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Wicked Poker: All-Time Wildest Texas Hold'em Hands

purpleslinky.com — In the past few years, No limit Texas Hold'em has become the most popular poker game in the world. Its popularity started when the game became televised in the United States in the early 2000s. Not long after, just like an avalanche, it quickly became the most played poker game not only in the United States, but in casinos world wide.

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 14, 2008

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  • weiwuwei, on 02/14/2008, -0/+16Texas Hold'em is my favorite game, besides Digg of course.
  • XxLindyxX, on 02/14/2008, -1/+16Those are actually pretty tame and they are all from the same show.

    Online, I once flopped quad aces and lost the hand.

    Me: As Ac
    Him: Qh 10h

    Flop: Ad Ah Kh
    He goes all in, i call.
    Turn: Jh

    Hand over, he has a royal flush (one of two I have seen online after 100s of thousands of hands).

    Now that SUCKS!
  • inactive, on 02/14/2008, -1/+13What a stressful occupation/hobby this must be, with thousands and millions of dollars on the line. Does anyone ever retire from this, or do they just jump off buildings or suffer strokes and heart attacks?
  • Skitzzo, on 02/14/2008, -0/+11You obviously have never played.
  • Skitzzo, on 02/14/2008, -0/+9The more I play, the more crazy stuff I see. I'm reminded of a line from Rounders about how some of the top players in the game can't play no limit because they can't handle the swings.
  • archivist, on 02/14/2008, -0/+8luck + wits + balls
  • chrisc3, on 02/14/2008, -1/+9People say its all about luck. So tell me why so many familiar faces are always at final tables
  • inactive, on 02/14/2008, -0/+6I prefer to play on a table, but that's just me...
  • Skitzzo, on 02/14/2008, -1/+6It can be stressful at times but what sport isn't?
  • sgtbutterscotch, on 02/14/2008, -0/+4I didn't even know you could make all those stipulations that they were making. Pretty awesome.
  • CosyCat, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3this one is my favorite Ivey vs Antonius http://youtube.com/watch?v=3uBAw15HLrk (10min 800K+ pot)
  • glacius99, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Recent WSOP Final Tables:
    2007 - Jerry Yang, Tuan Lam, Raymond Rahme, Alex Kravchenko, Jon Kalmar, Hevad Khan, Lee Childs, Lee Watkinson, Philip Hilm
    2006 - Jamie Gold, Paul Wasicka, Michael Binger, Allen Cunningham, Rhett Butler, Richard Lee, Douglas Kim, Erik Friberg, Dan Nassif
    2005 - Joe Hachem, Steve Dannenmann, John "Tex" Barch, Aaron Kanter, Andrew Black, Scott Lazar, Daniel Bergsdorf, Brad Kondracki, Mike Matusow
    2004 - Greg Raymer, David Williams, Josh Arieh, Dan Harrington, Glenn Hughes, Al Krux, Matt Dean, Mattias Andersson, Michael McClain

    Just because ESPN shows the same ppl all the time doesn't mean the same ppl are at the final table every year. They just show up every year because they have the money to compete and it's their profession..
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Maybe he was first to act, made a reasonable raise (what? you always push all-in as soon as you see aces?), and the other guy just made a loose call?
  • imthe1, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Why on earth would you just want to win the blinds when you holding pocket aces? Aces was the best hand before the flop and by far the best hand after the flop. It was just a very unlucky and unlikely turn.
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Texas Hold’em takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master...
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Most casinos have a progressive pot for a bad beat like that. And its always big bank.
  • Dested, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Maaaannnn that last video was mighty disappointing.
  • eliburford, on 02/14/2008, -0/+3Also an interesting video with this Australian player, Tony G: http://youtube.com/watch?v=TvCn_KbLpLY
  • valosonthor, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2The guy with two pair in the last video is Guy Laliberte, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. The man has billions of dollars to his name and had stated that he would donate all his profits from that game to charity. The other man, David Benyamine, was playing with his own money (sort of, he probably had a financial backer) and thus, had a much more personal stake in the money. Guy knew that and so let him off the hook.
  • makkaveli19, on 02/14/2008, -1/+3LOVE the game. it can make you rich or broke in a few hours.
    Protip: cashout right after a big pot.
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2"If luck wasn't a factor, I'd win every time"
    -Phil Hellmuth-
  • orentet, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2wow look at the size of those balls! :)
  • XxLindyxX, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2I think it was a $100 sit-n-go. We both had a lot of chips, but I was knocked out.
  • Scroogl, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2People who say it's about luck are wrong. The same people probably think Chess is about luck.
  • keyme, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2I've been playing this for a couple of months now. And for those who doubt, it's hardly about luck. You can lose having the best hand on the table, just as much as you could win having the lowest hand. It's all about psychology and math (statistics).

