Top Five Worst Poker Mistakes
Poker is a game of seriously fine margins, and players at the top level cannot afford to make any mistakes.
They’re not immune though, and when they do make a mess of something it is usually on a huge scale, and rather embarrassing to boot.
For example, you could accidentally fold by knocking your cards over to the dealer, or even misread your opponent’s cards when they’re turned.
Below, we’ve found five monster mistakes that professional poker players have made, to show you that even they are capable of doing the unthinkable.
5. Tony G vs Alec Torelli
Tony G gets caught out in this hand against Alec Torelli, and it's a bitter pill to swallow.
He starts this hand with an Ace and a 2, with Torelli holding a 4 and a 5.
On the Flop, a 4, 8 and Queen come into the game, which gives Torelli a massive 87% chance of winning.
Both players decide to check, and then another 8 is produced on the Turn.
Torelli has Two Pair, but it's not exactly strong - an Ace on the River would gift the hand to Tony G. The former makes a bet of $900, which is called immediately.
When a King lands on the River, Torelli has the hand in the bag. However, Tony G decides to try and bluff him with a $7,000 bet.
Torelli deliberates for a long time, but eventually decides to make the call, and he is rewarded for his decision.
Tony G looks absolutely crestfallen.
4. Daniel "Jungleman" Cates vs Antonio Esfandiari
Daniel "Jungleman" Cates has a complete nightmare following this hand against Antonio Esfandiari.
Starting with the 4 of Diamonds and 2 of Hearts against Esfandiari's 3 of Hearts and 8 of Spades, Jungleman is unquestionably in the better position.
He then gets a Straight draw on the Flop when the 3 and 8 of Diamonds are produced, along with the Ace of Spades, needing only a 5 in the next two cards.
His opponent has Two Pair, and he bets $3,200 which is called by Jungleman.
With a 5 on the Turn he has now got a Straight, putting him in an unassailable position in the hand.
Strangely, he only calls Esfandiari's $10,100 bet, when he really could've pressed home his advantage.
Following an Ace on the River both players check, and after seeing the cards Jungleman decides to muck his hand.
He immediately realises his grave error, and literally throws away a pot worth $31,400.
3. Andreas Gann v Donnacha O'Dea
Andreas Gann gets exactly what he deserves for this poor play against Donnacha O'Dea, making a fatal error that seemingly stunned the poker Gods into action.
Gann has the Queen and King of Diamonds, while O'Dea holds the Ace and 6 of Clubs.
An 8, Ace and a 6 come up on the Flop to give O'Dea Two Pair, but unfortunately for him Gann completes a Flush, as all three cards are Diamonds.
Gann checks, but O'Dea decides to raise $300,000, a sum which Gann is unable to match, meaning he must go all-in to call.
Despite being in an incredibly strong position, Gann takes forever to make his decision - this is known as slow rolling.
After over a minute, Gann finally calls - to the disgust of the other players at the table and the commentary team.
Several of the other players have words with Gann before the Turn is revealed, which is a 7, so O'Dea needs an Ace or a 6 to come to his rescue.
Luckily, a 6 is produced on the River to the roars of the other players, giving the Irishman a Full House and a winning hand.
2. Estelle Denis vs J. C. Tran
Both Estelle Denis and the dealer must take some responsibility for the mess they created in this video.
Denis is in a hand against J.C. Tran, and the latter placed a bet of $32,000 pre-Flop.
After this, Denis goes all-in with her final $142,000, but the dealer mistakenly mucks her cards, making her hand dead.
Denis is understandably perplexed and remonstrates that she was still active in the hand.
As the commentator points out, however, it is the duty of the player to protect their cards, so she must share the blame.
She tells the floor supervisor what her cards were in an effort to rectify the error, but it is no good, and she loses out on the $32,000 call.
Denis then reveals that she had Pocket Aces, which would've left her in a fantastic position on an all-in call.
This was certainly a costly mistake, and Denis gets up and leaves the table less than impressed.
1. Sandra Naujoks vs Tony G
Somehow, Sandra Naujoks throws away victory by managing to fold her winning hand by mistake.
She starts with a 10 and 9 against Tony G’s King and Queen, so both of them are in a decent position.
A Jack, 10 and Queen come up on the Flop, giving each player a Pair, though they are one card away from completing a Straight.
Another Queen is produced on the Turn, which puts Tony G at a 91% chance of winning the hand with Three of a Kind.
Tony G bets $400, to which he is raised $1,100 by Naujoks, so he takes it up to $2,400.
However, it appeared to be a bad move in hindsight as Naujoks completes a Straight on the River with an 8.
Strangely, both players check, and as they turn the cards over Naujoks clearly hasn’t read her hand properly because she folds.
Despite having a Straight, she loses the hand, and she can’t believe what she’s done as she tries to grab the cards back before the dealer can take them in.