12 Famous Poker Hands That Made History

A famous hand needs more than a big pot. It needs a moment people can picture: the cards turned over, the look on a player’s face, a line that ends up in a film. The twelve hands below are the ones poker players still quote, ordered by date. Card symbols show suits where they are on record.

1. Doyle Brunson’s ten-deuce, twice (1976 and 1977)

In the final hand of the 1976 Main Event, Doyle Brunson held 10♠2♠ against Jesse Alto’s ace-jack. The flop came ace-jack-ten, Brunson picked up two pair on the turn deuce and filled up with a ten on the river to win $220,000. A year later he did it again: against Bones Berland’s 8-5 the board ran 10-8-5, then a deuce and a ten, and Brunson won $340,000 and back-to-back world titles. Ten-deuce has been called “the Doyle Brunson” ever since.

Doyle Brunson$6.1M10 bracelets

2. Johnny Chan traps Erik Seidel (1988)

Heads-up for a second straight world title, Johnny Chan flopped a straight and let Erik Seidel do the betting. Seidel had top pair and pushed hard; Chan played passively until the money was in. The win made Chan back-to-back champion, and ten years later a tape of the hand appeared in the film Rounders, where Chan has a cameo as himself. Seidel, who finished second for $280,000, went on to become one of the most successful tournament players of all time.

Johnny Chan$8.7M10 bracelets

3. Stu Ungar’s comeback wheel (1997)

Sixteen years after his second Main Event win, Stu Ungar returned to win a third, a record he still shares with Johnny Moss. In the final hand against John Strzemp, Ungar held the weaker ace but caught a five-high straight, the wheel, on the river. It was the last great moment of a player many still consider the most talented ever; he died the following year.

Stu Ungar$3.6M5 bracelets

4. “If you call, it’s gonna be all over, baby” (1998)

Kevin McBride had two overcards and a gutshot straight-flush draw and fired on the flop and turn. When the river paired the board into a full house, Scotty Nguyen moved all in and told his opponent that a call would end the tournament. McBride called and lost, and Nguyen’s line became one of the most quoted in poker.

Scotty Nguyen$12.7M5 bracelets

5. Moneymaker’s bluff of the century (2003)

An accountant from Tennessee who had qualified through a cheap online satellite, Chris Moneymaker raised the turn with king-high and a flush draw, missed on the river and moved all in anyway. Sam Farha, holding top pair, guessed Moneymaker’s hand out loud and still folded. Moneymaker went on to win $2.5 million. Millions watched on ESPN, and the “Moneymaker effect” turned poker into a global online industry.

Chris Moneymaker$8.3M1 bracelet

6. Quads against a full house on High Stakes Poker (Season 2)

The flop came 9♣ 6♦ 5♥, giving both Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu a set. The 5♠ on the turn gave Hansen four of a kind and Negreanu a full house; after the 8♠ river Hansen moved all in and Negreanu called. It is still the textbook “cooler”, and at the time it was one of the biggest pots ever shown on television.

Gus Hansen$10M1 bracelet

7. Phil Ivey throws away a flush (2009)

On a board of 5-Q-10-Q-A with four spades, Phil Ivey had a flush with the 8♠. When Jordan Smith showed aces up, Ivey mucked without looking again at his own cards. Ivey later admitted he had never looked back at his hand. It was a rare mistake from the best player of his era, in the same Main Event in which he made the final table.

Phil Ivey$54.4M11 bracelets

8. Antonius vs. Isildur1: the record online pot (2009)

At the peak of the online high-stakes era, Patrik Antonius held A♥K♥K♠3♠ against the then-anonymous Isildur1, later revealed as Viktor Blom, with 9♠8♥7♦6♦. The board ran 4♠ 5♣ 2♥, 5♥, 9♣ and Antonius won $1,356,946, for many years the largest pot ever played online. Railbirds followed the session live.

Patrik Antonius$29.3M0 bracelets

9. Tom Dwan’s straight against Phil Ivey’s (2010 broadcast)

Three-handed with Patrik Antonius, Tom Dwan and Phil Ivey both made a straight when the 4♥ fell on a J♣ 3♦ 5♣ flop, but Dwan had the higher one. Ivey moved all in, Dwan called, and the J♥ river changed nothing. The $1,108,500 pot was a new record for a televised cash game.

Tom Dwan$7M0 bracelets

10. Duhamel’s jacks crack Affleck’s aces (2010)

With 15 players left, Matt Affleck got his chips in with pocket aces against Jonathan Duhamel‘s jacks on a 10-9-7-Q board and was a big favourite. The 8 on the river gave Duhamel a straight. Affleck left in 15th place for $500,165, visibly devastated; Duhamel went on to win $8.9 million as the first Canadian Main Event champion.

Jonathan Duhamel$18M3 bracelets

11. The jack-four call (2022)

On a 10♥ 10♣ 9♣ flop, Garrett Adelstein had a straight-flush draw. After the 3♥ turn Robbi Jade Lew raised, Adelstein moved all in for about $109,000 more, and Lew called with jack-high. The river missed everything and Lew won the pot. Adelstein accused her of cheating; Lew denied it, passed a polygraph and returned $135,000 to him, which she said she did because she felt intimidated. The casino’s investigation found no conclusive evidence of cheating, and nothing has ever been proven either way.

RJRobbi Jade Lew—0 bracelets

12. Tom Dwan’s $3.1 million call (2023)

In the $1 million buy-in game, Wesley Fei five-bet with ace-king and kept betting on a 3♦ 8♠ 8♦ 5♥ 6♣ board without improving. Tom Dwan called a $350,000 turn bet and a $786,000 river shove with pocket queens. The $3,081,000 pot was the largest ever shown on a live stream at the time. Bigger pots have been streamed since: see our ranking of the biggest pots in televised poker history.

WFWesley Fei$444K0 bracelets

Sources

• PokerNews, Five of the most historic poker hands
• Card Player, The ten World Series of Poker final hands
• Las Vegas Sun, The 10 most memorable hands covered at the World Series of Poker
• PokerNews, Most memorable hands from High Stakes Poker, part 2
• PokerNews, Jack-four one year anniversary
• PokerNews, Tom Dwan wins largest pot in live-stream poker history
• Wikipedia, 1988 World Series of Poker