Top 10 Worst Poker Beats

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Everyone has a bad beat story. Let's face it, everyone has a hundred. These bad beats, though, are the worst of the worst, the most bone-rattling, soul-crushing, and even history-changing beats ever dealt in the game of poker. Out of all the stories out there, these ten stand out in terms of severity, significance, and consequences. Take a look at our Top 10 Bad Beats.

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A pair of aces is one of the best starting hands in Texas Hold'em, but do you know what the top worst starting hands might be?If you know which hands are 'almost-always-fold 'em hands,' meaning that you're going to likely fold when you have this hand, you can better evaluate what you're holding at the start of the game.
So without further ado, here are the 10 worst beats in televised poker. Matusow eliminated from 2004 WSOP Main Event Mike Matusow played his final hand in the 2004 World Series of Poker perfectly. His all-in four-bet got Greg Raymer's pocket eights out of the hand, giving himself a heads-up battle with ace-king vs. Ed Foster's ace-queen.

10. Aaron Kanter vs. Greg Raymer, 2005 WSOP Main Event

With only 25 players remaining, Greg Raymer was trying to do the unthinkable—win back to back, massive-field WSOP Main Events — before being dealt a beat so crushing it might have made a lesser man leave the game forever. Dealt , Raymer made a standard opening raise and was called by Aaron Kanter, who held . The flop came down 6-5-3 rainbow and Raymer made a half-pot continuation bet. Kanter called. The on the turn put two hearts on the board and Raymer bet 330,000—again, about half the pot. Kanter raised to 900,000 and Raymer set him in for the 700,000 he had behind. Kanter called with only the flush draw but caught lightning in a bottle when the hit the river. Raymer's stack was decimated and Kanter doubled up. Had Raymer won that hand, he would have taken the chip lead. Instead, he was eliminated a short time later in 25th place.

9. John D'Agostino vs. Hoyt Corkins, 2004 U.S. Poker Championships

Both Hoyt Corkins and John D'Agostino were sitting on healthy stacks of 616,000 and 615,000, respectively, with six players remaining in the $10,000 Main Event of the U.S. Poker Championships. Though D'Agostino had arrived at the final table with an overwhelming chip lead, he had already suffered a few beats to more than halve his stack. With the action folded around to Corkins in the small blind, he made a bit of a wild move, moving in for his entire stack with . D'Agostino found two black tens in the big blind and called almost immediately, giving a little fist-pump when he saw Corkins' cards.

The flop, however, came down a disastrous (for D'Agostino) , making Corkins trips.

'I don't know how John D'Agostino didn't just kick the table over — that is stunning!' said ESPN's Norman Chad on the TV commentary.

To add even more insult to injury, the hit the turn, making Corkins quads and leaving D'Agostino drawing stone dead. It took a few tries to get the correct count on Corkins' and D'Agostino's stacks and when all was said and done, D'Agostino was left with a single, red 1,000-denomination chip. So utterly punch-drunk not only by that beat but the series of beats that had taken him from top of the pack to all but out, D'Agostino let out his frustration by shoving his chips toward Corkins, knocking most of the stacks down in the process. Hey, a man can only take so much.

8. Al Ardebili vs. Ricardo Festejo , 2005 WPT Borgata Open

Playing heads-up at the 2005 WPT Borgata Open, Ricardo Festejo had Al Ardebili covered by about a million in chips when he limped in with A-2 and Ardebili checked his option with the . Both players hit bottom pair when the flop came down . Ardebili checked, Festejo bet $1 million, and Ardebili moved all in. Faced for a decision for about 90% of his stack, Festejo tanked for an eternity before making what turned out to be an amazing call. Ardebili was dominated and his hopes for a WPT title were all but gone when a three spiked on the turn, making him two pair. Though Festejo still had a few outs on the river, it blanked out and Ardebili took more than a 9:1 chip lead on Festejo. He went on to win the tournament and over $1.4 million only four hands later.