    It's the best game ever. (except for Portal ofcourse).
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2OK
  • hokeywebb22, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2It's not that luck doesn't play a factor. But over a large protion of time anybody relying on luck will lose. People playing with skill and using the math with be a winner.
    If skill didn't play a factor at all then phil hellmuth is the luckiest man on earth because he has won 11 WSOP braceletts. Or possibly Stu Unger he came in 1st in the only 3 main events he played in. Read up on Stu Unger then come talk to me about no skill begin needed.
  • imthe1, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2I quit playing online because weird ***** like that seemed to happen too often. I became concerned about the possibility of rigging and that I had no way of knowing. I just stick to cash games now.
  • hoopers, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2It's been a while since I've watched TV poker...what were they talking about when they were "running" more than one river card through? How does that work? Also, could someone please explain the strategy behind letting the guy off the hook in the last video? Either the he's the worlds nicest guy or it's part of a much larger strategy.

    In my world the river is the river and a bet is a bet. There are no "do overs." It's poker, you knew the rules, you lost, have a cookie.
  • imthe1, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2you can't do that in tournaments, but you can do anything you want in a cash game, so long as the players involved in the hand agree.
  • winmywii, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2It takes skill, but there is no doubt luck is involved.
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2In the last video, that was purely one guy letting the other off the hook. It's just about the same as feeling bad about beating someone, so you just hand back about 1/3 of the winnings. You can do that when you are a billionaire.

    Running the cards twice (or more) is accepted in cash games. It is sort of a way to limit the huge ups and downs of the no-limit roller coaster. Basically, you fill in some of the lows by knocking down some of the highs.
  • imthe1, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2If you follow that advice and get a reputation for leaving if you win a big pot, then no one is going to let you play in their games.
  • quill, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2In cash games (non-tournament) at very high stakes, a variety of deals are common. They exist to reduce the randomness and variance. It reduces the chance that the guy with the best hand gets screwed when he's a 90% favorite. However, it also gives the loser a chance to lose a somewhat less crippling amount.

    Long-term, the result are the same. Short-term it reduces variance and luck. Since the best poker plays are about skill, not luck, this is generally a good thing.

    You'll rarely see this happen in smaller pots.

    As far as letting the guy off the hook? Combine niceness with some sort of larger strategy plus a guaranteed win. He took the smaller pot without the river being shown. Personally I think it was more niceness than anything else, and the expression of the other poker players indicated their disbelief with the move. Poker isn't about being "nice".
  • dsmx, on 02/14/2008, -0/+2And to think the the poker craze all started with a show called late night poker on british TV in the late 90's.
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1Dude get over it, or get lost.
  • valosonthor, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1That line applied to a degree at the time Rounders came out. Now, there's virtually no truth to it.
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1Wow. That is Tony G at his worst. And by worst, I mean best. Look how effective he was. Ralph tilted, and he paid for it.

    I don't like Tony G. I would not sit at a table with him, if I could avoid it. He is probably a big ass away from the tables also, but he pumps it up at the table because it works for him.
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I know he is a adult child. The first poker book i read was his, i thought it was good.
  • oOLiquidNightOo, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1it's very easy to play statistics in holdem to create wins (or limit your losses). that being said, ask any good player if they'd prefer to be good or lucky. no matter how disciplined you are luck plays a major role.
  • imthe1, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1i think it was because they were cash games, not tournaments, and the pots were rather large.
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1Yes, but his statement is almost true. He is in the top 1% for sure. Almost every table that Phil sits down at, he is the favorite.

    I'm not saying he is the best player in the world, but he can play with anyone.

    I enjoy seeing him lose. His tirades are funny a hell to me.
  • mal1964, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1@ screen TY! peace
  • screensnot, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1All three of those were cash games. Real money that came directly out of the players' pockets.
  • inactive, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1I'm not saying it doesn't require skills buddy, I'm just saying it requires less skills than say go or chess. And denying is just being deluded. I mean, poker is fine and all, but it's all about the hype, people will have forgotten about it
  • valosonthor, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1As said above, those videos aren't from tournaments. Those are cash games, and every dollar bet is a dollar that can be put in the bank. And I deal for the WPT, so I've had the opportunity to deal some high-stakes cash games (nothing so large as High Stakes Poker) and I've pushed pots that were over $100,000.
  • hoopers, on 02/27/2008, -0/+1Thanks for the info! I guess I'm just the worlds biggest prick, but to me gambling is gamblling. You either bet and lost or you didn't. That's it. There's no such thing as halfsies...
  • inactive, on 04/06/2009, -0/+1All you need to know about Texas Holdem http://www.roomreview.net
  • oOLiquidNightOo, on 02/14/2008, -0/+1with pocket aces your initial bet should be large enough to push all (but hopefully) one player out. if everyone folds to your pocket aces and you've won just the antes you really haven't accomplished much unless it's a tournament and the antes are extremely high at that point.
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