WSOP Heartbreak: The Wildest Bad Beat and Dealer Drama at the GGMillion High Roller
In the high-stakes world of professional poker, we often hear stories of ‘bad beats’—those moments where a dominant hand is crushed by a long shot. However, a recent hand at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) took ‘extraordinary’ to a whole new level, combining mathematical cruelty with a rare dealer blunder.
The Setting: High Stakes and Higher Tension
The drama unfolded during Event #11: The $10,000 GGMillion High Roller No-Limit Hold’em. With 22 players remaining from an initial field of 627, the tension was palpable. Every player had already secured a minimum payout of $41,942, but they were all hunting for the massive $1,089,964 first-place prize and the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet.
The Clash: Big Ace vs. Small Ace
The action centered around Bobby James and Ricky Landais. James, holding a commanding stack of nearly 3 million chips, opened the action from the cutoff with A♦9♠. Landais, however, was in a desperate spot. With only 340,000 chips left, he looked down at A♣K♣—a premium hand that left him with only one logical move: All-in.
James quickly called, creating a classic poker scenario: the short stack held the dominant hand, and Landais was a heavy favourite to double up and survive.
The Chaos: A Flop Like No Other
Then, the unthinkable happened. The dealer accidentally dealt four cards on the flop instead of three: 6♦5♦4♥K♦. The table fell silent as the floor manager was summoned to resolve the error.
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- The Ruling: The floor correctly ordered the dealer to reshuffle the four cards.
- The Reset: One card was designated as the burn card, and the flop was re-dealt.
- The New Flop: The cards came out 4♥6♦5♦.
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While the board was still manageable, the loss of the K♦ from the initial erroneous deal stripped Landais of a massive advantage and shifted the momentum of the hand.
The Cruel Conclusion
The turn brought the 8♥, giving Bobby James a straight draw. In a final twist of fate, the river delivered the 7♣, completing the straight for James and eliminating Ricky Landais in 22nd place.
“This is one of the worst things that I have ever seen,” remarked commentator Joe Stapleton as Landais exited the feature table.
This hand serves as a stark reminder of the volatility of Texas Hold’em. Even when you have the best hand and the odds in your favour, the game of poker can be unpredictable, unfair, and absolutely brutal.
