Loading...Historical poker hands
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1995
- $10,000 Main Event: Moving in with nothing
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Dan Harrington
 
VS
Howard Goldfarb
 
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Harrington | 47.2% | 81.7% | 93.2% | |
| Howard Goldfarb | 52.8% | 18.3% | 6.8% | |
Action:
When the final hand came up the blinds were $15,000-$30,000 with an ante of $3,000 and Dan Harrington had the chip lead. Howard Goldfarb raised $100,000 before the flop with the A
-7
and Harrington called with the 9
-8. The flop came 8-2-6, giving no help to Goldfarb and top pair to Harrington. Harrington checked, Goldfarb moved all-in with $617,000 and Harrington called without hesitation. The turn brought the Q
and the river was the Q, not helping either player. Harrington won the title and $1,000,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
Goldfarb tried a big bluff on the flop in a situation where he didn't have any information on Harrington's holding. He would only get called if beat. Had he checked the flop and moved in on the turn, Harrington would have had a very tough call to make. Great check and call by Harrington who must have known that Goldfarb was capable of moving in with nothing.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1994
- $10,000 Main Event: A bad spot to bluff
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Russ Hamilton
VS
Hugh Vincent
 
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Hamilton | 85.0% | 95.2% | 81.8% | |
| Hugh Vincent | 15.0% | 4.8% | 18.2% | |
Action:
When it was down to heads-up play between Russ Hamilton and Hugh Vincent the following hand came up. Vincent had $1,600,000 in chips and Hamilton had $1,070,000. Hamilton, who held the Q-Q, raised $150,000 and Vincent called with a 10-9 off suit. The flop came Q-6-5, giving Vincent nothing and Hamilton top set. Hamilton checks and Vincent checked behind him. On the turn the 8 hits, giving Vincent a double-belly-buster straight draw (he makes the nut straight if a J or 7 hits on the river). Hamilton bets out $400,000 leaving $500,000 in front of him. When it is Vincent's turn to act he decides to move all-in on a semi-bluff. Hamilton, who had more than half of his chips in the pot, called. The only hands that had him beat at that point are the 7-4 or 9-7 for a straight. On the river the board paired when the 8 hit, giving Hamilton a full house.
Analysis:
Vincent made a few questionable plays in this hand. First he called a big raise (about 10% of his chips) with the 10-9 off suit, this might be considered a mistake but not a huge one. Hamilton's check on the flop is a good play and most likely set up the action on the turn. Although there is a straight draw and a flush draw out on the flop, with top set in this pot you have to gamble a little bit. Vincent's check is a decent play, giving him the chance to outdraw on the turn in case Hamilton has something like A-6, A-5, pocket 7's or pocket 8's. But Hamilton most likely would have bet the flop with any of those hands. To check the flop with a non-threatening board after a big pre-flop raise usually means that he missed completely or hit a great hand. But Vincent's check on the flop gained him no information on Hamilton's hand, which makes the all-in move on the turn a huge mistake. Also he should have realized by Hamilton's bet that he wasn't going to lay down his hand since he was pot committed.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1994
- $10,000 Main Event: The importance of a kicker
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Russ Hamilton
 
VS
Hugh Vincent
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Hamilton | 72.4% | 83.3% | 93.2% | |
| Hugh Vincent | 27.6% | 16.7% | 6.8% | |
Action:
In the final hand of the tournament Hugh Vincent limped with the 8-5 and Hamilton checked with the K-8. The flop came 8-2-6, giving both players top pair but Hamilton had the better kicker. Hamilton checked, Vincent bet $100,000 and Hamilton moved all-in with about $750,000 more. Vincent called only to find out that he was drawing to three outs for a two-pair. The turn came with the T and the river brought the J, giving both players a pair of 8's but Hamilton won with the K-kicker. Hamilton won the title and $1,000,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
Vincent's call was obviously a mistake since he had no kicker to his top pair and no information on Hamilton's hand since the pot was unraised. He wasn't pot committed and could only beat a bluff. In case Hamilton would have semi-bluffed with a flush draw and/or straight draw, he is likely to have overcards as well. With that type of draw against him, Vincent would have been either a slight favorite or an underdog.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1993
- $10,000 Main Event: Rags against rags
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Jim Bechtel
 
