In honor of this weekend’s finale to the 2011 World Series of Poker, we are bringing you the most memorable final hands in the tournament’s 41-year history.
No. 10 — Peter Eastgate Catches Perfect Turn Card to Bust Ivan Demidov
There is no doubt that Peter Eastgate had Ivan Demidov on the ropes for this 2008 classic, but with so much play left in the tournament, there was plenty of time for the Russian to mount a comeback against the Danish pro. Of course, it’s tough to fold two pair in any heads-up situation, let alone when you are short stacked.
No. 9 — Carlos Mortensen Cracks Dewey Tomko’s Aces
On first glance, this looks like a horrific beat at the worst possible moment of the 2001 WSOP, but in reality, Carlos Mortensen’s hand was just a slight dog after flopping the world, even though Dewey Tomko held some of his outs. We’re unsure of the stack sizes, but given the massive tower of chips in front of Mortensen, it was just a matter of time before the title was his, even if he hadn’t hit his straight on the river.
No. 8 — Joe Hachem Fades a Chop Against Steve Dannenmann
This is the hand that sparked a poker boom in Australia, when the former chiropractor from down under Joe Hachem bested the just-happy-to-here Steve Dannenmann. Hachem was dominated preflop, but wound up with a straight on the flop. Dannenmann showed genuine interest in the hand even after Hachem decided to play it fast, but it’s doubtful he would have continued beyond the turn had he not hit top pair. In the end, Hachem avoided the chop to win it all in 2005. Oi! Oi! Oi!
No. 7 — Phil Hellmuth Stops Johnny Chan From Winning His Third Straight
There’s a reason why Phil Hellmuth loves pocket nines. In 1989, Johnny Chan was on the verge of his third straight WSOP title, but ran right into the 24-year-old kid from Wisconsin. Chan flopped some outs to counterfeit Hellmuth, but in the end, the turn and river were friendly enough to give Hellmuth one of his record 11 bracelets. Years later, Hellmuth would go on to win the 2005 NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship with those same two black nines.
No. 6 — Chris Ferguson Denies T.J. Cloutier With Bad Beat on the River
Poor T.J. Cloutier. The man has six WSOP bracelets, but none of them were won during the main event. The former Canadian Football League pro has incredibly finished in the top five of the main event four times, including two runner-up finishes. In the 2000 main event, Cloutier had nearly pulled even when his dominating hand was run down by Chris Ferguson and his inferior ace. It was a sad day for all of the Binion’s Horseshoe stick men.
No. 5 — Jamie Gold Talks Paul Wasicka Into a Call
Paul Wasicka had to have been kicking himself for folding what would’ve been the best hand in a showdown between Jamie Gold and Michael Binger. Instead, he was left heads-up at the 2006 final table facing a large chip disadvantage. After picking up pocket tens, Wasicka was unable to fold as Gold, mouth stuffed with blueberries, talked him into a call for the rest of his stack.
No. 4 — Stu Ungar Wins His Third Main Event Title Over John Strzemp
The late Stu Ungar saved his best for last, winning the 1997 main event for his third title. Johnny Moss is the only other poker player to accomplish that feat. In this final hand, Ungar magically rivered a wheel with a dominated ace against a stunned John Strzemp. Unfortunately, the drug addicted Ungar was found dead just over a year later, leaving the poker world without one the best players of all time.
No. 3 — Scotty Nguyen Taunts Kevin McBride Into a Runner-Up Finish
“If you call it’s gonna be all over baby,” said Scotty Nguyen, moments after putting Kevin McBride all in. McBride had fired on the flop and the turn with two overs and a gutshot straight-flush draw, but the river put a full house on board, forcing him to call off his stack with the hope that he was chopping. He wasn’t, and Nguyen was awarded with the 1998 title. Watch the video below all the way to the end to see a very excited Mike Matusow.
No. 2 — Chris Moneymaker’s Full House Sparks a Poker Boom
It was destiny for a man named Chris Moneymaker to start the poker boom in 2003. On the final hand, the accountant from Tennessee somehow managed to flop bottom two pair. If that wasn’t enough, his opponent, Sam Farha, somehow managed to flop top pair. Then, Moneymaker somehow managed to avoid being counterfeited to win it all. According to Farha, Moneymaker offered a chop in the bathroom at Binion’s, but the grizzled poker veteran refused.
No 1 — Erik Seidel is Immortalized in Defeat Against Johnny Chan
Anybody who has seen the movie Rounders knows just how iconic this 1988 match up between Erik Seidel and Johnny Chan became. The hand itself was pretty straight forward. Seidel aggressively played top pair, only to run into a flopped straight. It was bad enough for Seidel to live through it, but to see it immortalized in the most popular poker film of all time is just like kicking a man when he’s down. Of course, Seidel now has the last laugh, putting together one of the best years on the circuit ever and amassing nearly $17 million in career earnings, which is more than double than that of Chan.
