Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Does anything beat Tommy Reed's (I think that is his name) fold of trip 10s?

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Ill try to find that hand but im sure most of you know it.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

At Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Casino in Nevada, the World Series of Poker circuit event had reached the final table, and nine players faced each other in the traditional game of No-Limit Texas Hold’em. The pressure of the final table is a mixed bag, with the elation of making the cut mixing poorly with the nervousness of playing against eight other sharks under the lights and cameras. Tommy Reed, normally cool under fire, illustrated the stress all the players should have been feeling with a very odd play.

Three players stayed in this particular hand, Jonathan Schecter, Tommy Reed and David Pham.

Pham’s hole cards were: QQ







He confidently bet 18,000 in chips. Reed was next. He took a peek at his pair of Tens:







…and called. Schecter also called, with his pocket cards: 6d7d







...perhaps feeling either a straight or a flush coming on the Flop. The Flop was: 7cAdJd







Schecter almost had his flush and everyone had a pair. While Pham had the pair of ladies, he apparently didn’t feel strong enough to raise; he checked, as did his two opponents. The Turn brought: Tc







And suddenly Reed had the best hand with a set of Tens. Pham was first to act; he again checked, showing signs of weakness to Reed, who was next to act.

It was at this point things began to seem odd in Reed’s manner of play. With trips and a weak check in front of him, he should have raised, but instead, he checked.

Now Schecter saw weakness and, although he had yet to hit his flush, decided to come on strong with a bet of 30,000. Much to his chagrin, Pham called.

This would have been the perfect time for a re-raise for Reed. Inexplicably, he shrugged his shoulders and folded.

While the commentators struggled to understand this move, the River card was: 3s







Schecter tried to bluff with a big bet, but was foiled when Pham called All In.

Pham won the pot as Shcecter folded, but the camera was on Reed, who leaned over to seat mate Phil Ivey and bared his soul:

“I screwed up,” he said.
Ivey asked, “An ace?”
Reed shook his head. “Three tens.”
The word passed along the table, and no one seemed willing to believe he had tossed a set of tens. Reed probably couldn’t believe it himself

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

That's ridiculously bad. Rickey Zilem's "semi?"-bluff with KJ was really bad as well. Then when Pescatori turns over the AQo, he has the balls the say "that's what I figured." If you figured he had trips, why would you raise into him with only 4 outs? Good play, kid...

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

WTF

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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WTF

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LOL.. Even funnier watching it. Wondering how much he's going to raise then he folds. After the hand Phil Iveys eyes almost popped out of his head. David Pham didn't believe it.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Yeah that was so damn ridiculous. Also how about the amount of time it took Tiffany ??? last year to fold KJ preflop after an all in. I mean come on, I was tilting watching it.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Tommy Reed's fold was pretty atrocious - I also remember some serious donkey plays made by Hugh Vincent (?) in 95, I believe - he had come to the final table with a huge chip lead and donked most of it away. If you ever catch that episode on ESPN Classic - it is just that.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

I think Hugh Vincent was from '94 (Russ Hamilton win).

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

While I agree that Reed's hand was probably the most mind boggling in recent history, one only needs to go back to the year that Bechtel won 1993.
Bonnetti, completely bluffed off all of his chips with no pair and no draw with three players left. He busts in 3rd and the 2nd place player barely has enough for the blinds. DOH!!!

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Is any of this old footage online?

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
While I agree that Reed's hand was probably the most mind boggling in recent history, one only needs to go back to the year that Bechtel won 1993.
Bonnetti, completely bluffed off all of his chips with no pair and no draw with three players left. He busts in 3rd and the 2nd place player barely has enough for the blinds. DOH!!!

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Oh ya.. The 2nd place guy was acting like the winner after. The bluff was so ridiculous. I think behctel had trips or something and instacalled and John Bonettie just whipped his cards into the air and walked away.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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[ QUOTE ]
While I agree that Reed's hand was probably the most mind boggling in recent history, one only needs to go back to the year that Bechtel won 1993.
Bonnetti, completely bluffed off all of his chips with no pair and no draw with three players left. He busts in 3rd and the 2nd place player barely has enough for the blinds. DOH!!!

