Ninja and Mr Beast made a poker stream work for the identical motive the present High Stakes Poker worked (and it wasn’t due to Hellmuth)
Like many I had excessive hopes for the Hustler live stream that featured Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth, Alexandra Botez, Ludwig, Mr Beast and Ninja. Like most in poker, my expectations have been exceeded. This was a genuinely good second for poker, a shot in the arm the sport wanted and I desperately hope it could actually occur once more.
I’m loathed to repeat the debate about Phil Hellmuth as soon as once more. He behaved terribly, as soon as once more. It was such a present to be invited to a juicy sport that genuinely might entice a complete new viewers to poker, a present he didn’t admire. He was impolite, grumpy and never enjoyable to look at, even worse it appeared fairly clear he pulled off a grimy angle shoot in a sport the place he actually didn’t must.
If you assume being an obnoxious dick to on-line idols that deliver large new audiences to poker places us In an excellent gentle simply because the clip will get views… you’re hopeless.
— Lex Veldhuis (@LexVeldhuis) May 2, 2022
I can not see how he made the sport enjoyable to look at for any non-poker individual, with the exception of the hilarious Ninja hand which was completely scrumptious. The solely motive it was entertaining was as a result of he was performing so unsympathetically main as much as it.

A peek behind the curtain
The motive I felt the stream was successful was for the identical motive I imagine that High Stakes Poker was such a success when it first aired. It wasn’t due to the high quality of the poker (on this case it was very low) and it wasn’t as a result of the gamers have been so entertaining to look at (however on this case, they have been).
It was as a result of it felt like a peak behind the curtain we so hardly ever see. When High Stakes Poker was launched we caught a glimpse of what it was like in Bobby’s Room amongst a excessive stakes group that was considerably guarded. We noticed the rapport the gamers had constructed up with one another over years, the arguments, the aspect bets in addition to the informal dialog from a genuinely fairly comical fringe of gamers. High Stakes Poker felt like we had a secret digital camera in a non-public sport.
What actually fascinated informal poker followers was how relaxed the gamers have been with six-figure sums. We’d see Daniel Negreanu casually mortgage one other participant $50,000 or Antonio Esfandiari guess someone $5,000 to settle a trivial debate. We’d see Doyle Brunson retaining monitor of the prop bets on a pen and paper and surprise how a lot was being wagered. We all had this query what nosebleed video games have been like in non-public and after High Stakes Poker we bought an thought.

It was the identical factor in the Hustler Live Stream. It genuinely felt like we have been watching a few of the greatest names in on-line content material letting off steam. We noticed the banter between them and we additionally caught a glimpse of their actual web worths, as a result of successful and dropping six-figure sums didn’t seem to be an enormous deal to them (they have been actually, actually, playing). I believe there’s a specific fascination the place online game streamers are involved, as a result of many individuals can not wrap their head round how enjoying video video games is usually a ‘job’ not to mention make folks so wealthy they will punt off six-figures in a poker sport.
Just like High Stakes Poker confirmed us what elite poker gamers have been actually like, possibly the Hustler stream confirmed us what elite content material creators have been like behind closed doorways. I could also be incorrect, but I believe the viewers they introduced with them from exterior of poker maybe haven’t seen this aspect of them both.
I hope it could actually occur once more, with an analogous however barely totally different line-up to maintain issues recent. Ninja specifically appeared enjoyable and Mr Beast appeared like the glue that held the group collectively. Like most individuals, nonetheless, I’d swap up the poker gamers as sadly Tom Dwan was not precisely charming and Hellmuth was massive a unfavorable general. There are loads of gamers like Daniel Negreanu, Garrett Adelstein, Doug Polk and Antonio Esfandiari who might deliver the right combination of ability, banter, gamble and never trying depressing in the greatest sport in poker historical past.
The one factor I’m positive of is that poker actually wanted this stream, I actually hope it could actually occur once more.
What would you prefer to see on the subsequent stream? Let us know in the feedback: