The new Poker After Dark episode “Leave it to Seiver” delivered exactly what fans hoped for: two all ins within the first six hands and some of the wildest action we’ve seen on the show.
The lineup featured Scott Seiver as host alongside Garrett Adelstein, Ben Lamb, Matt Berkey, and Chris “Apotheosis92” Kruk. With $200/$400 blinds, a $400 button ante, and optional straddles, this played like a proper deep stack cash game.
Here are the biggest pots from the session.
Ben Lamb vs Matt Berkey: $194,400 Pot
In just the second hand of the night, we already had an all in and a call. After a straddle, Matt Berkey raised from the Button with 8h7h to $3,000. Ben Lamb 3-bet to $13,000 from the big blind with As4s and Berkey called.
Both players were 250 big blinds deep. Suited Aces play extremely well in deep stack poker because they can flop the nut flush draw and make both nut flushes and straights.
The flop came 6d 9s Ah, giving Lamb top pair and Berkey an open ended straight draw. Lamb surprised everyone by checking his top pair for pot control.
Berkey bet $14,000 to take the pot down. Lamb check called.
The turn 4h was an absolute action card: two pair for Lamb, and a flush draw added to Berkey’s open ender. Lamb set the trap with another check. Berkey, now sitting on massive equity, shoved all in for a little over pot. Lamb snap called.
With $194,400 in the pot, they ran it twice.
Garrett Adelstein vs Scott Seiver: $176,600 Pot
Only a couple of hands later, newcomer Garrett Adelstein and host Scott Seiver clashed in a monster pot.
With the straddle on at $800, Adelstein opened to $3,000 with Th9h. Seiver looked down at AdQc in the straddle and 3-bet to $11,000. Adelstein called.
The flop of Jh Kd Qh was an absolute dream for Garrett. He flopped a straight plus an open ended straight flush draw, giving him 87% equity.
Adelstein led out for $15,000 into the $22,800 pot. Seiver called with middle pair and a gutshot to the nut straight.
The turn Tc brought the gutshot for Seiver, who now held the nuts. Adelstein correctly checked. Seiver bet a relatively small $20,000, leaving himself just $42,000 behind.
Even though Seiver had the absolute nuts, Adelstein still held 25% equity with his monster draw. At that price, folding was out of the question.
The river 8h completed Garrett’s straight flush. Seiver moved all in with his remaining stack and Adelstein called instantly. What a way to make your Poker After Dark debut.
Garrett Adelstein vs Ben Lamb: $395,400 Pot
Adelstein’s heater continued throughout the session. He won the second biggest pot of the night against Ben Lamb, turning trips against Lamb’s top pair top kicker.
But Adelstein wasn’t just running hot. He was also making sharp plays. In one notable hand, he fired all three streets with complete air and got Seiver to lay down two pair. A textbook triple barrel bluff at its finest.
The Biggest Pot: Garrett Adelstein vs Matt Berkey ($459,000)
The biggest pot of the night came when Adelstein and Berkey collided in a $459,000 confrontation involving aces, kings, and an ice cold runout.
Garrett Adelstein Wins Over $600,000
Adelstein was the clear winner of the session, booking a massive $604,100 profit. Chris Kruk finished as the second winner at +$60,100, while Berkey took the biggest hit, losing $400,000 before leaving the table.
The session proved that when a skilled and aggressive cash game player like Adelstein gets on a heater, the results can be staggering. For fans of televised cash games and poker’s biggest names, this episode of Poker After Dark was one of the best in recent memory.
If you enjoy watching the biggest hands from televised poker, check out our poker strategy section for tips on how to play these spots yourself.