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Oh ya.. The 2nd place guy was acting like the winner after. The bluff was so ridiculous. I think behctel had trips or something and instacalled and John Bonettie just whipped his cards into the air and walked away.

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Bonetti had TPTK.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Do u remember the hand. Didn't the winner have a set of 6s or something? Wow my memory is bad. I thought Bonetti had nothing.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

what about that guy last year that lost all those chips with a K-high flush vs a n A-high flush.

three perfect days of poker down the toilet, what a clown.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Do u remember the hand. Didn't the winner have a set of 6s or something? Wow my memory is bad. I thought Bonetti had nothing.

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Bonetti had AK v Bechtel's 66. Flop came down K-6-x.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Guess my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be...
NHS

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Ted Lawson calling Freddy Deeb's river bet with nothing, thinking he had a straight he couldn't possibly have given the board, in the 2004 $5K PLO. That takes the cake for me.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Kantor vs Raymer ... Kantor rivers a flush

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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what about that guy last year that lost all those chips with a K-high flush vs a n A-high flush.

three perfect days of poker down the toilet, what a clown.

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How does that even get mentioned in a thread about the worst plays in WSOP history.

Sure, the guy got overly emotional about it, but he didn't donk off most of his stack with nothing. He had the 2nd nuts in a spot that a lot of opponents would've pushed in with hands that he beat.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

While it's not the worst play, it's probably the worst play in the most important spot in WSOP history. 1979, Bobby Hoff and amateur play Hal Fowler are heads up. Fowler was already on the good end of a ridiculous cold deck, when in heads up play on a 3-diamond board Hoff held K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] to Folwer's A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Holding 67o, Fowler called Bobby Hoff's raise, and called his pot-sized flop bet on a 35J rainbow board. He gleefully called Bobby Hoff's all in when the 4 hit the turn, and Hoff disgustedly mucked his pocket Aces. When people talk about the worst ME champions as far as poker skill, he is often forgotten. I think he makes Robert Varkonyi look like Stu Ungar

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Ted Lawson calling Freddy Deeb's river bet with nothing, thinking he had a straight he couldn't possibly have given the board, in the 2004 $5K PLO. That takes the cake for me.

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Agree with this as the worst ever, but you have the details wrong.

3 handed PLO

BB = Deeb 830K
SB = Lawson 490K
Button = Watkinson 240K

Blinds ?

Watkinons calls with Ks Qd Th 6c
Lawson calls with 9s 8d 8s 5c
Deeb checks with Jc Jh Jd 2d

Flop = Ts 7h 4c

Check Check Check

Turn = Ts 7h 4c Td

Check, check, Deeb bets an unkonown ammout, Watkinson raises some ammount (looks big, probably pot)

Now comes the worst play in WSOP history ...

Lawson squints at the board and takes a good long look ...

Lawson : Raise. Whatever he (Watkinson) has left.
Deeb: How much are you raising? I'm still in the hand.
Lawson All right, I'll raise 100,000.

Deeb folds. Lee calls all-in. Final pot = 550K.

Lawson: I got a straight.

He lays down his cards and nobody corrects him.

River = Ts 7h 4c Td 2h

Dealer pushes the chips to Watkinson. Lawson, looking bewildered, stops the dealer and spreads out the cards.

Lawson : 7, 8, 9, Ten ...
Dealer : That's only 4 cards
Lawson : Oh, you're right. Ai, yai, yai. What am I thinking, oh my god ...

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

I am shocked that nobody has mentioned the 2006 WSOP Circuit event that Kido Pham luckboxed his way into winning yet. This is the event that made me so sick I almost gave up watching tournament poker on TV.

Final table, down to about 7 players, he is the #2 stack and 2005 champ Joe Hachem is the chip leader.

Blinds at about 2-4k or 3-6k, a guy raises to 16k. Kido Pham re-raised to 50k with J-10(offsuit). . .

Then, Joe Hachem came over the top of BOTH of them, re-raised to 150k with KK. His total stack, as chip leader, is about 650k. . .

