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Best WSOP Hands of All Time (Street-by-Street Analysis)
The World Series of Poker has arguably produced more unforgettable moments than any other tournament in poker history. Narrowing down the list to a top 10 was a tricky task, but our experts feel like these ten hands represent what’s great about the WSOP; sick coolers, ballsy bluffs, and insane reads. We’ll break down the action for each of those hands, by every street where possible, giving you a look at the strategy behind the hands that changed poker history.
What Makes a WSOP Hand Truly Historic?
Not every big pot earns a place in poker's collective memory; there have been hundreds of crazy hands throughout the years, but only a handful of plays enter the collective zeitgeist of the community. Our list focuses on the televised era following Moneymaker's 2003 win, which catapulted the Main Event into a global phenomenon. While stories of big hands from the pre-hole-card-cam WSOP have a historical weight to them, they don’t have the same impact as ones where we could “play along” with the players.
#10 — Quad Aces vs. Royal Flush: Mabuchi vs. Phillips, 2008 Main Event
Motoyuki Mabuchi and Justin Phillips collided in one of the most statistically improbable hands in the 2008 Main Event. A royal flush vs quad aces sounds like something out of a Bond film, but sometimes life is stranger than fiction!
Street-by-Street Breakdown
As this hand was played on the outer tables, we pick up the action on the river.
Board: A♥9♣Q♦10♦A♦
Action: As we joined the action, Mabuchi had made a bet on the river, and Phillips counted out a raise. After a brief deliberation, Mabuchi announced “Gamble!” and piled his chips into the middle. Phillips called instantly and tabled the royal, while Mabuchi slammed his quads in frustration.
Analysis: Given the strength of the two hands, there’s not much to do other than get all the money in!
Why This Hand Is Legendary
This is the purest cooler in WSOP history; it’s likely that we never see this match-up of hands again. Lon McEachern said that the chances of this occurring were 1:2.7 billion!
#9 — The Bluff That Built the Boom: Moneymaker vs. Farha, 2003 Main Event
Having qualified for the 2003 Main Event via an $86 online satellite, the amateur Chris Moneymaker found himself across the table from poker legend Sammy Farha for the Main Event title.
Many had thought that the experienced Farha would reel in his amateur opponent, but in this hand, Chris showed that he had the skill to become a World Champion.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Moneymaker raised with K♠7♥ and Farha called with Q♠9♥ – so far, so standard.
Flop: 9♠2♦6♠. Farha flopped top pair and checked over to Moneymaker. Chris could cbet with his backdoor straight and flush draw, but checks back.
Turn: 8♠. Farha bet 300,000. Moneymaker raised to 800,000 with a flush draw and gutshot. Farha called.
River: 3♥. The river is a brick, and Farha checks in flow to Moneymaker. Farha checked, and Chris quickly moved all in. After some deliberation, Farha folds the best hand.
Analysis: Given the Q♠ blocker, Farha has a decent hand to call with. Chris’ check back on the flop and raise on the turn doesn’t make a lot of sense, as you would expect him to cbet his draws on the flop. This hand likely comes down to the frequency at which Farha thinks Moneymaker is bluffing, and he incorrectly determines that he wasn’t bluffing enough to make the hero call!
Why This Hand Is Legendary
After bleeding chips early in the heads-up match, this hand put Moneymaker back on track. Getting this bluff through swung the momentum in Chris’ favor and led to him taking down the Main Event, creating the poker boom and the “Moneymaker Effect.”
#8 — Day 1, Already Over: Selbst vs. Baumann, 2017 Main Event
It’s rare that you see two of the strongest contenders in the WSOP Main Event at the same table on Day 1, but that’s exactly what happened on Day 1b of the 2017 Main Event. Vanessa Selbst and Gaelle Baumann, rather than staying out of each other’s way, got into a huge hand that would be one of the talking points of the whole event.
Vanessa Selbst watches in horror as her Main Event dreams die in Level 1 against fellow female player Gaelle Baumann.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Selbst raised with A♠A♦ from the LJ to 400, Baumann called from the BTN with 7♥7♦, and the BB called with J♣8♥.
Flop: A♣7♠5♣. Both Selbst and Baumann flopped sets, while Schwartz in the big blind had a flush draw. Selbst c-bet 700 into 1,275, Baumann called, and Schwartz folded with his weak flushdraw.