VS
Glen Cozen
 
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Bechtel | 61.4% | 75.2% | 86.4% | |
| Glen Cozen | 38.6% | 24.8% | 13.6% | |
Action:
When the last hand was played, Glen Cozen had a short stack and Jim Bechtel was the chip leader. On the third hand they played heads-up, Cozen moved all-in with the 7-4 only to be called by Bechtel's J-6. The flop came T-8-3, giving no help to either player. The turn was the 2 and the river brought the 5. Giving Bechtel the winning hand with a J-high.
Analysis:
This is what eventually happens when one player is short stacked and the other player has a large stack. The short stack moves in with a weak hand and gets called by another weak hand.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1992
- $10,000 Main Event: A slow-play that back fired
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Hamid Dastmalchi
VS
Tom Jacobs
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamid Dastmalchi | 36.7% | 16.8% | 90.9% | |
| Tom Jacobs | 63.3% | 83.2% | 9.1% | |
Action:
In the final hand between Hamid Dastmalchi and Tom Jacobs, the former held the 8-4 and the latter held the J-7 when the flop came J-5-7. Jacobs under-bet his top two-pair in an effort to lure Dastmalchi in. Dastmalchi sat and pondered for a while before making the call with his gut-shot straight draw. The 6 came on the turn giving Dastmalchi a straight. He checked to Jacobs who moved all-in and Dastmalchi called. The 8 came on the river, which was no help to either player. Dastmalchi won the title and $1,000,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
In this hand, the danger of slow-playing any hand, even with an unthreatening board, was revealed. However, Jacobs was in a position that required him to gamble and the risk he took by under-betting the pot was small as compared to the potential rewards.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1991
- $10,000 Main Event: A marginal hand that got punished
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Don Holt
 
