WPH #558: Is This The END For Mariano???

pokerstrategy #highstakespoker #pokergo

The Lodge Live stream always delivers to its audience a tonne of crazy high stakes poker action. That was no different in this poker hand as popular poker vlogger Mariano and crazy businessman Taras face off against each other. It seems like a relatively innocuous hand until Mariano check-raises the river with top-top. Most players would just fold, but Taras is not like most other poker players!

When bluffing, making a small flop bet in relation to the size of the pot encourages your opponent to stick around with poker hands like overcards, gutshots, and backdoor draws. As a result, double barreling becomes a much more lucrative play. On relatively blank turns, you can force your opponent to fold hands that currently beat yours, and it also makes your overcard outs much cleaner when you hit them on the river.

Mariano Grandoli also known as Mariano is an American professional poker player born in Argentina. He regularly features on the Hustler Casino Live stream. He also has a popular poker YouTube channel with over 167,000 subscribers. Since 2021, Mariano has played over 178 live streamed cash games and has won over $1,600,000.

Taras Bobrovytsky is an amateur poker player living in Texas. He has been a regular at The Lodge for a long time and will play stakes from $5/$10 all the way up to $400/$800. He is known to be very talkative at the table. Since 2022, Taras has played over 24 live streamed cash games and has won over $600,000.

In early 2022, poker professionals Doug Polk, Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme joined forces to acquire a controlling stake in The Lodge Poker Club & Card Room, which happens to be the largest poker establishment in Austin, Texas. This exclusive poker club, accessible only to its poker members, boasts an impressive array of amenities, including over 80 poker tables of cash games and tournaments, operating around-the-clock. Additionally, The Lodge provides an inviting ambiance with 40 large-screen TVs, allowing poker club members to enjoy sports entertainment while playing poker or while relaxing in the cozy waiting area. The live poker stream includes commentary from Skull Mike and Slick Rick, who have been long-time regulars at The Lodge. They provide viewers with strategic insights, complemented by a perfect blend of humor. Lodge Card Club has bought San Antonio’s largest poker room, Rounders Card Club, which opened in July 2024. The new Lodge Card Club San Antonio will relocate to a larger space to host bigger poker tournaments and events. Chaz Gill, known as Big Daddy Chaz, will join Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen as a partner to help meet the local poker community’s needs.

Preflop: With the $200 straddle on, Mariano raises to $500 from under-the-gun+1 with big slick. Taras 3-bets to $1,500 from the cutoff with QJ of diamonds, and Mariano just calls with ace-king instead of opting for a 4-bet.

Flop – 8h 7h 5s: Both players completely miss the low, wet, and connected flop. Only Mariano has a backdoor flush draw. Mariano checks, and Taras makes a continuation bet for $1,000 with just two overs and a backdoor straight draw. Mariano calls with his overcards and backdoor draws, and they both proceed to the turn.

Turn – 7s: The board pairing 7 of spades on the turn is intimidating for both players. Mariano checks again, and Taras checks behind.

River – Kd: Mariano improves to top pair, a pair of kings, on the river and checks for the last time. Taras, holding only queen high, attempts to represent the king by firing a bet of $2,400. Mariano, however, decides to go for more value as he decides to check-raise to $14,400 with his top pair, top kicker. Now Taras faces a tough decision. Will he fold his suited broadway cards against Mariano’s aggressive line, or will he make a surprising move? Stay tuned to see what happens next!

Jonathan Little analyzes live poker hands from TV poker shows such as Poker After Dark, Hustler Casino Live, The Lodge Pok