For many years, Live at the Bike was the only poker livestream of its kind. It blazed the trail for livestreamed poker when it launched in 2004. Starting this year, there will be a direct competitor in Hustler Casino Live. The competing Los Angeles area card rooms will now compete online as well, each offering unique experiences for players and viewers.
Breaking Away
Ryan Feldman and Nick Vertucci are familiar names in poker, especially in the cash game scene in Los Angeles, California. Feldman, particularly, was a producer at Live at the Bike (LATB), so local players know him. Vertucci was a player on LATB but worked mainly outside of the poker industry, owning successful technology and real estate training businesses over the past few decades.
The two met several years ago through LATB and began putting their heads together about a new livestream. Meanwhile, Hustler Casino General Manager Shaun Yaple had been thinking about offering livestreamed poker from his casino’s floor. But when the cheating scandal involving Mike Postle and the Stones Gambling Hall livestream in September 2019, it seemed like a bad time to promote a new livestream idea.
However, the idea stewed. And across town, Feldman wrote on Twitter that the pandemic shutdowns prompted Live at the Bike to lay him off. When Feldman left his work with LATB, he and Vertucci partnered to create a new show eventually called Hustler Casino Live.
The stars aligned quickly.
Hustler’s card room may not be as well known in the broader poker business as the Bicycle Casino – the Bike – but L.A. cash game players know it well. And since Hustler was open to the idea of a livestreamed show from its cash game floor, the deal took shape in 2020.
Creating a Live Show without Live Poker
Then, a pandemic hit. All card rooms in California – as well as all casinos and gambling establishments across the country – closed in March 2020. That put a wrinkle in the plan to livestream cash games played live at Hustler, obviously.
More delays ensued as the card room closures persisted through much of 2020 and into 2021. Despite several limited reopenings, there was no clear end in sight until February and March of this year. As vaccines rolled out across the country, casinos in cities like Las Vegas opened successfully. And as time progressed, precautionary measures like plexiglass dividers began to disappear.
Hustler, as well as other California cardrooms with the capability – had been hosting some games (22 tables) outdoors. But California began to lift restrictions on group gatherings as April approached, which allowed Hustler to open for indoor gaming on April 5.
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It did start with masks and plexiglass, but everyone knew that was likely temporary. And Hustler management signed its contract with Feldman and Verducci in November 2020, so only the pandemic stood in the way. This spring, the duo accelerated their plans again to launch Hustler Casino Live in the coming months.
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Live Launch Expected Soon
It seems that the new livestreaming show is closer than ever to its launch.
On May 6, Feldman tweeted that the new show will “blow you all away” and “take over the LA poker scene.” “It’s gonna be legendary,” he added.
Yaple appeared on the PokerNews Podcast last week. He noted that the construction is in progress for the Hustler Casino Live setup for the livestreamed games. In fact, they should be able to complete the staging area by May 31. The cameras and other technology will then require some trial runs and extensive testing, as well as approval by the proper gaming authorities.
The goal is a late-June launch, though early July may be more realistic.
Hustler Casino Live also recently announced its lineup of commentators, headed up by popular poker voices Norman Chad, David Tuchman, and Bart Hanson. Feldman and Vertucci also plan to work the booth, as well as Nichoel Jurgens and the man known only as DGAF.
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Players from mid-stakes to high-stakes will play on the livestream five days each week, mostly playing No Limit Hold’em but also some Pot Limit Omaha. The Monday-through-Friday games will likely last five to six hours each, but much of that can be adjusted per viewer demands.
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