorrow?” Brill asked.
“Unfortunately,” Dwan nodded.
To his credit, Dwan was laughing with Brill afterwards, especially when she asked if he’d ever run worse. However, he did veto a ‘funny bit’ that the producers had put to him.
See the whole interview below the final results for the session.
Million Dollar Game Day 1 results
| Player | Stack | Profit/loss |
|---|---|---|
| Peter | $2,522,500 | +$1,525,500 |
| Texas Mike | $1,509,500 | +$516,000 |
| Handz | $1,225,500 | +$226,000 |
| Steve | $685,500 | -$314,500 |
| Action Dan | $596,000 | -$404,000 |
| Hook | $692,500 | -$557,000 |
| Tom Dwan |
$507,500 | -$992,000 |
