What Celebrities Do You Want to See on the Next Hustler Casino Live?

Over the years, some of the biggest and best players in the world have played poker on Hustler Casino Live (HCL). From Nik Airball to Phil Hellmuth, Matt Berkey to Dan Bilzerian, any number of recognizable faces from the poker industry have sat at the felt and broadcast their play worldwide to viewers across the globe. With the recent success of the Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT), talk has turned to which celebrities might appear on HCL in the near future.

Colin Kaepernick

Without a doubt, getting a bona fide sports star on the show is a huge plus for bringing in poker fans and cross-booking sports nuts at the same time. Plenty of NBA stars have transferred from the court to the felt with success, but no one grabs attention like an NFL star. With the new season already up and running, so many current players are present at the poker felt, but we think a semi-retired player would grab more attention.

The Black rights activist Colin Kaepernick may be 36 years old now, but his work for the American civil rights movement and, in particular, the Black Lives Matter campaign made headlines around the world. Taking a knee during the national anthem, Kaepernick risked scorn, reprisals, and his future NFL career. Surely risking his tournament life on a risky four-bet would be a situation he could face down with ease?

The activist and former professional football quarterback may have played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, but we would be excited to see how he handles the scrutiny and conversation around the HCL felt while the world watches on. He’d be box office and repeat-viewing gold for any poker streamer.

Guy Laliberté

Over the years, circus acts have featured in poker, but usually in the surrounding bells and whistles that accompany the great game. Guy Laliberté came up with the idea of the Big One for One Drop many years after co-founding Cirque du Soleil in 1984. In recent years, the Canadian has slipped back into the shadows of poker; however, a very different circus act has emerged… from a small, clear box.

Sofie Dossi

Contortionist and America’s Got Talent superstar Sofie Dossi has recently come out of the shadows and pranced into the light as part of the cast of the Celebrity Poker Tour. Starring in these opening poker games has been hard, due to the sheer level of celeb involvement, but Dossi has shown charm, class, and a great deal of learning to hold her own at the felt.

Check out some of the best hands from the recent Celebrity Poker Tour event as Dossi shared the felt with some of the biggest names in American entertainment.

Qiyu ‘Nemo’ Zhou: A Chess Queen

In recent years, the rise of chess in relation to poker has been huge. Much of this came from Daniel Negreanu – and millions of others’ – love of the 2020 Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit. On the back of that show’s popularity and the crossover appeal between chess and poker for a grandmaster, Alexandra Botez, the two games were linked like never before.

In the past two years, chess players such as Ottomar Ladva have had increased success at the poker felt, and Botez has been hired as a GGPoker Global Ambassador as she branches into poker and grows her capabilities in the game. However, we rate another chess grandmaster, Qiyu ‘Nemo’ Zhou, even higher. Just last year, she won the Enclave Invitational tournament on PokerGO for $20,000 and a bottle of Louis XII in Las Vegas at the PokerGo studio, where 69 other celebrity players fell by the wayside.

Nemo’s victory heads-up against Bill Pulte saw her convert a 5:1 chip lead into the win, and after her pocket deuces beat his king-seven, she was effortlessly modest in the face of success.

“Honestly, I think I got really lucky on some hands,” she said afterward. “As we were getting shorter and shorter, I just had to shove all in. I kind of started developing this reputation at my table where I was just shoving all in because that’s just what you have to do when you have 10 big blinds. There’s nothing more you can do.”

Nemo is a humble star of the poker age, and over the coming years, the rise of players like her and Botez will be prevalent. Here’s Nemo in action:

Tony G

With any great poker stream must come one of ‘the OGs,’ and it doesn’t get more ‘G’ than Tony G, the former Member of the European Parliament who, in a former life, was one of the most feared and respected cash game players of all time. Rising on a tide of poker characters to form the vanguard of the poker boom age in the early 21st century, Tony Guoga, to give him his real name, is still box office.

Just a few years ago, in a highly important World Poker Tour final table, this reporter was present when Tony G blew out of the back of the TV set after elimination via a bad beat. Tony G was on the next train back to Brussels and the European Parliament before presenters had a chance to ask him exactly what he thought of the action.

Put Tony G onto the HCL set, and fireworks are guaranteed. Check out five of his best-ever rants.

Matt Damon & Jennifer Tilly

If Jennifer Tilly – featured in the above video with Tony G – would be popular around the HCL table, then why not add in another movie star who could provide box office appeal and put to bed one of the biggest rumors in the history of poker movies.

Rounders was released to movie theaters in 1998, and two of the film’s stars, Matt Damon and Ed Norton, both played in the WSOP Main Event of that year in promoting the movie. Sure, they didn’t have to put up the $10,000 entry fee, but they both played with all the desperation to win as the rest of the field.

Matt Damon busted to Doyle Brunson along the way, and in speaking with the presenters, was like a kid in a candy store. Damon clearly loved the game, and if he was invited back to the felt today, he would be able to address exactly when or whether Rounders 2 might take place. Risk it all and put your rep on the line? Hey, it’s what Mike McDermott would do!

Here are the best hands Matt Damon played in the WSOP Main Event all those years ago:

Conclusion

As Hustler Casino Live continues to showcase thrilling poker action with some of the biggest names in the industry, the anticipation for future guests only grows. Whether it’s a legendary sports figure, an entertainment icon, or a rising star from another competitive world, the possibilities for who might join the felt are endless. Now, we want to hear from you! Who would you like to see on the next Hustler Casino Live? Drop your suggestions in the comments below and let us know which celebrity or poker pro you think should take a seat at the table for the next exciting episode!