Moment of the Week: Josh Arieh Gives Bryce Yockey the Biggest Bad Beat Ever Recorded

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Jul 03, 2019 5 min read Last updated Apr 21, 2020

Last Friday, some of the best in the world battled it out at the final table of the prestigious WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship, and thousands witnessed one of the worst possible beats in poker, streamed for all to see. The beat that Josh Arieh put on Bryce Yockey in 2-7 triple draw is one sure to be talked about in poker rooms near and far for years to come.

Pitching two cards on the first draw with 6-5-3, Arieh was going to have to draw a deuce and a four in the first two draws in order to even have a chance of besting Yockey's pat number two. Then, he'd be able to throw away the six and draw to a wheel, whereas if the cards came in some other order, Arieh might continue with a dead draw or simply fold.

A man who's seen his fair share of bad beats both as a player and from the commentary booth, Nick Schulman noted that if that sequence of events were to happen, it would be "a beat to end beats," a fact he pointed out in the most prophetic manner before viewers watched it become a reality.

Watch for yourself in the following clip from PokerGO.

Daniel Negreanu and many others agreed about the historic nature of the beat.

Just How Bad Was It?

Poker players are a curious bunch and one Ian Chan took it upon himself to run simulations to shed some insight into just how bad the beat was, posting his findings on Twitter.

For an even more exact breakdown, author of the recent book Poker and Pop Culture Martin Harris came through.

Randy Ohel added to the discussion of the unlikelihood of the runout, explaining that in many other scenarios Arieh never even gets to the final miracle draw.

The hand gives a new meaning to drawing perfect as Arieh had to make a straight on his second draw for him to throw away a six, a card that would typically be held when drawing in 2-7. When your other cards are 2-3-4-5, you go ahead and pitch the six. Arieh was as surprised as any when he drew perfect on the final draw, announcing to his incredulous opponent, "I made a wheel." But running good is nothing new to "GolferJosh."

As they say, some guys get all the luck.

Ripple Effects

Yockey's beat ended his run in the event in fourth place, earning him $325,989. Arieh would go on to play heads up with eventual winner Phil Hui after John Esposito busted in third. Hui not only got a bracelet and nearly $1.1 million for the victory, he also apparently earned more fold equity.

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• Tags Josh Arieh Bryce Yockey World Series of Poker WSOP Poker Players Championship Nick Schulman Daniel Negreanu Phil Hui
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Daniel NegreanuNick SchulmanJosh AriehPhillip HuiBryce Yockey