7. Cory Zeidman vs. Jennifer Harman, 2005 WSOP Main Event

It's always nice to look down at a big hand early in a tournament. That's probably what Jennifer Harman was thinking when she picked up and raised to 200 in the first level of the 2005 WSOP Main Event. Cory Zeidman called from position with the and Brady Davis came along from the big blind with . The flop came down , top set for Harman and a queen-high straight for Zeidman. Davis checked, Harman led out for 500, Zeidman raised to 2,000, and Davis folded. Harman, perhaps putting Zeidman on A-K or the 8-9 he indeed had, decided to flat-call. The turn couldn't have been a more perfect card for Harman, making her the nut boat with the . She checked, Zeidman bet 1,000, and she raised to 3,000. Then it was Zeidman's turn to hem and haw, but he eventually made the call, muttering something about how he put her on A-K for the higher straight.

Going to the river, Harman had Zeidman down to a single out. Though he held an open-ended straight flush draw, Harman held the in her hand, leaving him drawing only to the . Indeed it hit the river, making Zeidman the jack-high straight flush to Harman's queens full. Harman bet 3,000, the amount Zeidman had remaining, and he called with his now-infamous line, 'I guess I can do a lot of sightseeing if I lose this hand.' Zeidman rolled over (many say slow-rolled) his straight flush. Harman was flabbergasted, her stack crippled, and she was eliminated only a short time later. It's not often that you see Harman take a tilt-walk away from the table after the cards fail to fall her way, but this time, it was all she could do to keep her composure.

6. Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson vs. T.J. Cloutier, 2000 WSOP Main Event

T.J. Cloutier had already been a Main Event bridesmaid once before, losing out on the 1985 title, but had to feel good about getting his chips in with by far the best hand when he was all in against Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson fifteen years later, his dominating Chris Ferguson's . The extended his lead even further, as did the on the turn. All Cloutier needed to avoid was a nine, but he couldn't do it, the spiking on the river to render him a runner-up once again. Instead, a star was born in Ferguson that night.

5. Danny Nguyen vs. Shandor Szentkuti, 2005 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Stars

In one of the worst statistical bad beats ever witnessed in televised poker, former poker dealer Danny Ngyuen moved all in with and got a call from Shandor Szentkuti, who held . The flop came down , making Szentkuti two pair and giving him a 99.5% chance to win the hand. Nguyen was drawing only to running sevens. The on the turn gave everyone a nice sweat, but no one could have predicted what would appear on the river — it was the , making Nguyen a full house. Nguyen not only survived the hand but went on to win the whole tournament, after eliminating all five of his opponents at the final table.

4. Alan Goehring vs. J.C. Tran, 2006 WPT L.A. Poker Classic

J.C. Tran will probably take the sting of this bad beat to his grave. Holding pocket aces, Tran made a pre-flop raise only to be met with an all-in from Alan Goehring in the small blind. Tran called easily and was thrilled to see Goehring's pocket fives. The flop came down , putting Tran even further ahead as he held the ace of spades. After the flop, Goehring was drawing to runner-runner straight cards or the case non-spade five, as the would make Tran a flush. The turn paired the board with a deuce, with Goehring missing his shot at one of those running cards, but picking up one out – the , to give him two outs to make a full house and eliminate Tran.

Boom! A five hit the river. Goehring sprung from his seat and did a maniacal little dance, pumping his fists in the air as J.C. Tran headed offstage in a complete daze, wondering what he had done to so horribly offend the poker gods. Tran was eliminated in fifth place while Goehring went on to win the tournament and $2.4 million.

3. Chris Moneymaker vs. Phil Ivey, 2003 WSOP Main Event

If there ever was a river card that marked a turning point in poker history, well, this was it. With ten players remaining in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, Chris Moneymaker picked up the and made a pre-flop raise that Phil Ivey called with . Moneymaker flopped trips when it came down and led out for 70,000. Ivey made the call. The on the turn was the best card Ivey could have hoped for, making him a full house. Moneymaker continued to fire, putting out 200,000. Ivey moved all in and Moneymaker quickly called. Ivey only had to dodge and ace, a six or the last queen in the deck to knock out Moneymaker, but the river ace that changed the poker world landed on the felt, eliminating Ivey in tenth place. The most dangerous professional remaining in the tournament was no longer a threat, opening the door for the amateur from Tennessee to take control and go on to win the tournament. Without a Moneymaker win to inspire the masses, the poker boom might have turned out far differently than it did.

