The 1998 World Series of Poker is best remembered for the final hand between Scotty Nguyen and Kevin McBride. This main event was also the first since the poker legend Stu Ungar won $1 million in 1997. Ungar had been scheduled to participate in the event after winning the year before but did not come to the start of the event being unfit to play. Ungar would pass away in November 1998. Although the event got off to a bad start it will forever live in the memory thanks to the final hand.
Nguyen had had a great run in the tournament. He managed to get Quads twice and each time his opponent moved all-in on him! After making it down to the final three TJ Cloutier was eliminated by Kevin McBride. Going into the heads up battle McBride was the larger stack but Nguyen fought back to about even and then managed to find a straight at the right time and moved into a commanding chip position. The last hand was a bad beat for McBride; it would also have tragic consequences for Nguyen off the table too.
Nguyen was dealt Jd-9c while McBride had Qh-10h. McBride was therefore a 66% favourite before the flop. McBride raised to $50,000 and Nguyen called. The flop was perfect for Nguyen coming down 8c-9d-9h. This gave McBride a gut shot straight draw and Nguyen trip 9’s. Nguyen was now a 95% favourite after the flop. Nguyen checked to McBride who made the continuation bet of $100,000. Nguyen thought for a while then elected to only call. McBride may have held the other 9 with a better kicker but more likely the best he could be holding was a pocket pair and Nguyen could only be losing to pocket 8’s giving McBride a flopped full house. Calling and extracting more from his opponent was the right move.
The turn brought an 8h giving McBride a small improvement to a straight flush draw but unfortunately for him Nguyen now held the full house. Knowing that he almost certainly had the best hand he checked to McBride who bet $100,000 again. Nguyen called and the river card was dealt which was the 8s, putting a full house on the board. Nguyen could now only lose to quad 8’s but the tentative bet on the turn suggested his opponent did not have this hand. Fortunately for Nguyen he held a 9 giving him the better 9-9-9-8-8 full house. So Nguyen bet out $310,000 and said to McBride the now famous line, one of the most famous in poker, “Kevin, you call and it gonna be all over, baby”. Nguyen knew he did not have the 8 as he took some time thinking about his decision. McBride called saying he was playing the board and Nguyen took the title.
You have to feel sorry for McBride who would not have lost his entire stack had it not been for the unlucky flop, turn and river that was dealt. However, his large continuation bets which could have been half the pot rather than the full pot made it hard for him to lay down the hand. Nguyen knew this and bet to put him all in on a board where normally the pot would be split.
There was a sad twist to this main event win for Scotty Nguyen. Overjoyed with his win he telephoned his family back in Vietnam who were equally overjoyed with his victory. His brother Dung ran around his home town telling everyone about his brother’s success. On the way home after his celebratory night out Dung was hit by a truck and killed. Scotty has said in interviews that he wishes he had not won this main event because his brother would probably still be alive today. Bad beats are not confined to poker.
By Malcolm Clarke
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