Poker has provided moments of incredible tension, with mind-bending sums of money up for grabs on the turn of a card.
And, with the stakes so high, it can all get a bit much for some people. As well as showcasing top drawer poker skills and players will balls of steel, the TV cameras have caught the biggest bust-ups, the funniest moments and the most controversial calls the game has ever seen. YouTube is also a fantastic archive of poker’s history, with footage going all the way back to the early days of the World Series of Poker in the early 70s. Join us as we count down the best 52 moments caught on camera. From the biggest hands at the most prestigious tournaments on earth, to Phil Hellmuth blowing up, getting stacked and showing the world his more sensitive side.
Comedy
All you need’s a Queen!
Poker’s a cruel game. You can get everything so right only to have your heart broken on the river, as Carter Gill found out deep in the 2013 WSOP Main Event. Gill’s anguish is our comedy gold though – sorry Carter! In the words of Bart Simpson, ‘You can actually pinpoint the second his heart rips in half.’
New age Hellmuth
Hellmuth, as scripted by Alan Partridge, in possibly the funniest clip of all time. The action starts at 4:35
Tuff Fish
If you think you’ve ever tilted at the table, watch and learn from the one true master.
SrslySirius
The king of the poker parody hits hard with this fantastic riff on Tom Dwan and Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates.
Hellmuth’s Big Game
It’s Hellmuth v Wiggins four times in one of the funniest hands to hit YouTube.
Controversy
Cocktails!
Scotty Nguyen did his best to bury his reputation at the nal table of the 2008 $50k HORSE
Floor #1
No one wants bust a tournament like the Main Event due to a mistake but rules are rules… Aren’t they?
Floor #2
Ever wondered why you’re told to protect your cards at all times? Estelle Denis can tell you.
Big bad Wolfe
Don’t play cute at the table – De Wolfe comes a cropper against Tobias Reinkemeier here
Angle shoot
Ivan Freitez pulled a disgusting angle at the 2011 EPT Grand Final – and went on to win the tourney.
3… 2… dead
Prahlad Friedman was the lucky recipient of a bizarre oor ruling in the 2010 Main Event.
PokerPlayer is the World’s most popular poker magazine. Read it free here every month
