Top Five Biggest Poker Blow-Ups

To be successful in poker, you really need to be able to manage your temperament to make the correct calls at the right time.

However, that is clearly much easier said than done, especially when you are on a losing streak.

When you are on a bad run and you make a massive bet in desperation, it is referred to as a “blow up”.

A blow-up is a hugely aggressive move, and when it goes wrong it can be a very expensive mistake to make.

For example, you could have a streak of defeats and decide to go all-in on a hand that isn’t very strong, or even before the Flop.

This clearly doesn’t do your chances of ending the run any good, and in a lot of cases will actually see you eliminated from the game, which will only worsen your frustration.

Below, we’ve made a list of some of the worst blow ups in poker, to give you an idea of the sort of thing you don’t want to do when you sit down at the table to play.

5. Mike Matusow vs Erik Seidel

Mike Matusow is known for letting his emotions out in poker, and he does so here after being knocked out of the game by Erik Seidel.

Despite his opponent holding Pocket Aces, Matusow is in a commanding position after the Flop with Two Pair of 8 and 10.

Seidel raises by $19,000 at this point, but Matusow responds with an extremely aggressive raise of his own.

He doubles the stakes to a $38,000 raise, and this causes Seidel to go all-in.

Matusow eventually calls, but is stunned by the cards on the Turn and the River.

Two 7s are produced, leaving Seidel with an astonishing victory with a higher value Two Pair.

Matusow storms away from the table shouting about his lack of luck.

If he'd held on to the raise a little bit longer, this could all have been avoided.

4. Phil Hellmuth vs Barry Greenstein

Phil Hellmuth is famous for his rash decisions and lack of any temperament in poker, and he shows exactly why he got that reputation in this video.   

He loses a serious amount of cash against Barry Greenstein, who lands one of the best hands in the game - a Four of a Kind.

Hellmuth begins with the King and Queen of Hearts, whereas Greenstein has unsuited 8 and 10, giving the former a 60% chance of victory.

However, that chance becomes fairly remote when the Flop adds two 8s and a Queen.

Greenstein how has Three of a Kind, with Hellmuth needing another Queen to land in order to gazump him.

The players decide to check, and the Turn then produces the 2 of Hearts, giving Hellmuth a Flush-draw, but he still needs a third Queen. 

He matches Greenstein's bet of $15,000, which should've had alarm bells ringing for Hellmuth about the strength of his opponent's hand.

Incredibly, a fourth 8 comes up on the River, and it should then be an easy fold after Greenstein bets $35,000.

In typically aggressive fashion Hellmuth calls, and is dismayed when the Four of a Kind is revealed.

3. Phil Hellmuth vs Daniel Negreanu

Once again, Phil Hellmuth demonstrates his occasional inability to read the room in this hand, and he gets schooled by Daniel Negreanu, who picks up a six-figure pot.

Hellmuth predicts that his opponent has Queens before the Flop against his Ace and 4, when in reality Negreanu holds Ace and 10, meaning he has the upper hand.

Incredibly, Negreanu completes Two Pair on the Flop as an Ace and a 10 come up, which all but seals victory for him, and he bets $10,000 after Hellmuth's check.

You can begin to see Hellmuth getting irked, and when a 2 is produced on the Turn he cannot win the hand.

Negreanu bets $25,000, which provokes a question from his opponent about the size of the stake.

Hellmuth should know that he is in trouble, but he continues to call.

Following a check on the River, Negreanu raises $40,000, despite Hellmuth's pleas to stop at $10,000.

The latter calls the bet, and explodes after the cards are flipped.

He moves away from the table and unleashes a foul-mouthed rant, clearly furious at his aggressive play in that hand.

2. Make Matusow vs Shaun Deeb

Mike Matusow is an incredibly emotional poker player, and he loses his mind in this clip after an unnecessarily aggressive play.

Both Matusow and Shaun Deeb are dealt pairs in this hand; the former has Pocket Jacks, while the latter has Pocket 5s.

Incredibly, with just a 22% chance of winning before the Flop, Deeb has it practically won when he completes Four of a Kind, meaning his opponent would need a Jack on both the Turn and the River.

Matusow bets $1,000, which Deeb is very happy to call.

The hand is officially lost for Matusow when a 4 is added on the Turn, but he incredibly elects to go all-in at this point, and Deeb matches this before flipping the cards and celebrating victory.

The other players at the table can't believe their eyes and begin to laugh, which only winds Matusow up more after his crazy bet.

He says he "might just quit", before going on an expletive-filled rant about players slow rolling.

After another couple of minutes, he even threatens to assault one of the players.

1. Daniel "Jungleman" Cates vs Scott Seiver

Jungleman simply refuses to believe he can be beaten here against Scott Seiver, and it ends up costing him a huge sum of money.

Both players are deated suited cards - Jungleman has a Queen and 3, while Seiver has 6 and 8.

Following the Flop, it looks as though the former is in complete control, with a 7, 8 and Queen being produced, and he has a 79% chance of winning.

He immediately bets $50,000, which Seiver calls.

However, it takes a Turn for the worse when an 8 is revealed, giving Seiver Three of a Kind, and makes him almost certain to win the hand.

Seiver bets $120,000, and this significant wager should really alarm Jungleman, but he instantly makes the call.

His fate is confirmed with a 5 on the River, and Seiver doubles his previous bet to $240,000.

Amazingly, and despite thinking about it for some time, Jungleman makes the call, handing over a pot worth $900,000.

Sometimes, it pays to fold.