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Worst Bad Beat Poker Hands in WSOP History
Bad beats are a poker player’s worst nightmare, and those nightmares reach Freddy Krueger-esque levels when they happen at the biggest stage of all, the WSOP. Over the years, there have been some truly sickening bad beats at the World Series of Poker, and we’re here to relive them in all their glory. We’ll share our picks for the best bad beats in poker, highlighting the biggest poker losses of the series.
What Is a Bad Beat in Poker?
A “bad beat” in poker is a situation where a strong hand is a big favourite to win, but ends up losing due to the runout. A great example of this is “set over set,” where the bottom set hits their one remaining out to make quads on the river and win the hand.
They’re brutal to watch and evoke a visceral reaction from other players at the table. But at the same time, they’re one of the reasons why poker is so watchable, as you know that anything can happen going into that last card. In the WSOP, crazy poker hands are all the more exciting to watch, due to the money and prestige on the line.
The Top 5 Worst Bad Beats Poker Hands in WSOP History
The history of the series is littered with players who “could have made it if it weren’t for that suckout,” so narrowing the list down to the top 5 worst bad beats of the WSOP was a difficult task. However, after reviewing the footage across dozens of hands, our experts agree that these five were the most gut-wrenching of the bunch. Plus, each one comes with a video of the action for your viewing pleasure:
- 5. McKeehan vs. Schwartz (2018)
- 4. Justin Phillips vs Motoyuki Mabuchi (2008)
- 3. Bryce Yockey vs. Josh Arieh (2019)
- 2. Chris Moneymaker vs. Phil Ivey (2003)
- 1. Jonathan Duhamel vs. Matt Affleck (2010)
5. Joe McKeehan vs. Justin Schwartz – 2018 WSOP Main Event
The final table of the Main Event has been the site of some of the sickest poker hands ever, and that’s exactly where this hand begins. With 7 players left, Dunway raises with Q9o, Wasnock 3bets from the button with KK, and Mizrachi puts in the cold 4bet with AKo from the SB. The action folds back around to Wasnock, who shoves, putting Mizrachi at risk.
Wasnock sees that he’s a huge favourite going into the flop, which comes a safe J♠9♥7♦. The Q♣gives Mizrachi a gutshot, but with three tens being folded preflop, Mizrachi only had 3 outs to keep his tournament alive. He spikes the A♦ on the river to put himself in a commanding chip lead, which he would use to go on and win the Main Event.
- Why it matters: Mizrachi was one of the best players remaining in the tournament, and this hand would have seen him eliminated if he didn’t hit the ace on the river.
- The impact: Mizrachi takes the chip lead and goes on to win the 2025 WSOP Main Event.
4. Justin Phillips vs. Motoyuki Mabuchi - 2008 WSOP Main Event
While the names may not be familiar to most of you, the image of Phillips in his headphones and white tank top will make this hand instantly recognisable to any WSOP fan. We join the action on the river with a board of A♥9♣Q♦T♦A♦and Phillips raising after a Mabuchi bet.
After a few seconds, Mabuchi shoves his chips into the middle, shouting “Gamble!” and Phillips snaps, turning over his hand to show a royal flush. Disgusted with the run out, Mabuchi slams down his quad aces, bringing an iconic reaction from Phillips and etching the hand into WSOP folklore.
- Why it matters: While it was early in the 2008 Main Event, you just don’t see quad aces vs a royal flush every day! The fact that both players made their hand on the river just makes this even sicker than usual.
- The impact: Mabuchi was knocked out, and the hand became an instant classic. It’s still one of the most viral WSOP poker hands to this day.
3. Bryce Yockey vs. Josh Arieh - 2019 WSOP $50K Poker Players Championship
This one may be a little hard to understand for all you Hold’em-heads out there, but trust us, it’s a doozy. They’re playing 2-7 Triple Draw in the $50K PPC, and Bryce Yockey is dealt a 76432, which is the second-best hand you can get in the game. Josh Arieh has AQ653, so even if he gets the two cards he’s hoping for (a 7 and a 2), he will still lose to Yockey’s hand.
