The Best Poker Hands at Televised Poker Tournaments
Not every competitive event that takes place in the world makes it onto television. The broadcasting companies are only interested in those that have healthy fan bases that will push the viewing figures to impressive heights.
One example that meets that standard now is poker. The major tournaments such as the World Series of Poker are regularly screened on television and that has helped to build the audience for them even further.
It is a cycle of success and poker is actually made for television, in many respects. Although it is a sedentary game, it is one that can generate real tension and excitement among those who understand what is happening.
Poker also sometimes produces amazing moments where a player gets a truly unbeatable hand. When those play out on live television it makes them even more memorable.
Below are some ideas for getting started with poker hands, showing the best hands that players have had during televised poker tournaments.
Chris Moneymaker – WSOP 2003
The televised poker hand that many consider to be the greatest ever was held by the aptly named Chris Moneymaker. Everything about this story has the feel of a fairytale to it.
The action unfolded during the 2003 World Series of Poker, which was held at Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas. Moneymaker had qualified for the Main Event via a satellite tournament on the internet and was not even a professional. He worked as an accountant.
He then proceeded to eliminate several of the very best poker pros, including Phil Ivey, to make it all the way to the last table. If the story had ended at that point, it would still be an impressive one, but Moneymaker was about to administer the coup de grace.
Facing off against a seasoned professional called Sammy Farha who excelled at just this kind of high stakes tournament play, Moneymaker looked dead in the water. He fluffed flush and straight chances and only had king high.
This was not a strong position, but he opted for all-out attack and his opponent fell for the bluff of the century. Farha folded with a superior pair of nines and Moneymaker walked away with the $2.5 million pot.
The events had a transformative impact on the game. Many poker players watching at home were inspired by Moneymaker’s rise to fame and riches, with this becoming known as the ‘Moneymaker effect’.
Johnny Chan – WSOP 1988
The hand that won Chan the World Series of Poker Main Event for the second year in a row has gone down in history. It even featured in the gambling movie called Rounders that was released a decade later.
He was playing against Erik Seidel at the final table and Seidel had a top-pair queen. Chan had a straight and chose to flop, rolling his eyes in a bid to bluff his opponent.
It worked like a dream, as Seidel bought the bluff and went all in. The venue for this memorable moment was again Binion’s Horseshoe and winning earned Chan $700,000.
It was a bit before televised poker tournaments really started to take off, so many younger fans are not aware of it.
Jonathan Duhamel – WSOP 2010
The battle between Duhamel and Matt Affleck at the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event was another thrilling moment in this tournament. Affleck looked well positioned, with twin aces, and his stack of chips matched those of Duhamel.
Duhamel raised him in the cutoff and he responded by three-betting. Affleck then raised, putting his entire stack on the line.
There was an agonizing pause of around five minutes before Duhamel opted to call. He needed to hit eight, jack or king to win and got the eight of diamonds.
What happened next lent the incident real drama. Affleck was overcome with emotion at losing from such a strong position and broke down in tears.
It was a moment of emotional intensity. If it was any consolation though, Duhamel went on to win the event. The venue for this scene was the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Scotty Nguyen – WSOP 1998
This was another special moment in the always thrilling Main Event and the demeanor of Nguyen elevated it. There were two players left: Nguyen and Kevin McBride and both of them had a full house.
Nguyen was confident his was superior and forced his opponent to put all his chips on the line. McBride had eights over nines, but it was not enough.
When he went all-in, Nguyen did his best Clint Eastwood impression by telling him that it would be “all over, baby”. It was too, because he had nines over eights.
It is hands like these at key moments in high stakes tournaments that make poker such a thrill to watch on television.
