Jungleman’s Miracle Straight Flush Shocks Hustler Casino Live

During the June 21^st Hustler Casino Live stream, Dan “Jungleman” Cates stunned viewers after rivering a straight flush.

Around two and a half hours into the 5 p.m. broadcast, Cates used a bit of table talk to coax a call from poker vlogger Mariano Grandoli. Unfortunately for Grandoli, his nut straight was no good, costing him a pretty penny. 

Jungleman Strikes Again

If there’s one poker player that always seems to pull the cat out of the bag and make ridiculous hands, it’s the one and only, Dan “Jungleman” Cates. 

Let’s rewind to 2021, when he cracked the poker legend, Phil Ivey’s quads for a HK$6,400,000 pot with a steel wheel – you just can’t make this up.

Cates’s wild antics, maniac plays, and sick reads are why fans can’t get enough of him, and rightly so. 

He was on top form during last Friday’s Hustler Casino Live stream, with many exciting moments throughout the show, but the main one saw Cates and Mariano battle it out – to say the least, it took an unexpected turn, or should I say river. 

WHAT A RUNOUT!! 😱@junglemandan rivers a STRAIGHT FLUSH after Mariano turns the NUTS

Check out the elite table talk by @junglemandan 👀

Tune in NOW for HIGH STAKES $50/100: https://t.co/8UvEIPE5sX pic.twitter.com/E7SEjZOv2i

— Hustler Casino Live (@HCLPokerShow) June 22, 2024

Photo Credit: Hayley Hochstetler

Talk About A Brutal River Card

The blinds are $50/100 + $100 bb Ante in the HCL No-Limit Hold ‘Em cash game. Mariano opens with a $300 raise from the highjack holding K♥Q♣. Jungleman, on the button with 9♠8♠, three-bet to $1,200, and only Mariano called. 

The flop fell 10♠4♦A♣ rainbow. Mariano checked his straight draw, and Jungleman, after a moment of contemplation made a $1,000 c-bet.

“Do you have an ace or not?” Jungleman asks, trying to squeeze some info out of his opponent.

“Yeah, I do,” Mariano replied, despite not holding one.

The turn, J♠, gave Mariano the nut straight and Cates a straight flush draw. Mariano decided to induce here as he checked. As the turn card improved Jungleman’s equity, it was an easy spot for him to lead on the second street. But still, he was trying to figure out what Mariano was holding. 

“I got a feeling you don’t have Ace Jack, but you might have Ace Jack,” Jungleman says to himself.

Mariano was getting noticeably annoyed by Cates’ verbal decision-making.

“Just bet your hand, Jungle,” Mariano says.

Not long after, Jungleman makes his play and fires $3,800 into the pot, which saw a check raise to $14,000. Cates had plenty of outs, so he wasn’t going anywhere – he made the call and saw the miracle card.

The river was the 7♠, which unbelievably made Cates’ backdoor straight flush. Without much hesitation, Mariano peeked at his cards and led for $16,600. Jungleman, now holding the nuts, saw this as a perfect chance to try and throw Mariano off with some table talk. 

“Can you bluff here?” Cates says.

After some time, and more top-tier speech play, Jungleman goes all-in for $52,050. 

Looking at a $101,000 pot, the nut straight in his hand, and irresistible 3:1 pot odds, Mariano had no choice but to call Jungleman’s jam. However, Mariano’s hopes were quickly dashed as Jungleman revealed his straight flush to take down the $136,550 pot.

Jungleman’s improbable river, completing his straight flush, saw a BRUTAL river card for Mariano – the probability of hitting that hand is around 4.1%. While crushing, Mariano couldn’t do anything but think ‘it is what it is.’

The entire live stream is available below.

It’s All Part of The Game

Mariano’s call was practically inevitable, but despite losing a massive pot, he ended the night down only $29,000 – a relatively minor setback in high-stakes poker.  Ultimately, Cates ended the night as the big winner, booking a $69,000 profit. 

This hand was just another chapter in the extensive history between Cates and Grandoli – two players known to battle it out on the Hustle Casino livestream. 

As for the bad beat, it’s a reminder that everyone, including the most skilled players, will go through soul-crushing defeats. While Mariano probably felt the sting of this particular hand, he’s undoubtedly familiar with the swings inherent in poker.

Cates himself isn’t a stranger to the sting of similar losses, look at when he lost a €756,000 pot when Tony G’s trips cracked his aces during the 2019 Triton High Roller – it’s all part of the game we love.

You see, poker is nothing but swings and roundabouts, but that’s what makes it so gripping, don’t you think?