Yockey declines the draw, and Arieh hits one of the cards he needs – a deuce. After a bet and a call, Josh draws one, getting a 4, which gives him a straight. In 2-7, straights count against you, so Josh needs to discard again and hope to hit another low card. That’s exactly what happens, and he draws the perfect card – a 7 – to give him the absolute nuts.
Yockey shoves the river, Arieh calls, and you can see the disbelief in Yockey’s face when Josh turns over the best hand.
- Why it matters: It took a series of unlikely events for Josh to even be drawing at a better hand than Yockey had, let alone actually beat it. Deep in such a big event, it’s an absolutely crushing blow..
- The impact: Yockey was eliminated in fourth and received $325,989. Poker legend Nick Schulman said it was “the bad beat to end all bad beats,” while Ali Nejad called it “first-degree filth.”
2. Chris Moneymaker vs. Phil Ivey - 2003 WSOP Main Event
There were 10 players left in the 2003 WSOP Main Event, and poker legend Phil Ivey looked set to make the final table. Amateur Chris Moneymaker, who qualified via an online satellite, was the chip leader, and the two got into a huge hand which shaped the course of poker history.
Chris raised preflop with A♥Q♦, Ivey called with 9♠9♥, and Lester called with T♦T♠. Three players saw a flop of Q♥6♠Q♠, giving Chris a huge advantage. Chris c-bets, Ivey calls with his pocket 9s, and Lester folds. The 9♣hits the turn, giving Phil Ivey a full house.
After a sizable turn bet, Ivey shoves all in and is quickly called by Moneymaker. Ivey has an 83% chance to take a sizable stack into the WSOP Main Event final table, where he’d surely be a favorite to win the whole thing. However, the Poker Gods had other ideas, and the miracle A♠ appeared on the river, knocking Ivey out in 10th place.
- Why it matters: This hand was instrumental in giving Moneymaker a huge advantage on the final table and helped launch the poker boom. If Ivey’s hand holds and someone else wins the 2003 Main Event, who knows how the poker landscape would have changed?
- The impact: Ivey missed the final table, and Moneymaker went on to win the Main Event, causing a poker boom around the world and proving that an amateur could take on the pros and win.
1. Jonathan Duhamel vs. Matt Affleck - 2010 WSOP Main Event
While Moneymaker’s hand had a significant impact on the poker world as a whole, we think that Duhamel's hand vs Affleck is even sicker. At the time, Affleck was considered a real up-and-comer in the US poker world, and was tipped to become the next big thing.
With 15 players left in the Main Event, Duhamel and Affleck were #1 and #2 in chips, giving them a great chance of making the November 9. Duhamel started the hand by raising with J♥J♣, and Affleck 3bet with A♠A♣. Both players were in late position, which likely contributed to Duhamel’s aggressive play.
Duhamel makes the 4bet, and Affleck makes the smooth call, hoping to trap him. The flop comes T♦9♣7♥, giving Duhamel a gutshot and an overpair. Duhamel checks, and Affleck bets 5 million. Duhamel makes the call, and the Q♦hits the turn, giving Duhamel another straight draw.
After another check from Duhamel, Affleck shoves all in, putting Duhamel in a tough spot. While most players would fold and preserve their stack, Duhamel makes the call, putting Affleck on a hand like AK.
Affleck was a 79% favourite to win, but the 8♦sucked the life out of Affleck, eliminating him from the Main Event. While he took it as well as he could at the table, the image of Affleck throwing his water bottle on the floor on his way out of the poker room is something that we all felt in our soul.
- Why it matters: The players were #1 and #2 in the tournament, making this a huge blow-up from Duhamel, which was rescued by the river card.
- The impact: Duhamel went on to win the Main Event, and Affleck’s exit became one of the most memorable in WSOP history.
Final Thoughts: Bad Beat Poker Hands in WSOP
Yikes, even watching those back, it’s hard not to feel sick to your stomach! I wanna puke if I lose a couple of buy-ins in my local home game, but to experience those bad beats in some of the biggest tournaments in the world is a whole other level. They say that poker’s a “hard way to make an easy living,” and these hands are the perfect demonstration of that!
If you want to catch the next iconic WSOP bad beat in real time, check out our WSOP schedule and Main Event coverage.
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