2. Doyle Brunson vs. Jesse Alto, 1976 WSOP Main Event

Many poker fans may not know it, but Doyle Brunson actually won his first WSOP Main Event bracelet on a massive suckout. Texas Dolly's heads-up opponent, Jesse Alto, raised from the button with and Brunson, holding a significant chip lead, called with . The flop came down A-J-10, Alto hitting top two pair and Brunson bottom pair. Brunson checked, Alto bet out, and Brunson moved all in, hoping to push Alto off the hand. Alto called, however, and Brunson discovered what dire shape he was in. The turn brought a deuce, Brunson making tens up but still trailing Alto's aces up. The river, though, was the stuff of legends — another ten — simultaneously giving Doyle his second WSOP bracelet and cementing the ten-deuce into poker history with the nickname 'the Brunson.'

1. Hal Fowler vs. Bobby Hoff, 1979 WSOP Main Event

For many poker fans, it's not even a question as to who dealt the baddest beat in the history of the WSOP Main Event. Thirty years ago this summer, amateur Hal Fowler made the final table of the 1979 Main Event. Despite being short-stacked and surrounded by some of the best professionals in the game including Johnny Moss and Bobby Baldwin, Fowler had survived hand after hand to get heads-up with seasoned rounder Bobby Hoff. After playing for over five hours, Fowler had ground out a slight chip lead over Hoff when this legendary hand came up, Hoff raising from the button with and Fowler calling with from the big blind. The flop came down and Hoff led out for a 40,000 bet into the 76,000 pot. Despite having flopped only a gutshot straight draw, Fowler decided to call. Then, like manna from heaven, the hit the turn, making Fowler a seven-high straight. Hoff moved all in for his remaining 43,000 and Fowler quickly called. The cards weren't immediately turned over back then, and both players waited until the dealer put the on the river to show their hands. Hoff slapped his aces on the table only to see that the bracelet had just slipped through his hands with the turn of a single card.

Honorable Mention: Robert Varkonyi vs. Phil Hellmuth, 2002 WSOP Main Event

Okay… we just had to include this one somewhere. Maybe it isn't the worst statistical beat you've ever heard of, but a man's head did end up being shaved. On Day 3 of the 2002 WSOP Main Event, Phil Hellmuth was eliminated by Robert Varkonyi. After Varkonyi opened for 8,000, Hellmuth raised to 25,000 and Varkonyi decided to put the pressure on, moving all in. Believing he had the best hand, Hellmuth called for the rest of his chips with . Varkonyi flipped up . The A-Q-10 flop brought two pair for Varkonyi and Hellmuth couldn't improve, his Main Event at an end. Hellmuth flipped out in his typical fashion, perhaps madder at himself for calling off his stack as only a 3-2 favorite than at Varkonyi's luck.

Cut to: the final table. Hellmuth is in the commentator's box, calling the action alongside Gabe Kaplan. On the first hand of play, Varkonyi lost over two-thirds of his stack to Julian Gardner, all in with pocket nines against Gardner's aces. Hellmuth remarked on-air that 'If Robert Varkonyi wins the WSOP, I'll shave my head.'

Gardner and Varkonyi ended up heads-up for the bracelet and for Varkonyi, it again all came down to Q-10. He made a full house against Gardner's flush on the final hand and came from behind to win the Main Event. And immediately after Varkonyi was presented with his bracelet, Becky Behnen, David 'Devilfish' Ulliott, the late great poker writer Andy Glazer and several others all took turns shaving Hellmuth's head.

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Tags
Chris 'Jesus' FergusonChris MoneymakerDoyle BrunsonGreg RaymerJ.C. TranPhil IveyPoker Top 10T.J. Cloutier
Related Players
Phil IveyT.J. CloutierDoyle BrunsonChris MoneymakerGreg Raymer

This is Part 1 in a series of Top 5 lists leading up to the 2018 WSOP Main Event. Be sure to look out for the remaining articles every day until the Main Event kicks off on July 2!

The bad beat. It’s the story you simply don’t want to hear.

Everybody has got a good bad beat story and, honestly, nobody cares. But, as poker players, we listen to them because anyone who plays the game can, at the very least, empathize.

The very worst of the bad beats come in the biggest events and there’s no bigger event than the World Series of Poker Main Event.

It would be impossible to detail out the worst Main Event bad beat of all time. With tens of thousands of players getting dealt hundreds of thousands of hands over the course of all previous Main Events to date – just about everything that could happen in a poker hand has happened in the Main Event.

