Erik Wasserson set a new record for total winnings in live-streamed poker games

Erik Wasserson set a new record on High Stakes Poker, becoming the most successful player in cash games on televised poker shows.

Eric Wasserson Becomes the Most Successful Ring Game Player on Poker Broadcasts Eric Wasserson’s Historic Milestone on High Stakes Poker This past weekend, PokerGO aired another round of live episodes of the iconic High Stakes Poker show, featuring seven-figure pots. Against this backdrop, Eric Wasserson achieved a historic milestone: he is now the most successful player ever on poker broadcasts among those whose winnings have come exclusively from ring games (standard multi-player cash games, as opposed to heads-up matches or tournaments). Wasserson, a well-known pro and regular in the highest-stakes cash games, played four consecutive days at the High Stakes Poker tables. Over those sessions, he had two winning and two losing days, but his net profit totaled nearly $3.3 million. The defining moment came in a hand against Michael "Texas Mike" Moncek, where Wasserson won the largest pot in the show’s history—$4,260,000. Context: Who Leads on Poker Broadcasts If you include all players, even those whose winnings came from heads-up matches, the all-time leader in TV and streaming winnings remains Dan "Jungleman" Cates, with $14.3 million according to HighRollPoker.com. However, almost all of that was won in a heads-up duel against Ossi "Monarch" Ketola, not in ring games. Until this past weekend, the top spot among players who had won almost exclusively in ring games belonged to Andrew Robl, with $7.9 million in profit. Robl also took part in the latest High Stakes Poker sessions, showcasing an aggressive and entertaining style. However, he ran poorly in key hands—most notably losing a combo draw in a $2,478,000 pot against Texas Mike, which at the time set a new show record. Wasserson Dominates, Salomon Runs Bad Despite some tough beats in big pots, Robl managed to minimize his losses and finished the four sessions down just under $780,000. Still, he ceded the top spot to Wasserson, who entered the weekend with $6.7 million in career streaming profits (according to HighRollPoker). After the updated results, his total will approach $10 million. Across four sessions, Wasserson played fearlessly at the highest stakes, frequently bluffing and expertly extracting maximum value from strong hands. His hand against Texas Mike was especially memorable: Moncek attempted one of the boldest bluffs with ten-high, but Wasserson made a flush on the river and scooped $4,260,000. This pot surpassed the previous record—set by Texas Mike the day before in a hand against Robl—by nearly $1.4 million. Besides Wasserson, only Alejandro "Papo MC" Lococo managed to finish at least three sessions in the black. The Argentine rapper and former PokerStars ambassador lost over $1 million on Saturday, but then played nearly flawlessly for two straight days and ultimately walked away with a $624,000 profit. Rick Salomon, widely known for the infamous video with Paris Hilton, played three sessions (Saturday through Monday) and lost all three, dropping a total of $2,252,000. This comes as no surprise—Salomon has often run poorly on High Stakes Poker in the past. The Biggest Pots and Weekend Highlights The main event of the weekend was the hand between Wasserson and Texas Mike: Moncek tried to pull off a bluff with ten-high, but Wasserson made a flush on the river and won the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history—$4,260,000. For comparison, the day before, Texas Mike had won a $2,478,000 pot against Robl, which had been the previous record. Overall, Wasserson has become a true star of televised poker in recent months. If you include not only the four High Stakes Poker sessions but also his performance in the Million Dollar Game on Hustler Casino Live in June, his total winnings for this period amount to $5.9 million. Poker fans were treated to a thrilling, action-packed weekend: in addition to High Stakes Poker, Friday also saw Daniel Negreanu’s debut on Hustler Casino Live. Final Standings for High Stakes Poker Results are unofficial; the table does not include lower-stakes games from Tuesday to Thursday. Eric Wasserson: +$3,300,000 over four sessions, largest pot—$4,260,000 against Michael "Texas Mike" Moncek Andrew Robl: -$780,000 over four sessions, lost a $2,478,000 pot to Texas Mike Alejandro "Papo MC" Lococo: +$624,000 (lost $1,000,000 on Saturday, then won for two days straight) Rick Salomon: -$2,252,000 over three sessions (Saturday to Monday) Michael "Texas Mike" Moncek: lost the largest pot to Wasserson, previously won $2,478,000 from Robl Dan "Jungleman" Cates: all-time leader in TV and streaming winnings—$14,300,000 (almost all from heads-up against Ossi "Monarch" Ketola) Glossary of Terms and Format Ring game: a cash game with several players (usually 6 to 9), as opposed to heads-up (one-on-one play). Cash game: a poker format where players play for real money, not tournament chips. You can join or leave the game at any time. Pot: the sum of money contested in a single hand. Bluff: betting or raising with a knowingly weak hand to make your opponent fold a better hand. Flush: a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit. River: the fifth and final community card in Texas Hold’em. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For PPPoker club members, this news is a great example of how discipline, smart bankroll management, and the ability to adapt to game dynamics can lead to outstanding results even at the highest stakes. Wasserson showed that success in cash games is built not just on luck, but also on the ability to make tough decisions under pressure, use bluffs at the right moments, and extract maximum value from strong hands. Wasserson’s story also highlights the importance of analyzing hands and constantly improving your skills. Even professionals experience losing sessions, as we saw with Robl and Salomon, but a solid strategy allows you to minimize losses and get back into profit over the long run. For PPPoker players, following these sessions is a great way to pick up best practices and approaches to the game. Finally, the events on High Stakes Poker once again prove that there’s always room for new records and memorable stories in poker. Even if you play at lower stakes, the experience you gain in PPPoker clubs can be an excellent foundation for growth and taking your game to the next level.