VS
Brad Daugherty
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don Holt | 35.6% | 21.5% | 18.2% | |
| Brad Daugherty | 64.4% | 78.5% | 81.8% | |
Action:
In the $10,000 no-limit Hold'em tournament at the WSOP the final hand was played as follows. Don Holt limped in from the button with the 7-3 and Brad Daugherty raised $75,000 more with the K-J. Holt called and the flop came 8-9-J. This flop gave Holt a three-flush and a gut-shot straight draw, but it gave Daugherty top pair. Daugherty checked and Holt moved all-in for about $450,000. Daugherty, who had the chip lead, didn't take much time to call Holt's semi-bluff. When the 5 hit on the turn it gave Holt four more outs (eight in total), as any T or 6 on the river would give him a straight. The 8 came on the river and made Brad Daugherty the 1991 WSOP champion.
Analysis:
Holt made his first mistake by calling the $75,000 raise before the flop when he only had a small amount invested in the pot. His second mistake was moving all-in on the flop with nothing more than a gut-shot straight draw and backdoor potential. Had he checked the flop, Daugherty would most likely have bet the turn. If Holt had moved in then instead, Daugherty would have had a tougher call to make. Still the all-in bet on the flop could have succeeded, to call a big bet like that with only a pair of J's is a good call by Daugherty. Usually players don't like to risk giving a free card when the flop is as coordinated as in this hand, so Daugherty's check on the flop probably smelled like weakness to Holt.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1990
- $10,000 Main Event:The miracle river card
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Hans Lund
VS
Mansour Matloubi
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hans Lund | 27.5% | 21.8% | 95.5% | |
| Mansour Matloubi | 72.5% | 78.2% | 4.5% | |
Action:
With the blinds at $15,000-$30,000 Matloubi raised $75,000 with the T-T. Lund who was the chip leader called with the A-9. The flop came 9-2-4, giving Lund top pair with top kicker, and Matloubi an overpair. Lund checked, Matloubi made a $100,000 bet and Lund check-raised $250,000 more. Matloubi studied for a while before he called the $250,000 and reraised all-in for another $378,000. Now Lund had to think for a while but finally he decided to call the raise. When the hands were turned over everybody could see that Lund only had five outs (any ace or nine) to beat Matloubi's pocket T's. The A hit on the turn, a miracle card for Lund who now had top two pair and could only lose if one out of the two tens left hit on the river (a 22-1 shot). When the ace hit, Matloubi was standing up and kicked his chair, as he was very likely to get eliminated in second place. Yet, another miracle card hit on the river, the T that gave Matloubi a set of T's to beat Lund's two pair. Lund went from underdog, to almost certain win and then lost the pot (it had more than 80% of all chips in it). This was the turning point in the match and Matloubi eventually went on to win the title after his pocket 6's held up against Lund's pocket 4's.
Analysis:
There is not much to say on the play before the flop. On the flop Lund pot committed himself when he decided to go for the check-raise. Even though he probably thought he was beat when Matloubi moved all-in, Lund had invested a lot of chips on the hand and that made it hard to fold. Since there were no likely draws on the flop, Lund had to strongly suspect that he was beat and that he only had a maximum of 5 outs to outdraw. But the slight possibility that Matloubi was bluffing or had a worse hand, the size of the pot and the fact that Lund might have 5 outs to outdraw, made him call.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1989
- $10,000 Main Event: The two black nines
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Phil Hellmuth
VS
Johnny Chan
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Hellmuth | 67.6% | 73.3% | 70.5% | |
| Johnny Chan | 32.4% | 26.7% | 29.5% | |
Action:
When the final hand came up, the blinds were $5,000-$10,000 and the ante was $2,000. Phil Hellmuth raised $35,000 with the 9-9, Johnny Chan re-raised $165,000 with the A-7 and Hellmuth moved all-in for $1,000,000. Chan thought for quite some time before calling with his remaining $450,000. The flop came K-T-K, which gave Hellmuth two-pair and Chan five outs to draw out. The turn was the Q. This gave Chan seven additional outs and made Hellmuth a 2.5:1 (approximately) favorite. The river brought the 6, thus giving Hellmuth the title and $755,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
When entering the 1989 $10, 000 WSOP, Chan already had the main events of 1987 and 1988 under his belt, most certainly an amazing winning streak and quite possibly undefeated. In this tournament, however, it is possible that Chan made a mistake when he called Hellmuth's all-in bet as a 2:1 underdog, though he could have only really been in a really bad position against AA. Since Chan was the more experienced player of the two, he may have been able to save his chips and attempt to outplay Hellmuth later on.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1988
- $10,000 Main Event: Flopping the nuts
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Johnny Chan
VS
Erik Seidel
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Chan | 45.7% | 96.7% | 99.9% | |
| Erik Seidel | 54.3% | 3.3% | 0.0% | |
Action:
This hand, which was featured in the movie "Rounders", began with both players limping into the pot. Chan held the J-9 and Seidel had the Q-7. The flop came Q-T-8, giving Chan the nut straight and Seidel top-pair. Chan bet out on the flop making the bet $40,000, Seidel raised $50,000 and Chan smooth-called. The turn came with the 2, which did not affect either hand. Chan checked and Seidel moved all-in. Chan then called. When the hands were turned over, Seidel quickly realized that he was drawing dead with one card to come. The river brought the 6. This hand won Chan his second title and $700,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
In the last hand, Chan trapped Seidel and made him believe that either he held the best hand or that Chan was weak. Very nicely set up by Johnny Chan.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1987
- $10,000 Main Event: Overbetting the pot
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Johnny Chan
VS
Bob Ciaffone
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Chan | 43.4% | 81.3% | 0.0% | |
| Bob Ciaffone | 56.6% | 18.7% | 0.0% | |
Action:
When it was down to three players (Johnny Chan, Bob Ciaffone and Frank Henderson) the following hand came up. The blinds were $10,000-$20,000 with an ante of $2,000. Ciaffone had $665,000; Chan had $525,000 and Henderson had about $250,000 when Chan limped on the button with the K-Q and Henderson also limped from the small blind. Ciaffone looked down at the A-4 and decided to raise the pot $85,000 more. Chan called the raise and Henderson folded his hand. The flop came K-J-4 giving Chan top pair and Ciaffone bottom pair with an overcard. Ciaffone bet out $185,000 at the pot and Chan moved all-in for a $240,000 raise. Ciaffone thought for a long time and then decided to call. Chan's pair of K's held up and later he went on to win the tournament (his first $10,000 WSOP, but he won the next year in 1988 and finished second in 1989).
Analysis:
Ciaffone analyses this hand in his book "Pot-limit & no-limit poker". He felt that his pre-flop raise and the call on the flop were reasonable. But the bet on the flop was a mistake. Worth to mention is that he overbet the pot, both pre-flop and on the flop. It was these bets that made the pot so big and in the end made his call reasonable. He justifies the call by saying that he probably had 5 outs to win the pot plus the fact that Chan might be drawing (although unlikely) and that he had the opportunity to knock out one of the greatest players in the world. He felt that if he won the pot he would be a huge favorite to win, which is true. What about Chan's pre-flop call? He did call a big bet with a hand that was a slight underdog, but he didn't know that for sure. Three-handed, KQs is a good hand. Even though he indeed had the worst hand going in, Chan probably felt that he could outplay Ciaffone on the later betting rounds and he had the better position.
Texas Holdem No-Limit WSOP 1987
- $10,000 Main Event: A coinflip
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Johnny Chan
VS
Frank Henderson
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| Best hand percentage | Pre-Flop | The Flop | The Turn | The River |
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| Johnny Chan | 45.9% | 28.3% | 13.6% | |
| Frank Henderson | 54.1% | 71.7% | 86.4% | |
Action:
Chan raised $60,000 with the A-9 and Henderson moved in for another $300,000 with the 4-4. The flop came 5-8-K and the turn brought the T. When the 9 hit on the river, Chan won the title and $461,000 in prize money.
Analysis:
There is not much to be said about either play. It was a typical final hand and a coin flip.