Turn: 7♥, Improving Baumann to quads. Selbst checks, Baumann bets 1,700 into 2,675, and Selbst raises to 5,800. Baumann calls, taking the two to the river.
River: 4♦ – no help for Vanessa. Selbst bet 16.2K into 14,275, overbetting the pot. Baumann shoved for Selbst’s last 20.3K, and after a lot of hemming and hawing, called all in to see the bad news.
Analysis: Setups like this are absolutely sick, and you can see how Vanessa reacts to Gaelle’s shove. Given that it’s this early in the Main Event, and the action leading up to the river, should Baumann really shove with A7, trying to get called by 5s full? It may seem a little harsh, but it looks like Vanessa’s tilt got the better of her, and if she had taken the time she wanted, she could have found a fold.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
It’s crazy to see a cooler like this between two great players, especially this early in the Main Event. Vanessa tried her best to get away with it, but couldn’t find the fold she needed to keep her tournament life.
#7 — The Fold That Defied Belief: Obst vs. Ruane, 2016 Main Event
With 27 players left in the Main Event, the pressure can be too much to bear, even for the best players. With so much money on the line, it’s easy to let your emotions take over, but James Obst calmly thought through the situation he faced and made an insane hero fold against Michael Ruane in the 2016 Main Event.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Pons raises with K♦Q♦, Ruane calls on the button with 9♣8♣, Obst calls from the SB with 7♦7♥, and Nguyen makes it a 4-way flop with 9♥6♣.
Flop: Q♠J♣7♣. Obst flopped a set, Ruane flopped a straight and flush draw, Pons flopped top pair. Pons makes a cbet of 625K, Ruane cuts out a raise to just over 2 million. Obst then 3bets the flop to 5.3 million; Nguyen and Pons get out of the way, and Ruane makes the call.
Turn: 10♣; Ruane completes his straight flush. With the flush coming in, Obst checks. Ruane bets around ¼ pot; 3.75 million into 13.2 million, and Obst makes the call.
River: 10♦, Obst improves to a full house, but it’s no good. He makes a blocker bet of 4.7 million into 20 million, and Ruane shoves. After a long tank, Obst finds a huge fold.
Analysis: This hand may seem crazy on first reflection, but it was really well played by Obst. By blocking the river, he knows that Ruane isn’t going to shove with a hand like an ace-high flush, in case he runs into a boat. With the worst-possible full house, Obst knows that he’s beat when Ruane shoves, and makes an impressive fold.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
It’s rare to see this level of discipline so deep in the Main Event; most players would call instantly and blame their elimination on bad luck, but James put his range reading into practice and made a world-class fold.
#6 — Runner-Runner Heartbreak: Drinan vs. Katz, 2014 One Drop
One of the few hands on our list that isn’t from the Main Event, this hand takes place between Connor Drinan and Cary Katz in the $1 million buy-in One Drop event. If there’s ever a time to pick up aces, it’s in a $1 million tournament, but things didn’t work out so well for Drinan.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Both players have pocket aces; Drinan with A♦A♣ and Katz with A♠A♥. After a 3bet and a 4bet, Drinan 5bets all in, and Katz calls.
Flop: K♥5♥2d, Katz is the only one drawing to the win.
Turn: 4♥, another heart – Katz is just one card away from scooping aces vs aces.
River: 2♥, absolute heartbreak for Drinan, who’s eliminated from the $1 million buy-in event.
Analysis: What is there to say about this hand? Both players played it perfectly, but sometimes the Poker Gods aren’t on your side.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
Losing aces vs aces in a million-dollar tournament – it doesn’t get much sicker than that!
#5 — The Quads Fold: Mikhail Smirnov vs. John Morgan, 2012 One Drop
This hand was played on one of the outer tables of the $1 million One Drop event in 2012, and the events of the hand were reported by other players at the table. The hand involved Mikhail Smirnov, a semi-pro Russian player, and amateur player John Morgan.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Dwan raised to 32K, Smirnov called with 8♦8♥ in the SB, and John Morgan called from the BB.
Flop: J♠8♣7♠. Smirnov flopped a set and led out for 50K into around 100K. Morgan quickly calls, and Dwan folds, leaving the pair heads up.
