Hustler Casino Live, explained: Ninja, MrBeast take on poker pros in 'Biggest Event in Poker History'

David Suggs

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Hustler Casino Live, explained: Ninja, MrBeast take on poker pros in 'Biggest Event in Poker History' image

YouTube and Twitch's biggest stars came together for a night of poker and banter on Sunday. Famed internet personalities Ninja, Ludwig Ahgren, MrBeast, xQc, Alexandra Botez teamed up with professional poker players Tom Dwan, Phil Hellmuth and Alan Keating in Hustler Casino Live.

Billed as the "Biggest Event in Poker History", the competition brought together some of the internet's biggest names, all of whom are novices at poker, and matched them up against some of the best poker players in the world. Winner of the event apparently received a cash prize of $1 million.

The event was streamed on YouTube and has received over 500,000 views since its drop late Sunday night.

So who was involved in last night's spectacle? Sporting News has the Hustler Casino Live covered.

Hustler Casino Live participants

Ninja

Ninja, born Tyler Blevins, enjoyed a meteoric rise to internet fame back in 2017, becoming one of the world's best "Fortnite" players. Catapulted by the popularity of the battle royale game, Ninja parlayed. He's now one of the most recognizable content creators on the internet. Among other things, Ninja is known for his distinct hairstyle, adorned with streaks of bright hair dye.

MrBeast

With nearly 95 million subscribers, MrBeast is one of the most-viewed content creators in YouTube history. The 23-year old, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is known for his high-profile money challenges. One of his most popular videos is his re-imagination of the popular Netflix show, Squid Game. The winner of MrBeast's competition was awarded $456,000.

Ludwig Ahgren

Ludwig Ahgren has established himself as one of the biggest names in streaming in recent years. The 26-year old blends witty humor with impressive video game skills to regularly bring in hundreds of thousands of viewers. As of May 2, Ahgren had just under 3 million subscribers on YouTube.

xQc

xQc is a noted professional esports athlete and Twitch stream. xQc ascended to the top of the Overwatch leaderboards back in 2016, setting off a successful esports career before transitioning fully into streaming. According to Dot esports, xQc was the most-watched Twitch streamer in 2021.

Alexandra Botez

A star chess player, commentator and streamer, Alexandra Botez is a woman of many talents. The 26-year old has amassed an impressive internet following alongside her twin sister, Andrea, bringing in nearly 800,000 YouTube subscribers. Many of the Botez sisters' video center around their impressive chess-playing skills.

Slime Machine

Slime Machine is a Twitch stream and internet personality with nearly 100,000 followers on Twitch. He plays a variety of video games, including Fortnite and Valorant.

Tom Dwan

Tom Dwan is a professional poker player known for his exploits on both the virtual realm and on the real tilt. Dwan famously ended Phil Hellmuth's $200,000 winning streak last year, a clash that drew the eyes of the poker world.

Phil Hellmuth

Known as "The Poker Brat", Phil Hellmuth is a poker icon of sorts. The 57-year old has enjoyed a glittering career at the poker table, racking up a record 16 World Series of Poker bracelets. Hellmuth was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2007. Despite his numerous career accolades, Hellmuth is well-known for his profanity-laced tirades. Here's one such example.

Alan Keating

Keating is known for his high-stakes mentality on the table. The professional player lost a boatload of money during the stream's $100/$200 no limit Texas hold 'em game. His insistence on not folding was baffling, at best, and catastrophic, at worst. A very painful ordeal for Keating to say the least.

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.