Looking at the Worst Bad Beats in World Series of Poker History
The title for "Worst Bad Beat in World Series of Poker (WSOP) History" will likely forever go to the quad aces versus Royal Flush ultra-cooler that took place in the 2008 WSOP Main Event.
The hand between Justin Phillips and Motoyuki Mabuchi, recently uploaded to YouTube by PokerGO, is the stuff made for James Bond movies and took place on poker's biggest stage.
The two were among the 6,844 players in the Main Event and happened to be seated at the same table as Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano, who recently played at the All in for CP charity event at ARIA Las Vegas.
Cameras got to the table on the river with the board reading A♥9♣Q♦10♦A♦. Mabuchi checked from middle position and Phillips — sporting headphones and a tank top and with a Mountain Dew can and blue iPod Nano in front of him — put out a bet.
Mabuchi then proclaimed "gamble!" before splashing his chips and being met with an instant call from Phillips, who showed K♦J♦ for a Royal Flush. Mabuchi then showed A♣A♠ for quad aces to stun the table and leave his opponent yelling "WOW!"
Wow, indeed, Phillips. Wow, indeed.
Before Mabuchi hit the rail, Phillips reached over the table and shook his hand. "What a horrible river card for you!"
See the all-time bad beat for yourself on the PokerGO YouTube channel.
Other Notable WSOP Bad Beats
Of course, there have been plenty of other horrific bad beats suffered at the World Series of Poker.
Top of mind is the beat Matt Affleck took deep in the 2010 Main Event to eventual champion Jonathan Duhamel.
For those that don't recall the hand, Duhamel cracked aces by making a one-card straight on the river in a pivotal hand that propelled him to his $8.9 million victory, while Affleck received a fraction of that.
It was a similar story for 2023 Main Event champion Daniel Weinman, who cracked kings with jacks late in the event as he was propelled to his $12.1 million victory for "Team Lucky."
More recently, Poker Hall of Famer and ten-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel was eliminated from a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at the 2024 WSOP with 21 players remaining as his opponent hit a one-outer straight flush.
And there are certain to be even more bad beats at this summer's festival, which kicks off on May 27 and runs through July 16.
In this Series
- 1 What to Expect from GGPoker's First Summer WSOP Schedule Release
- 2 Mark Your Calendar: 2025 WSOP to Run in Las Vegas from May 27-July 16
- 3 2025 WSOP Schedule Released: 100 Bracelet Events Confirmed
- 4 Hellmuth Calls Time on the WSOP Main Event: 'I Just Can't Do It Anymore'
- 5 Negreanu, Other Poker Pros Sound Off on Hellmuth's WSOP Main Event Complaints
- 6 Fedor Holz Says WSOP Bans Are Coming for Online Poker Cheaters
- 7 WSOP Bracelets - All Your Questions Answered
- 8 Daniel Negreanu Reveals His WSOP 2025 Schedule; 'Kid Poker' to Play the Seniors Event?
- 9 What Are the Biggest Wins in WSOP History?
- 10 Poker Raffles Is Sending Someone to the WSOP Main Event for Only £1
- 11 PokerNews Daily Deepstack Challenge Returns to 2025 WSOP w/ 50 SEATS for Deepstack Championship
- 12 What Happened to Peter Eastgate's 2008 WSOP Main Event Bracelet That Sold for $150,000?
- 13 Is a Poker Vlogger an Industry Employee? WSOP's New Rules Stir Controversy
- 14 What Are the Biggest Wins in WSOP History?
- 15 WSOP Records That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken
- 16 Looking at the Worst Bad Beats in World Series of Poker History
- 17 WSOP Tournament of Champions $1 Million Freeroll Returning to Commerce Casino May 15-17
- 18 Is It Worth Playing Cash Games During the WSOP?
- 19 TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Things To Do In Las Vegas During The 2025 WSOP
- 20 How Foreign Travelers to the 2025 WSOP Will Be Impacted by Trump's Executive Order
- 21 WSOP+ App Launches to Streamline 2025 World Series of Poker Experience
- 22 Electronic Devices, Player Bans & More: 6 Key 2025 WSOP Rule Changes You Must Know
- 23 Check Out the PokerGO Streaming Schedule for the 2025 World Series of Poker
- 24 Find Out Why Shaun Deeb Gives Away All of His WSOP Gold Bracelets
