Sometimes, you see a hand play out that leaves you slack-jawed in disbelief.
Even the most seasoned professionals will agree that every now and then the deck produces a clash that has to be seen to be believed – and even that might not be enough.
Alternatively, there are times when the cards don't matter. Rather, it's the actions of the players holding them that leave us dumbfounded.
Below, we've put together a definitive list of five of the most shocking hands in poker history.
If you disagree, sound off in the comments with your picks – but remember, after several decades of televised hands it takes a lot to shock the poker world, so choose wisely.
Brad Booth bullies the best
In one of the most iconic hands in the history of High Stakes Poker, 'Yukon Brad' Booth pulled off one of the wildest bluffs ever seen on televised poker.
While the bluff itself was impressive, Booth's choice of opponent – the legendary, fear-inspiring Phil Ivey – is what makes this one stand out. In the face of a raise from David Williams, Booth opted to 3-bet with his 
, but ran into resistance in the form of a 4-bet from Ivey and his 
. Unfazed by the escalation in action, Booth called in position to see the 
flop.
With $31,300 in the pot, Ivey continued for $23,000. Booth took a moment and then verbally announced an all-in for the rest of Ivey's chips, moving three $100,000 bricks of cash across the betting line.
Ivey, to his credit, wasn't immediately convinced that his hand was beat. As he thought through the spot, he uttered one of poker's most famous lines.
"I wish you had put the chips in. That cash just looks so sweet," he said with a shake of the head and a smile.
Eventually, Ivey sent his cards into the muck. Booth didn't show the bluff in the moment, but once the episode aired his secret was out.
The sickest cooler you'll ever see
Typically, when you make four-of-a-kind in a poker hand any chips that you deposit into the pot tend to come right back to you – along with your opponent's. This hand, between Motoyuki Mabuchi and Justin Phillips during the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, is an exception to that.
The cameras picked up the action on the river, with a completed board reading 
. Mabuchi fired a bet and Phillips responded with a raise.
"Gamble!" cried Mabuchi as he moved all-in, sending his chips flying into the middle.
"I call," Phillips said, rolling over the 
for a royal flush. Mabuchi then slammed his cards down on the table in disbelief – he had 
.
It's without a doubt one of the worst bad beats of all time and, adding to the hand's mythology, actor Ray Romano was at the table to witness it all.
As commentator Lon McEachern explained to the viewers at home, the odds of a royal flush and quad aces hitting in the same hand stand at 1 in 2.7 billion.
The Robbi
If you clicked on this article, chances are you expected to see this hand on the list. On September 29, 2022, Garrett Adelstein and Robbi-Jade Lew clashed in a hand that immediately became one of the most infamous ever played.
In a high stakes cash game on Hustler Casino Live, Lew scooped a $269,000 pot after making an improbable and inexplicable hero call with just jack-high.
Adelstein kicked off the action, raising to $3,000 from the third blind with 
. Lew defended her straddle with 
– a hand now referred to as "The Robbi" – and the two players saw the 
flop. With his open-ended straight flush draw, Adelstein was ready to pile money into the middle and continued with a bet of $2,500. Lew opted to float to see the turn 
and Adelstein fired another bet of $10,000. It's here where things really go off the rails as Lew chose to min-raise to $20,000.
Adelstein wasn't buying what she was selling and responded with an all-in for her entire $129,000 stack. In a standard hand, that would be the end of it – but this hand was anything but standard.
Lew called, with just jack-high and no draw. Technically, she had the best hand.
When both rivers bricked out, the pot went her way.
As soon as Adelstein saw her holding, his suspicions were raised. In the aftermath, Adelstein questioned her decision-making and left the table – clearly under the impression that the hand was not on the up and up. Lew then added fuel to the fire by voluntarily returning the money won to Adelstein.
From there, the hand took on a life of its own as Adelstein leveled accusations of cheating and stepped away from poker amidst the seemingly unending controversy. In September of this year, he released a tell-all book that included his in-depth opinions and investigations into what actually happened that day – check out PokerOrg's review of the book.
Pocket aces cracked by... pocket aces
Imagine, if you will, buying into a poker tournament for $1,000,000. You're cruising along and then you pick up pocket aces in the big blind, facing a raise from early position.
When you fire out a 3-bet, your opponent responds with a 4-bet.
Suddenly, all the chips are in the middle and all you can think about is Vegas, The Mirage, and the $15,000,000 first-place prize – until you see that your opponent also has pocket aces.
That's the exact situation Connor Drinan found himself in during the 2014 Big One for One Drop at the World Series of Poker – only it didn't end as expected.
Cary Katz, founder of PokerGO, was Drinan's opponent in the hand.
Drinan:
Katz:
With the cards on their backs, a chop pot was the most likely outcome. The 
flop wasn't immediately concerning, but the turn sure was. With one card to come, Drinan needed to fade a heart or his run in one of the biggest buy-ins of all time would come to an end. And then the 
completed the board, an absolute dagger of a river card that sent the young professional to the exit.
Katz made the flush and Drinan's aces were officially cracked... by pocket aces.
Dwan wins it with the worst of it
Tom Dwan's run on High Stakes Poker in the mid-2000s is the stuff of legend. With zero fear and a distinct willingness to put his opponents to the test, Dwan captivated audiences across the globe with his unique and volatile playstyle.
This hand, against 2008 WSOP Main Event champ Peter Eastgate and legend of the game Barry Greenstein, is a perfect encapsulation of Dwan's approach to the game.
Greenstein kicked off the action, raising to $2,500 with and picked up calls from every single player at the table – a family pot. Dwan was in there with 
and Eastgate with .
The 
flop provided all three with something to work with, but it was Eastgate who was out in front with three-of-a-kind. Greenstein fired a continuation bet of $10,000 with his overpair – a frightening proposition when you're up against seven other hands.
Dwan quickly responded with a raise to $37,300, clearing out most of the field – but not Eastgate or Greenstein. With the worst of the three hands, the turn 
was a relative brick and Dwan laid down the hammer with a bet of $104,200. Eastgate, convinced his hand was beat, sent his trips into the muck. Greenstein did the same and Dwan hauled in the six-figure pot thanks to his pure unadulterated aggression.
In the video below, you can listen to Dwan as he breaks down the hand and his own thought process throughout.
What didn't make our list, but should have? Let us know in the comments below.
Stick with PokerOrg for more of poker's most surprising, hilarious and unforgettable moments.