So, while we’re sure that the hand that ended your most recent tournament was the sickest of coolers, we’ve composed a list of some of the most disgusting, filthiest, vicious beats to ever be seen in the Main Event. Look away…if you can.

Gaelle gets there

It was early on Day 1B of the 2017 Main Event. Three of the best poker players on the planet — Vanessa Selbst, Gaelle Baumann, and Noah Schwartz — take a flop on the televised featured table. While Schwartz flopped an inconsequential jack-hi flush draw (which he folded), both Selbst and Baumann each flopped a set. Set over set, usually one of the fastest ways for someone to go broke.

Selbst binked the flopped top set of aces while Baumann’s hit a middle set of sevens. The dealer then casually ripped off the last seven in the deck on the turn. Selbst checked her full house to Baumann, who now had quads and bet to build the pot. For those watching, the writing was on the wall. Selbst check-raised Baumann on the turn and then, after betting the river, got shoved on by Baumann. Selbst fell into the tank, but with only one hand, quad sevens, beating her aces full, she was forced to call.

“I wanted to fold, I really did,” Selbst said in the aftermath. A hand like that could send just about anyone into poker retirement.

Candio goes wild

Day 8 of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event found Italy’s Filippo Candio engaged in a big stack battle with poker pro Joseph Cheong. Cheong, holding aces, three-bet Candio preflop and Candio came along with his suited five-seven. The flop brought Candio bottom pair on a paired board, he decided to check-raise Cheong’s continuation bet. Cheong, having way the best of it, three-bet shoved the flop and with the pair of fives, Candio called it off hoping to have picked off a bluff. Nope.

Candio, in poker jail, headed to the back rail to hang his head and watch his fate. An eight hit the turn. The crowd swooned. Cheong sat stone-faced. The river brought out a four providing Candio a straight, the winning hand, and a reason to lose his mind.

Cheong, however, would prevail and rebuild his stack, eventually outlasting Candio at the final table. Candio survived to finish in fourth place for over $3 million while Cheong made it to 3rd for roughly $4.1 million.

“How can I get off of this hand?”

In the 2005 WSOP Main Event, poker legend Jennifer Harman flopped top set with pocket queens against Cory Zeidman’s flopped straight on one of the wettest boards possible. Harman bet her set and, after being raised by Zeidman on the flop, Harman called.

The turn was an action card, the ten of diamonds. It paired the board, giving Harman a full house and adding the open-ended straight flush draw to Zeidman’s already made hand. Harman checked, Zeidman bet, Harmon check-raised and Ziedman knew he was no longer ahead. He was going to have to make a decision for his tournament. He called with no knowledge that he literally had only one out headed to the river.

The savage seven of diamonds peeled off the top of the deck on the river giving Zeidman the straight flush and, while not busting Harmon on this hand, crippling her. In the end though, Zeidman was unable to turn that stroke of luck into a Main Event payday.

Mizrachi and Jarvis take turns

Matt Jarvis put Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi to a tough decision in the midst of the 2010 final table. Jarvis shoved his final 13 million chips in the middle with pocket nines. Mizrachi, never one to pass up a spot, made the huge call holding a suited ace-queen.

With all the cards on their back, Jarvis was a slight favorite for his tournament life. Then, one of the most ridiculous hands of any final table played itself out.

The flop saw a queen in the window and one in the door, giving Mizrachi a massive lead in the hand. Jarvis, taking it in stride, nodded, understanding that the end was near. But when the turn brought one of the two remaining nines in the deck, the room exploded. The tables had indeed turned with Jarvis taking nearly the same lead on Mizrachi that Mizrachi had over him on the flop. Mizrachi was now looking for help with only 7 outs to save him from the brink of extinction. The ace from space smacked the river, retaking the hand for Mizrachi and crushing the tournament life of Matt Jarvis.

Justin Phillips lives the dream

Perhaps one of the most brutal hands of all time occurred on Day 1 of the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Tank-top wearing Justin Philips was facing off against Motoyuki Mabuchi who had flopped a top set of aces. The turn brought the ten of diamonds, giving Philips, who was holding the king-jack of diamonds, a straight with a redraw to a straight flush.