Uncovering the Most Disheartening Folding Decisions in World Series of Poker Annals
The crown of "Worst Bad Beat in Poker History" may as well be placed on the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, where the quad aces versus Royal Flush "ultra-cooler" happened between Justin Phillips and Motoyuki Mabuchi.
This epic showdown, now immortalized in movies and aboard poker's grandest stage, left spectators in awe. The pair, reckoned with 6,844 players in the Main Event and seated with comedian Ray Romano, confronted each other over a fateful river card - ( \text{A}\heartsuit ) ( 9\clubsuit ) ( \text{Q}\diamondsuit ) ( 10\diamondsuit ) ( \text{A}\spadesuit ).
Mabuchi, from middle position, checked, and Phillips, surrounded by his gaming essentials like headphones, tank top, a Mountain Dew can, and a blue iPod Nano, made a move. Mabuchi, claiming for a gamble, tosses his chips and receives an instant call from Phillips, revealing ( \text{K}\diamondsuit ) ( \text{J}\diamondsuit ) for a Royal Flush. Mabuchi predictably responds with ( \text{A}\clubsuit ) ( \text{A}\spadesuit ), flashing quad aces, leaving Phillips astonished, exclaiming "WOW!"
Indeed, WOW! You won't blame Phillips for that reaction.
Before Mabuchi departed, Phillips crossed the table to shake his hand, "What a terrible river card for you!"
Witness this all-time bad beat here on the PokerGO YouTube channel.
Of course, the WSOP has witnessed its fair share of painful bad beats.
- Affleck's Arduous Agony: Matt Affleck took a significant blow deep in the 2010 Main Event, with eventual champion Jonathan Duhamel making a one-card straight on the river in a pivotal hand that catapulted him to his $8.9 million victory while Affleck barely got a fraction of that.
- Team Lucky's Lament: 2023 Main Event champion Daniel Weinman also had his portion of misfortune when he cracked kings with jacks late in the event as he secured his $12.1 million victory, dubbing himself and his team as "Team Lucky."
More recently, poker legend Erik Seidel was eliminated from a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the 2024 WSOP with only 21 players remaining as his opponent pulled off a one-outer straight flush.
The summer festival gears up from May 27 through July 16, where you can expect even more jaw-dropping bad beats.
PokerNews & Life Outside Poker:
Connor Richards, a PokerNews Editor & Live Reporter, and the host of the Life Outside Poker podcast, has made a name for himself in poker journalism. Richards has earned nominations for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.
- Ben Affleck's 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event journey was marked by a painful bad beat, with Jonathan Duhamel's one-card straight on the river costing Affleck a significant portion of Duhamel's $8.9 million victory.
- After Daniel Weinman's 2023 Main Event win, he dubbed himself and his team as "Team Lucky," following a series of fortunate events, including cracking kings with jacks late in the event.
- In a more recent incident, poker legend Erik Seidel was eliminated from a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament at the 2024 WSOP with only 21 players remaining, courtesy of his opponent's one-outer straight flush.
- Spectators can expect even more jaw-dropping bad beats during the WSOP summer festival, which runs from May 27 through July 16.
- Connor Richards, a PokerNews Editor & Live Reporter, and the host of the Life Outside Poker podcast, has made a name for himself in poker journalism and has earned nominations for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.