Now, after the first raiser folds, Kido Pham, with J-10, as the #2 stack at the table (about 575k+), <font color="red">GOES ALL-IN, vs. a guy re-raising TWO raisers, against the only guy at the table who can bust him. </font> [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Flop was J-J-x, the rest is history. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
While it's not the worst play, it's probably the worst play in the most important spot in WSOP history. 1979, Bobby Hoff and amateur play Hal Fowler are heads up. Fowler was already on the good end of a ridiculous cold deck, when in heads up play on a 3-diamond board Hoff held K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] to Folwer's A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Holding 67o, Fowler called Bobby Hoff's raise, and called his pot-sized flop bet on a 35J rainbow board. He gleefully called Bobby Hoff's all in when the 4 hit the turn, and Hoff disgustedly mucked his pocket Aces. When people talk about the worst ME champions as far as poker skill, he is often forgotten. I think he makes Robert Varkonyi look like Stu Ungar

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You know Ungar also won his first bracelet by flat-calling a flop bet with just a gutshot draw, right?

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am shocked that nobody has mentioned the 2006 WSOP Circuit event that Kido Pham luckboxed his way into winning yet. This is the event that made me so sick I almost gave up watching tournament poker on TV.

Final table, down to about 7 players, he is the #2 stack and 2005 champ Joe Hachem is the chip leader.

Blinds at about 2-4k or 3-6k, a guy raises to 16k. Kido Pham re-raised to 50k with J-10(offsuit). . .

Then, Joe Hachem came over the top of BOTH of them, re-raised to 150k with KK. His total stack, as chip leader, is about 650k. . .

Now, after the first raiser folds, Kido Pham, with J-10, as the #2 stack at the table (about 575k+), <font color="red">GOES ALL-IN, vs. a guy re-raising TWO raisers, against the only guy at the table who can bust him. </font> [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Flop was J-J-x, the rest is history. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

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This is terrible, but Kido made at least a dozen similarly terrible plays, so it does not surprise me in the least.

He and Doug Lee were vying for the title of "worst hand reader of all time" because their method of hand reading was to basically ALWAYS assume that their opponents were holding mediocre hands that couldn't stand a ton of heat.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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[ QUOTE ]
While it's not the worst play, it's probably the worst play in the most important spot in WSOP history. 1979, Bobby Hoff and amateur play Hal Fowler are heads up. Fowler was already on the good end of a ridiculous cold deck, when in heads up play on a 3-diamond board Hoff held K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] to Folwer's A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]-X[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Holding 67o, Fowler called Bobby Hoff's raise, and called his pot-sized flop bet on a 35J rainbow board. He gleefully called Bobby Hoff's all in when the 4 hit the turn, and Hoff disgustedly mucked his pocket Aces. When people talk about the worst ME champions as far as poker skill, he is often forgotten. I think he makes Robert Varkonyi look like Stu Ungar

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You know Ungar also won his first bracelet by flat-calling a flop bet with just a gutshot draw, right?

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Yeah, but he was getting like 25-1 implied if he hit, whereas Fowler called 25% of Hoff's stack, which was ~5% of his own, I think.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Kantor vs Raymer ... Kantor rivers a flush

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I hope you're kidding, This isn't in the top 1000 worst plays ever televised. He had two overs, a flush draw, and could also have been bluffing the str too.

now his REREREraise with K5o on a KT7 board vs Barch IS in the Top 10.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I am shocked that nobody has mentioned the 2006 WSOP Circuit event that Kido Pham luckboxed his way into winning yet. This is the event that made me so sick I almost gave up watching tournament poker on TV.

Final table, down to about 7 players, he is the #2 stack and 2005 champ Joe Hachem is the chip leader.

Blinds at about 2-4k or 3-6k, a guy raises to 16k. Kido Pham re-raised to 50k with J-10(offsuit). . .

Then, Joe Hachem came over the top of BOTH of them, re-raised to 150k with KK. His total stack, as chip leader, is about 650k. . .

