Hustler Casino Live has announced the lineups for the highly anticipated Million Dollar Game at the end of May. The event will be live-streamed over four days from May 28-31, featuring a clash between Tom Dwan and Doug Polk on the second day.
The most notable news is that Tom Dwan has confirmed his participation for all four days, promising an explosive event. Dwan's opponents will include Alan Keating, Stanley Tang, Brandon Steven, Santhosh Suvarna, and other yet-to-be-confirmed mystery guests.
Suvarna is currently on an upswing in High Stakes Poker, having won the largest pot in the show's history against Andrew Robl.
Here are the detailed lineups announced for the four days of the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game:
Nik Airball: Can't play, won't play?
A notable player missing from the lineups is Nik Airball. He has been a regular participant in HCL and played a significant role in the Million Dollar Game last year. However, he has not appeared on HCL's live streams since March 22.
Nik Airball has continued to participate in other live-streamed games, including The Lodge Poker and High Stakes Poker, indirectly dispelling rumors of his financial troubles.
Some sources have indicated that he is facing compliance issues with the casino, which has prevented him from playing at Hustler Casino Live.
Rumors about this issue surfaced on Reddit in early April when a user named “pokerthrowaway2u3049” posted that "Nik Airball was banned from Hustler for violating chip transfer regulations. After multiple warnings from Hustler, they banned him for 12 months."
The duration of the ban seems inaccurate. Airball addressed what happened during a live stream at The Lodge on May 14, admitting he was banned for three months "for lending chips."
Nik said, "They said if you lend chips, you have to report who you're lending to, which I did. I always reported that. But then they got upset because I lent a large amount. Nick [Vertucci] and Ryan [Feldman] stood up for me, and the ban was lifted. They said if you continue to lend chips in the casino, you will be permanently banned because it makes organizing high-stakes games very difficult."
There are multiple versions of this story circulating, but StakeZone has been informed that Airball's temporary ban remains in effect, though it won't last much longer.
Whether Airball can participate in the Million Dollar Game is uncertain, though expectations are low. Fans of HCL and Airball will likely be disappointed by his absence from the upcoming event. Nik Airball has brought a lot of surprises and excitement to the live stream, such as his memorable bluff against Tony G last year, forcing him to fold pocket aces.
The 2024 Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game will be broadcast from May 28-31, with the action starting at 3 PM PT daily. The blinds for the event are set at $500/$1K with a $2K big blind ante. You can watch the games live on YouTube channel Hustle Casino Live
