Every poker player hates taking a bad beat, but we do enjoy a guilty pleasure at the recounting of bad beat stories. The following bad beats were played out at the World Series of Poker with the prizes on offer huge. This accentuates the bad beat pain for the players involved but that is what makes the hands memorable.
1. Phil Hellmuth v Robert Varkonyi 2002 World Series of Poker
With around 100 players left Hellmuth took a bad beat and then inflicted another on himself straight after with a prop bet. The action started with Robert holding QT with which he raised to $8000 with the blinds at $1200-$2400 and a $400 ante. Phil was holding AK so with this strong hand he re-raised and made it $17,000. Varkonyi announced that he was all-in for his remaining $98,000 stack and after some thought Hellmuth called. Unfortunately for Hellmuth Varkonyi hit a pair and won the hand, eliminating Phil in the process. Hellmuth immediately announced to ESPN that if Varkonyi won the main event he would shave his head bald. After Varkonyi went on to win the Poker Brat was shaved bald before the entire crowd!
2. Layne Flack v Philip Marmorstein – 2002 WSOP $1500 Event
With five players remaining Flack was holding pocket 10’s with Marmorstein holding pocket 4’s. Flack, with a stack of $195,000, raised it to $15,000 and Marmorstein called with a stack of $80,000. The flop came down 10 10 8 giving Flack the absolute nuts with Quad 10’s. Flack checked and Marmorstein checked. The turn was a 4 giving Marmorstein a full house. Flack bet $15,000 again and Marmorstein again flat called, slow playing thinking he had the best hand. The river card was a 4. This meant Flack was holding Quad 10’s with Marmorstein holding Quad 4’s! Flack went all-in and Philip called instantly but unfortunately was knocked out to this bad beat. A very unlucky spot so close to the end of the tournament.
3. Chris Moneymaker v Humberto Brenes – 2003 Main Event WSOP
Chris certainly rode his luck in the main event of 2003 being saved on the river no less than five times on his way to the title and $2.5 million in prize money. With Brenes holding pocket Aces, a king high flop hit the board and Moneymaker announced he was all-in for around $120,000. Moneymaker did not look good as he had 88 in the hole and was now an 11/1 underdog and about to be eliminated. The turn, however, saved him as the 8 gave him a set and he won the hand after the river blanked eliminating Brenes. Moneymaker would go on to eliminate top pro Phil Ivey in similar fashion and go on to take a chip lead into Day 4 and we all know how that ended!
4. James Akenhead v Grant Hinkle 2008 WSOP Event 2 Heads Up
Akenhead was dominating the heads up battle for the bracelet when Hinkle made an all-in move at the wrong time with 10 4 and was called by Akenhead with A K. It looked destined to be the Brit who would be earning his first WSOP bracelet at this moment. It was not to be. In a terrible beat the flop came down 10 4 10 giving Hinkle the boat and a blank on the turn gave him the pot, crushing Akenhead’s dream of a first bracelet.
The above hands are just some of the bad beats that occur everyday in poker. Hopefully we will avoid them should we ever be in a position to win the big one, but with the turn of the card you never know when the next bad beat will happen.
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