The Poker Ten -- Top Televised Poker Gifts

‘Tis the season for giving and in honor of the ongoing holidays, we’re taking a look at the top ten televised poker gifts.

10. Filippo Candio Tries To Give Away His Stack, But Fails

Here’s a gift that got returned to sender in the 2010 WSOP Main Event. Filippo got a little out of line with his suited one-gapper, flopped bottom pair and then called all in for his tournament life against Joseph Cheong’s pocket aces. Cheong was a dominant favorite to increase his stack to over 40 million, but instead had to endure a sick runner-runner straight. Candio tried to give a gift, but the poker gods sent it back.

9. Matt Damon Should Keep His Acting To The Big Screen

We think everyone will agree that Scott Wilson was given the gift of a terrible acting performance from Matt Damon, who just didn’t know what to do with himself after flopping a full house. Damon painfully gave away every tell in the book and managed to make the absolute minimum on the hand, which of course was a benefit to Wilson. Watch it happen below and try not to cringe.

8. Scotty Nguyen Falls Short Of Main Event Final Table

Scotty Nguyen had more than enough chips to make it to the WSOP Main Event final table in 2007, but got a bit overzealous against the one player at the table who could hurt him. The overcard on the turn should have been enough to get Nguyen to lay his hand down, even if he didn’t believe his opponent had a set. Instead, Philip Hilm was given a huge stack entering the final table. Of course, if you keep reading, you’ll see that Hilm didn’t hold onto those chips for long.

7. Alan Meltzer Gives Tom Dwan A Monster Gift

This was an interesting hand between Alan Meltzer and Tom Dwan on High Stakes Poker. To be fair, Meltzer had the best hand preflop and even on the flop, but he just didn’t believe Dwan was going for homerun value and decided to make a gutsy, but nonetheless incorrect hero call. The founder of Wind-Up Records passed away in late October, but he’ll always be remembered for his fearlessness at the tables and his eagerness to play with the game’s best.

6. Philip Hilm Blows Up In Main Event

Most would argue that this is the hand that propelled Jerry Yang to the 2007 WSOP Main Event title. Philip Hilm was the chip leader before tangling with Yang in consecutive hands. The first one where he floated with a gutshot against Yang’s set of eights wasn’t too bad, but his immediate attempt to get those chips back probably was. Yang began thanking the Lord after his hand held, but he probably should’ve thanked Hilm.

5. Billy Kopp Gives Huge Pot To Darvin Moon

We’re having a hard time calling this hand at the 2009 WSOP Main Event a gift, especially after Billy Kopp so eloquently justified his play, but even we can’t ignore the magnitude of the situation. Kopp flopped a flush. Moon flopped a higher flush. The board paired on the turn, but that didn’t stop either player from committing the rest of their stack. Moon’s hand was best and he was sent soaring into the final table where he went on to finish runner-up to Joe Cada.

4. Viktor Blom Becomes Famous For Failed Bluff

Viktor Blom had been tearing up the high-stakes online cash game world for quite some time as ‘isildur1’ before his identity was discovered. Once the secret got out, however, the legend of the young Swede began to grow thanks to a daring, but failed play at the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. Kudos to Ian Munns for making a decent call with trip aces, but perhaps Blom should have a better understanding of his image.

3. Vanessa Selbst Runs A Bluff Into Aces

This wasn’t the first time that Vanessa Selbst ran a weak hand into pocket aces on television, but it’s hard to blame her for her unbridled aggression. After all, it’s helped her win over $4.8 million on the tournament circuit.

But this hand against Prahlad Friedman on The Big Game wound up costing her $170,000. It didn’t help that Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak were pushing the action with their table talk, but Selbst probably could have found the fold button after being five-bet preflop. Instead, Friedman was given a nice reward for fast-playing his hand.

2. Phil Ivey Doesn’t Realize He Has Winning Hand

With just 24 players remaining in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, Phil Ivey raised with 8s 8d and was raised by Jordan Smith in the big blind holding Ad 9c. Ivey made the call and both players checked a queen-high flop.

The turn was another queen, bringing three spades on board and again both players checked. The river was the As, giving Smith top pair and Ivey a flush. Again, both players checked and Smith showed his pair. Ivey, in an incredible display of kindness, gifted the pot to Smith despite having a superior hand.

1. Guy Laliberte Gives Away $573K To David Benyamine

Talk about the spirit of giving. Knowing that David Benyamine needed the money more than he did, Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberte let him off the hook for $573,000 of his stack.

Laliberte held top two pair against the nut flush draw of Benyamine and could easily afford to take the beat. In fact, after seeing the cards, Laliberte announced that he only wanted to run it once. But after seeing Benyamine’s reaction and realizing just how much of a hit it would be to the Frenchman, Laliberte kindly offered to take what was in the middle, which was only $27,000 of Benyamine’s money, and end the hand right there.

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