Turn: 8♠. Smirnov made quads, and the third spade completed multiple flush draws. Smirnov continues betting, this time 200K, and Morgan quickly calls again.
River: K♠. With four spades on the board, Smirnov bets 700K, slightly overbetting the pot. Morgan quickly moves all in for 3.4 million, and Smirnov folds his quads face up.
Analysis: Folding quads seems like a crazy thing to do, but based on the likely ranges and Smirnov’s opinion of the player, it seems justified. On a paired board with four spades, it’s unlikely that Morgan would shove a flush. JJ and KK don’t make sense given the preflop call, and 77 seems like a thin shove given the board texture, making the most likely hand Morgan can have T♠9♠.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
Folding quads in a $1 million event sounds like something out of a James Bond film, but it really happened! Having the discipline to fold four-of-a-kind and keep your tournament hopes alive is incredible, and well worthy of a list in our top 10.
#4 — The Hand That Defined the Main Event: Duhamel vs. Affleck, 2010 Main Event
Jonathan Duhamel and Matt Affleck were two of the biggest stacks of the 2010 Main Event. With two tables remaining, the pair clashed in one of the sickest hands the Main Event has seen.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Affleck held A♣A♥ and Duhamel held J♣J♠. Duhamel raised from the CO, Affleck 3bet, Duhamel 4bet, and Affleck laid the trap by calling.
Flop: 10♦9♣7♥. Duhamel has a gutshot straight draw, but Affleck still has the lead. Duhamel checks, Affleck bets 5 million into 8.4 million, and Duhamel calls.
Turn: Q♦, Duhamel now has a double gutshot. He checks again, and Affleck shoves all in. After some deliberation, Duhamel makes the call as a 21% underdog.
River: 8♦. Duhamel completed his straight and eliminated Affleck in 15th.
Analysis: Looking back at this hand, it looks like Duhamel got attached to his big pair and couldn’t let it go. Given the board and the preflop action, it’s hard to imagine Affleck shoving with anything worse than JJ, so it should be an easy fold, even with the straight draw.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
This is arguably the key hand in the 2010 WSOP Main Event, as Duhamel takes a commanding chip lead and goes on to win the event. The devastated reaction of Affleck at the table and the throwing of his water bottle as he walks out the door elevates it to legendary status.
#3 — The Pressure Breaker: Qui Nguyen vs. Gordon Vayo, 2016 Main Event
Qui Nguyen and Gordon Vayo were battling heads-up for the 2016 WSOP Main Event title, and while many players thought that the experience of Vayo would see him take the win, the relentless aggression of Nguyen put him in the driver’s seat. This hand exemplifies the contrast of the two styles and highlights why aggression is so powerful in poker.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Nguyen raised to 6.7 million with J♦5♦ and Vayo called with Q♥9♦.
Flop: 9♣4♣2♦. Vayo flopped top pair and checked it over to Nguyen, who cbet 9.7 into 14.2 million. Vayo quickly called.
Turn: T♥. Vayo checked again, and Nguyen stayed aggressive with a second cbet, this time 27.7 into 33.6 million. Vayo called with second pair.
River: 5♠. Nguyen makes third pair, but he knows it’s no good. After a third check, Nguyen put Vayo all-in. After a long tank, Vayo eventually folded the best hand, putting Nguyen in a commanding position.
Analysis: This hand is a great demonstration of why aggression works, especially in high-pressure situations. Nguyen had been blasting off like this throughout the final table, but Vayo just couldn’t make the call with his Main Event life on the line. The line from Nguyen is aggressive, but reasonable given how much Vayo had been folding. Given the previous aggression shown by Nguyen, Q9 is too strong of a hand to fold – especially if he’s bluffing 3rd pair!
Why This Hand Is Legendary
This epitomised the heads-up battle between Nguyen and Vayo and showed to the poker world how powerful aggression can be.
#2 — The Flip That Decided It All: Cada vs. Darvin Moon, 2009 Main Event
The young pro Joe Cada faced off against the old hand Darvin Moon heads-up for the 2009 WSOP Main Event title. Cada had held a strong chip advantage, but Moon had battled his way back to close to even. Everyone thought that Cada would wear down Moon with his stronger fundamentals, but in the end, a simple coin flip decided the event.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Cada raised to 3 million with blinds at 600K/1.2M with 9♣9♦. Moon 3bet to 8 million with Q♦J♦, Cada shoved, and Moon called it off with his suited broadways.
