There are certain poker hands that simply transcend time. Counterintuitively, the older some clips are, the better they are remembered. This seems especially true if they include one or more legends of the game.
The early years of High Stakes Poker are a particularly potent treasure trove of hands that captivate the poker world to this day. Few hands stand the test of time, in terms of memorability, more than one particular clash between Daniel Negreanu and Gus Hansen.
Travel back in time, almost 20 years, to the summer of 2006. Aug. 16, season 2 of High Stakes Poker, debuted on the Game Show Network with the first of what was likely hundreds of re-broadcasts in the years that followed. Filmed at Palms Las Vegas, episode 11 featured a truly remarkable lineup, including Negreanu, Hansen, the late great Doyle Brunson, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, and Eli Elezra.
The hand in question arrived late in the show, with blinds of $300/$600. Hansen opened to $2,100 with 5♦5♣. Negreanu, in middle position, made a small three-bet to $5,000 with 6♠6♥. Esfandiari folded A♦Q♣ in the big blind, Hansen called, and they went to the flop.
That’s where the magic began, and that takes us back to the present day. PokerGO, which now hosts the entire archive of High Stakes Poker episodes and is still producing exciting new episodes, sat both Hansen and Negreanu down to relive one of the most famous hands either of them have ever played for That Poker Hand.
As the early action of the hand plays out on an iPad in front of him, Negreanu drops a mild spoiler for anyone who might not have seen the hand before.
“This is one hand that sort of exemplifies my High Stakes Poker career,” Negreanu remarked.
Set Over Set, But The Turn Changes It All
“Poker 2026 is a different animal than it was back then,” Hansen. “A different world.”
No matter how different poker is 20 years later, both players were clearly enthusiastic about a 9♣6♦5♥ flop. Hansen checked, Negreanu bet $8,000, and Hansen raised to $26,000. Negreanu just called.
“The whole reason the hand is goofy is because I three-bet with a hand, for a very small [amount],” said Negreanu. “That wasn’t a thing. You don’t do that with sixes.”
Negreanu’s virtual lock on the hand broke with the 5♠ on the turn.
“Basically, thinking about losing the hand, what outs does he have, stopped when the five came on the turn,” said Hansen. “I have quads. I’m not going to lose this hand. Now the purpose was to get as much money from Daniel as possible.”
Hansen bet $24,000, and Negreanu called again.
The Battle On The River
Hansen checked the 8♠ river. Negreanu bet $65,000.
“The truth is, as played, he should never, ever, ever check a hand better than mine,” said Negreanu. “Too often what would happen is, he’s going to check, and I’m just going to check back. If I had just a seven here, I probably check. It’s a very big pot, a very dynamic board. He said later, ‘Well, I figured when I checked, you’d bet aces or kings for value. NO, Gus. I would never put $65,000 in with aces or kings on the board after check, raise, bet.”
Hansen shoved for $167,000 more. Negreanu starts working through the hand as he contemplates his options.
“I think I could have played it a little better,” said Hansen. “I gave Daniel a small chance to get away, and I think I should’ve been better at choosing my bet size on the turn and on the river so he couldn’t get away from it.”
Negreanu eventually called, and Hansen flipped over his fives. At $575,700, it was the biggest pot in High Stakes Poker history at the time. That record now sits at $1,412,500, a pot won by Alan Keating on an episode that aired in Spring 2025.
“I remember talking to Gus about this hand since,” said Negreanu. “Many times. And it’s way more tilting after listening to his reasoning, because everything he thought was what I wanted him to think.”
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Images via High Stakes Poker / PokerGO.
