Have you ever seen a beat so bad that it makes you wonder if it’s among the worst poker beats in history? We’ve done the research, gone through the numbers, and found five beats that rank among the worst of all time. Let’s go through the scenarios and better understand what the players could have done differently.
What are the worst beats in World Series of Poker History?
2008 WSOP Main Event: Quad Aces vs Royal Flush
Often mentioned by players as the worst beat in poker history, the 2008 WSOP Main Event was an absolute gut punch.
The Scenario: Motoyuki Mabuchi had pocket aces, and the board showed Ace of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Queen of Clubs, 10 of Clubs, and Ace of Diamonds. The only other player left was Justin Phillips. Phillips was holding a King of Diamonds and a Jack of Diamonds. Mabuchi went all in when he caught his fourth Ace on the river, and Phillips called with a Royal Flush.
After seeing the fourth Ace on the river, Mabuchi bet aggressively against Phillips. Phillips raised, and Mabuchi responded with an all-in.
What could Mabuchi have done?
Given the board, the situation, and how aggressively Phillips came out firing, there really wasn’t any other way to play this. Mabuchi could have just called instead of going all in, or he could have folded. Either way, the pot would have gone to Phillips. Mabuchi had the third strongest hand possible, and it would have been insane to lay it down without knowing.
If he was going to fold, it should have been after the turn when Phillips secured the Royal Flush. Waiting to see that fourth Ace come out in the river left Mabuchi no choice but to stay pot committed and take a loss on a great hand. That’s why this ranks among the all-time worst beats in poker history.
2010 WSOP Main Event: Pocket Aces Beaten
Does an 80% equity lead sound like a loser after the turn? It ended up being a loss for Matt Affleck, and that’s why this ranks among the worst beats in poker history.
The Scenario: Only 15 players remained in the tournament when Matt Affleck caught pocket aces. He was going one-on-one with Jonathan Duhamel. Duhamel held pocket Jacks. The flop came out 10 of Diamonds, Nine of Clubs, and Seven of Hearts. Affleck bet $5 million, and Duhamel called. The turn came out as a Queen of Diamonds, and Affleck went all-in. Duhamel took his time, but he did end up calling the all-in. The River came out as the Eight of Diamonds. Duhamel caught the straight, and Affleck lost the hand. The hand was worth over $3 million in actual dollars. Affleck slowly walked out and famously tossed his water bottle as soon as he hit the door.
What could Affleck have done differently?
Honestly, the only way Affleck could have gotten out of this would have been to try to push Duhamel ‘All-In’ earlier, but there’s no way to know if he would have called anyway. This really isn’t the case of Affleck misplaying or walking into a trap. He had the clear advantage…until he didn’t.
2017 Main Event: Pocket Aces vs Pocket Sevens
When can pocket Sevens beat pocket Aces? When another pair of sevens is on the board. That’s exactly what happened in the 2017 WSOP Main Event to Vanessa Selbst, and puts this among the all-time bad beats in the history of poker.
The Scenario: Selbst caught pocket Aces, and Gaelle Baumann caught pocket sevens. Both stayed in to see the flop, and both caught their three-of-a-kind. Post-flop, Selbst bet, and Baumann called. Baumann caught her fourth seven on the turn. Baumann bet heavy, Selbst raised, and Baumann called to see the river. The river came out as a four of Diamonds. That wasn’t any help to Selbst. Selbst bet heavy, Baumann raised, and put Selbst all-in. Selbst called and lost. The full house that Selbst had wasn’t enough to beat the four-of-a-kind that Baumann was holding.
What could Selbst have done differently
Immediately after the cards were turned, Selbst claimed she wanted to fold. She would have been short-stacked, but she may have been able to stick around for a while longer and potentially grind her way back into the game. Given how aggressive Baumann was and how the board looked, a fold was probably the right move. Also, Selbst’s reaction indicated that she knew better. A lot of these bad beats are simply bad luck, but this one comes across as an actual misplay instead of just being unlucky. However, it’s still a horrific beat.
2004 Main Event: The River brings tears
Sitting with Big Slick and an 82% chance of winning after the flop should be good enough to win, right? Not when this beat happened in 2004.
The Scenario: Mike “The Mouth” Matusow caught an Ace of Diamonds and King of Spades as his hole cards. Ed Foster caught an Ace of Clubs and Queen of Spades. Matusow came out firing and pushed Greg Raymer out with pocket Eights, but Foster raised. Matusow, sensing a chance to double up, was all too eager to go all-in.
No one paired up on the flop, and Matusow had an 82% chance of winning the hand. The turn was Seven of Hearts. No help there either. Foster caught a Queen of Diamonds on the river. Matusow knew he was beat and actually teared up at the sight of the cards not coming up in his favor.
What could Matusow have done differently?
A bit more context is needed here. Matusow was short-stacked and appeared desperate for an opportunity to increase his chip count. He could have tried to play this slowly, but it appeared that his emotions got the better of him. For comparison, Greg Raymer tapped out on a better draw when he didn’t think his pocket pair would hold up. The odds were in Matusow’s favor, but he was only one card away from disaster, and it showed up. This is the case of a desperate player overplaying his hand and getting burned.
2011 Main Event: When Bluffing Goes Right
How does a 6% chance of winning sound before the flop? That’s what Max Heinzelmann had against Shaun Deeb when he went all-in. It ended up working out for Heinzelmann, but Deeb got handed a terrible beat.
The Scenario: Heinzelmann was sitting with an Ace of Spades and Six of Diamonds against Shaun Deeb’s pocket aces and Matthew Kay’s pocket Tens. Kay raised, Deeb raised, and Heinzelmann went over the top of both. Kay tapped out, but Deeb raised again. Heinzelmann went all-in right after Deeb’s chips hit the table. Deeb called quickly, and both turned over their cards.
Heinzelmann paired up on the flop, and caught his third six on the river to win the hand. Deeb had a 90% chance of winning after the flop, but saw it flip to 0% after the river.
What could Deeb have done differently?
This is the case of an opponent’s luck getting his mouth out of a jam. Deeb had the strongest hand on the board, and Heinzelmann was in a terrible spot until he got saved on the river. There was no way to get out of this one, and that makes it one of the worst beats in poker history.
Have you ever had any of these beats happen to you when playing online or in a tournament? Bad beats happen to everyone, but it’s important to go back through your hands and understand what, if anything, you could have done differently. However, it’s important to remember that poker is a game, and games are supposed to be fun. If bad beats have your blood pressure rising, get up from the computer, take a walk, throw on your earphones, and listen to the latest episode of the Sports Gambling Podcast.