Flop: The flop came 2♣7♠8♣. Clean for Cada, but Moon had a backdoor straight draw as well as his six outs with his overcards.
Turn: The K♥ was a Broadway card, but the only one that Moon didn’t need.
River: The 7♣ paired the board. Cada won with two pair (nines and sevens), securing the 2009 WSOP Main Event title.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
This hand made Cada the youngest-ever Main Event winner. While the modern game is all about “GTO” and “range advantages,” there’s something raw about a huge event like this being settled by a coin flip.
#1 — The Hand That Changed Poker Forever: Moneymaker vs. Farha (Final Hand), 2003 Main Event
Chris Moneymaker and Sammy Farha were heads-up for the 2003 WSOP Main Event title. Moneymaker had already pulled off a huge bluff to gain the momentum, and it was this hand that sealed the win.
Street-by-Street Breakdown
Preflop: Farha raised from the button with J♥T♦, and Moneymaker called with 5♦4♠.
Flop: The flop came J♠5♠4♣. Farha flops top pair, but Moneymaker flops bottom two pair. Moneymaker checks and Farha makes a standard cbet. Moneymaker makes a small raise, and Farha decides to shove. Moneymaker snaps, and Farha sees the bad news.
Turn: The 8♦ changed nothing. Farha is only 17% to win.
River: The 5♥ gave Moneymaker a full house and the 2003 WSOP Main Event title.
Why This Hand Is Legendary
If the bluff laid the foundations for the poker boom, this hand launched it. An amateur turned $86 into $2.5 million and proved that poker wasn’t just for professionals. The impact was felt around the world; online poker exploded, the Main Event entrants 10x’d across three years, and a new generation of players were introduced to the game. It’s arguably the most important hand in WSOP history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the most famous hand in WSOP Main Event history?
While there’s some debate, we believe that the Moneymaker bluff against Farha in the 2003 Main Event heads-up is the most culturally significant hand in WSOP history. It laid the foundation for the modern poker boom and showed that anyone could win against the best. No other hand in the game's history has had a comparable impact on how many people play poker.
Q2: Has a royal flush ever beaten quad aces at the WSOP Main Event?
Yes, it happened in the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Mabuchi held A♣A♠ and made quad aces, while Phillips held K♦J♦ for a royal flush on the A♥9♣Q♦10♦A♦ board. ESPN quoted the probability at approximately 1 in 2.7 billion, making it one of the most unlikely hands in WSOP history.
Q3: What is the worst bad beat in WSOP Main Event history?
There are a few hands that could earn the title of the “worst bad beat,” all for different reasons. The two that stand out to us are the Affleck vs Duhamel hand for its significance in the outcome of that Main Event, the Mabuchi vs Phillips hand for its sheer unlikeliness
How to Study These Hands to Improve Your Own Game
While some of these hands are just coolers, others display high-level play that you can learn from and take into your own games. To help you improve, we’ve highlighted the best learning opportunities from our list of the top 10 WSOP hands.
- The Obst full house fold (2016): This hand is a masterclass in range narrowing. When faced with a similar situation, do what Obst does and work through the hand street by street. Ask yourself: at each decision point, what hands can my opponent realistically hold? By the river, the only logical holding for Ruane, given the action, was a straight flush, making it easy for Obst to fold a monster. Practice this kind of elimination thinking in your own sessions.
- The Selbst vs. Baumann set-over-set (2017): Similar to the Obst vs. Ruane hand, use this hand as a demonstration of narrowing down your opponent’s range based on the action of previous streets. Even with the 2nd nuts, Vanessa isn’t happy when she’s raised, and while she eventually does make the call, she gets close to making a huge fold. Learn from her thought process and use it to make big folds when faced with similar situations.
- The Smirnov quads fold (2012): This is the best example of how you should consider every street when constructing your opponent’s ranges. Morgan had just called preflop, so on a board of J♠8♣7♠8♠K♠, it’s unlikely that he’ll have JJ or KK. The preflop decision and postflop action significantly narrowed down Morgan’s range, putting Smirnov in a position where he could fold quads. In a situation like this, don’t just snap call when you’ve got a strong hand, ask yourself: ”What hands in your opponent's range make sense given the preflop action, the flop call, and the river shove?”
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