Such was the case involving a hand with three amateur poker players we'll call A (for "pocket Aces"), B (for "bad luck"), and C (for "couldn't be happier"). "I had pocket Aces . . . " is probably the most commonly used opening line of most bad beat stories, and if this particular tale was being told by player A, that's exactly how it would begin.
These were the players' hands:
Player A:
Player B:
Player C:
The flop came down , giving Player A top set, Player B bottom set, and Player C a pair of kings and a royal flush draw! Needless to say, fireworks ensued.
Player A led out with a bet on the flop, which prompted player C to move all-in. Player B just called with his set of 10's, and when the action got back around to Player A, he went all-in over the top of Player C's all-in; Player B called.
Still with me? Good. After all of the betting was complete, the players revealed their cards to the sounds of "ooohing" and "awwing" from players and spectators alike.
The fell on the turn, which did not affect the hand. As the players involved nervously awaited their fates, Player C continued to repeat, "I got every out in the book!" One of them was the which came on the river, giving Player C a pretty nice pot.
One thing's for sure -- the World Series of Poker is not for the faint of heart.