John Strzemp Avoids the Wheel This Time
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John Strzemp lost one of the most memorable hands in poker history, when Stu Ungar spiked a deuce on the river to make the wheel straight, completing The Kid's astounding comeback from personal turmoil to triumph at the Main Event for a record third time. Playing outdoors for the first and only time in World Series of Poker history, that hand cemented Ungar's legacy as one of poker's true prodigies, while Strzemp was relegated to footnote status in the game's history books.
Today, Strzemp is trying to navigate an enormous field of seniors to make his return to the WSOP final table stage, and he recently found himself all-in for his tournament life. As fate would have it, he would be dodging the wheel straight yet again.
After jamming his last 22,000 over the top of a 9,000 opening raise, Strzemp was called by James Miller, who held nothing but the 
. The 1997 Main Event runner-up was in good shape with his 
, but as he learned the hard way on the hot Fremont Street pavement one fateful day 16 years ago, nothing is decided until the river card falls.
The flop came down 
, and although the wheel was out of the question, Strzemp could not have liked to see the 
drop in on the turn. With one card between him and a double up, Strzemp was impassive, perhaps knowing he had already suffered the worst bad beat he'll ever take. Sure enough, the 
came on the river, and Strzemp secured the double despite a bit of unwanted sweat.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
52,000
52,000
|
52,000 |