Poker can be a pretty wild and crazy game, so it’s no surprise that there are a lot of wild and crazy poker stories out there. The question, however, is whether they are true or otherwise. That, dear reader, is up for you to decide. Here are just a few of them:
Stories about winning
The time a player won a poker tournament with a straight flush… on the river
This is another unbelievable poker story. The story goes that a player was dealt a straight flush on the river (the last card) to win a huge poker tournament. This is an incredibly rare hand, and it’s almost impossible to come back from being behind in a hand like that.
The time Stu Ungar won a poker tournament after being down to his last $100
Stu Ungar is another legend in the poker world. He’s known for being an incredibly talented player and for his massive gambling problem. The story goes that he was down to his last $100 in a poker tournament, but ended up winning the whole thing. That’s practically free poker money.
If you want a good feel of online poker, sign up at GGPoker, the world’s largest online poker room. Nevertheless, you’re going to have a secure, convenient, and enjoyable online poker experience over there. It’s also a great place to try if you want to know how to play poker.
Stories about losing
The time Doyle Brunson lost $1 million in a single hand
This is perhaps the most famous (or infamous) poker story of all time. The legend goes that Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of Poker, lost a million dollars in a single hand of poker. The story goes that he was playing at a high-stakes table in Las Vegas when he ran into a young player who was on an absolute heater. The player ended up winning the hand and took home the massive pot.
Whether or not this story is true, it’s definitely a legend. And it just goes to show that even the best players in the world can have bad days (or poker hands) at the poker table.
A tale of a bad beat jackpot
In case you didn’t know, some casinos have bad beat jackpots which can be claimed by the losing player if they have a strong hand and lost to an even stronger hand. This was the case with Avi Shamir. It was, however, not a simple case of him getting the money outright.
When his straight flush was defeated by a stronger straight flush in 2017, he played at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas believed he had struck lucky. As the losing player, he was set to collect $60,000 according to the bad beat jackpot criteria, while the winner was set to receive $30,000.
Or so he thought. While the rule about the bad beat jackpot is real, there is another rule stating that players talking about their hand will not be able to claim the bad beat jackpot. Unfortunately for him, he got caught by CCTV talking to the winning player.
Avi then disputed this to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which sided with him. It may have taken him months, but hey, a win is a win, or a loss that ends in a financial gain.
Stories about cheating
The time a player was caught cheating with an invisible deck of cards
This is one of the craziest poker stories out there. The story goes that a player was caught cheating at a poker tournament using an invisible card deck. He would hold the deck of cards up to his eyes and “see” what cards were being dealt, then use that information to his advantage. The story goes that he was eventually caught and banned from the tournament, but it’s still a pretty wild story. Imagine having to play poker against that guy.
Whether or not this story is true, it’s definitely a fun one. Considering that he’s the president, he surely wasn’t going to be hurting for money if he lost. Goes to show that even presidents can be tempted to cheat at poker games when pride is on the line.
Postlegate
That is the name of one of the biggest cheating scandals in recent poker history. Back in 2018, Mike Postle was on a winning streak in a series of low-stakes no-limit games at Stones Gambling Hall. What was noticeable with his streak, however, is that it involved unconventional moves, and that it happened during live-streamed games.
Months later, Veronica Brill, a fellow poker player and commentator, had suspicions about it, saying that it’s as if Postle knew what his opponents’ cards were. She then posted a video that compared Postle’s hands with that of other professional players. Unlike other pro players that would’ve played these strong but losing cards, he’d fold instead. This gave Brill the suspicion that Postle knew what his opponents’ cards were, and that the Stones Gambling Hall was in on it.
Many poker pros chimed in on the curious occurrence, including ESPN, agreeing with Brill’s observations, and many legal actions then followed. The first of which involved two dozen poker players suing Postle, Stones Gambling Hall, and livestream manager Justin “JRK” Kuratis. Unfortunately, it was dismissed because of an old California law stating that the court will not hear cases about gamblers cheating.
Postle then filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against various individuals and even ESPN, which he eventually dropped in April 2021. Also, in January of the same year, Brill filed a motion against him. The judge sided with her, awarding her $27,000.
Whether Postle dropped his lawsuit because of Brill’s legal win is unknown. It’s also unknown whether it’s the last we’ll hear about Postlegate. While he’s dropped the lawsuit, a documentary about the issue is being made. According to the producer, it’s not a pro-Postle film, but a fair and balanced one. The players he played with are going to be the judge of that.
Have your own crazy poker story today!
There you have it: six of the craziest poker stories out there. Whether or not they’re true, they’re entertaining. And they just go to show that anything can happen when you’re playing poker.
