Two hundred and seventy-eight miles from the Las Vegas Strip, at an unglamorous intersection in Gardena, Los Angeles, sits the Hustler Casino. Built by the late porn king Larry Flynt, the Hustler normally hosts dozens of low-stakes poker games. But on the night of September 29, 2022, the place was abuzz—a high-stakes game of no-limit Texas Hold’em was being broadcast live. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were at stake.
This wasn’t unusual. The Hustler often live-streams games on YouTube. On a glass-enclosed stage the regular mix of professionals—guys identified only by nondescript nicknames like “Rip” and “Mike X”—and eager amateurs were all there. But joining them at the oval table was Phil Ivey, widely considered one of the best Hold’em players of all time, with nearly $40 million in tournament winnings. However, within minutes of the broadcast starting, Ivey would be nothing but a footnote.
