The ‘King of LA’ had several strong runs as he returned to the popular poker series
Nikhil “Nik Airball” Arcot made a highly anticipated return to Hustler Casino Live on Friday night, marking his first appearance in over a year. The self-proclaimed “King of LA” had been banned from Hustler Casino for the past 12 months but wasted no time making an impact upon his return. By the end of the night, he walked away with a $286,000 profit, thanks in large part to a massive hand against Alan Keating.
‼️@nikairball returns to @HCLPokerShow tonight for the first time in a year!
He spoke to PokerNews about his ban & predicted a $500k swing on tonight's stream.💸 pic.twitter.com/nvrrgY6F6j
— PokerNews (@PokerNews) March 28, 2025
Keating, known for his aggressive play and willingness to gamble in high-stakes games, struggled throughout the session. His difficulties began with a six-figure loss against Peter Wang, who held pocket jacks in a race against Keating’s ace-king. That hand resulted in a $476,000 pot slipping through his fingers. Later in the session, Keating found himself in an even bigger confrontation, this time against Airball.
In a $500/$1,000 game, Airball raised to $3,000 under the gun with pocket nines. Wang and another player called before Keating, sitting in the big blind, three-bet to $25,000 with ace-king. Airball responded with a re-raise to $65,000, forcing out the other players. Keating, determined to take control, pushed the bet to $165,000. With $346,000 behind, Airball made the call, setting up a massive pot.
The flop came jack-six-four with two spades. Keating wasted no time, shoving his remaining stack. Airball snap-called, creating a $689,100 pot. They ran the board twice, but neither runout improved Keating’s hand, giving Airball the full scoop.
The game wrapped up shortly after, with Keating down $600,000. Airball, fresh off his investment in The Lodge Card Club in Texas, made his return to Hustler Casino Live a profitable one, declaring, “The king is back” in his postgame interview.
