The Top 4 Worst Hand Misreads
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
When poker pros leave red-faced.
Misreading your hand is embarrassing, but lets face it, every poker player’s been there. You know the scenario: you’re sat at a live cash game, confidently sitting on a monster hand. At this point, your only concern is how to choke as much value as possible out of those poor fools playing you. The big river bet you lazily splashed onto the felt gets a caller and you’re practically licking your lips with suppressed glee, making plans as to how you’ll spend the huge pile of moolah that’s about to be pushed your way. “What a donk! He’s not going to know what’s hit him!” you think smugly. The hands are flipped and, reaching out to take the pot, you stare down at… seven high. Wasn’t that an eight when I looked before? No? Oh. Well, that’s awkward. Oh dear. Probably should have double checked. Enjoy our top 4 worst hand misreads below.
1. Kosta Mamaliadis
If there’s ever a time when you don’t want to make a simple mistake like looking at the same card twice, it’s when you’re down to the final two tables of the biggest and richest poker tournament in the world – the WSOP Main Event. Unfortunately for amateur player Mamaliadis however, that’s exactly what happened. Commentators are baffled after he shoves over Eoghan O’Dea’s raise with a ragtastic 8-2 offsuit, meaning that he busts in 13th place. His fixed smile at the end makes us think that there could be a lot of sleepless nights ahead for him.
2. Phil Ivey
It goes without saying that Phil Ivey is a poker god – someone with otherworldly poker abilities that us mere mortals can only dream of. However, in this clip we are reminded that the Tiger Woods of poker is very much human, when he obliviously mucks the winning hand. See Ivey’s reaction to the hand in the second video, where he talks about watching it back later, saying “I was stunned […] I rewinded it like twenty times, I was like I think they might have made a mistake!” Sorry Phil, but you dun goofed.
3. Gail O’Grady
Okay, so this is from Celebrity Poker Showdown rather than a serious tournament, but we just couldn’t resist putting it in if only for the face that actress Gail O’Grady makes at the end when she realizes she does not, in fact, have a straight. Her shock is so complete you’d almost think that Seth just gave birth to a litter of Dalmatian puppies right there on the felt in front of her.
4. David Balkin
This one is a bit different to the others, since it wasn’t his own hand that Balkin misread, but his opponent’s. In a scene of agonising cringeworthiness, French pro Gaelle Baumann makes a flush on the river, but when the cards are flipped over at showdown (around 2:46) Balkin doesn't realise that he hasn't won. In fact, he even finds time to fist-pump and run to high-five his rail before the amused chorus of “You lost, bro!” brings him back down to earth with a bump. Oops.