Now, after the first raiser folds, Kido Pham, with J-10, as the #2 stack at the table (about 575k+), <font color="red">GOES ALL-IN, vs. a guy re-raising TWO raisers, against the only guy at the table who can bust him. </font> [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Flop was J-J-x, the rest is history. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

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Reading this thread, I forgot all about this. I do remember puking though.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

I thought that most people here don't think that Tommy Reed really had a set of 10's. I remember reading many posts claiming that the hole-cam didn't get a clear shot of his cards, and ESPN just took his word for it, based on his comment after the hand was over.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

Well this one might be a top 25 (ok ok I know not WSOP but WPT). That fella that turned quad kings and immediatly went all in.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Yeah, but he was getting like 25-1 implied if he hit, whereas Fowler called 25% of Hoff's stack, which was ~5% of his own, I think.

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Okay, I didn't know his implied odds were that low. I knew Fowler had some serious suckouts headsup but for some reason I thought the stacks were more even before the last hand.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[I hope you're kidding, This isn't in the top 1000 worst plays ever televised. He had two overs, a flush draw, and could also have been bluffing the str too.

now his REREREraise with K5o on a KT7 board vs Barch IS in the Top 10.

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how about his flat call on the flop with only Q high on a rainbow flop?

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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what about that guy last year that lost all those chips with a K-high flush vs a n A-high flush.

three perfect days of poker down the toilet, what a clown.

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How does that even get mentioned in a thread about the worst plays in WSOP history.

Sure, the guy got overly emotional about it, but he didn't donk off most of his stack with nothing. He had the 2nd nuts in a spot that a lot of opponents would've pushed in with hands that he beat.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is called "sarcasm"

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[I hope you're kidding, This isn't in the top 1000 worst plays ever televised. He had two overs, a flush draw, and could also have been bluffing the str too.

now his REREREraise with K5o on a KT7 board vs Barch IS in the Top 10.

[/ QUOTE ]

how about his flat call on the flop with only Q high on a rainbow flop?

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He was planning to bluff the turn. Haven't you ever done that?

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

i doubt that, he had called with K high on the flop before and not bluffed at it

and for the record, no.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

I remember some donk calling a LAG down on a scary board with K high. And the donk won.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Ted Lawson calling Freddy Deeb's river bet with nothing, thinking he had a straight he couldn't possibly have given the board, in the 2004 $5K PLO. That takes the cake for me.

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Agree with this as the worst ever, but you have the details wrong.

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You're right. Hadn't seen it in awhile. In fact, I think I'll go back and watch it again, and reaffirm that if Lawson can win a bracelet in PLO, I certainly can.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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Ted Lawson calling Freddy Deeb's river bet with nothing, thinking he had a straight he couldn't possibly have given the board, in the 2004 $5K PLO. That takes the cake for me.

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Agree with this as the worst ever, but you have the details wrong.

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You're right. Hadn't seen it in awhile. In fact, I think I'll go back and watch it again, and reaffirm that if Lawson can win a bracelet in PLO, I certainly can.

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It makes me very sad to think I will probably never get close to winning such an event in my best game and that guy can win it when he played so badly.

On another hand he re-pot-raised when he caught the worst possible full house on the river and Deeb says he's making a crying call with a full house. When Lawson showed his hand and says "fives full of eights" it looked like he thought he expected to win. He then acted like he got coolered when Deeb shows a better (but weak) boat, eights full of fives.

Follow his chip stack when they report it. He was constantly flying from first to last to first to last.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

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i doubt that, he had called with K high on the flop before and not bluffed at it

and for the record, no.

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It's called floating, every great player, ( not that Kantor is great) has it in his repertoire, and situations change. He made the same play vs Hachem later.

Re: Worst plays you\'ve seen in the history of ESPN WSOP?
 

No one has even mentioned Zilem's worst play:

It's folded to Zilem in the SB, and he limps in w/ 42o; BB checks.

Flop: TTx - it goes check, check.

Turn: a 4 comes off - again it goes check, check.

River: a 2 comes off - Zilem then CHECK-RAISES!!! He gets reraised (the other guy had T4 for the full boat), moans for a while, and finally folds.

What hand could he possibly believe could call his C/R, that he could beat?