Top WPT® Poker Hands Uploaded in 2025: Coolers, Bluffs and Wild Rivers

How We Picked These Hands

Every hand on this list meets at least one of these criteria:

• Massive Leverage: A pot that effectively decided a title or a million-dollar pay jump.
• The "Unthinkable": A brutal cooler or a runner-runner miracle runout.
• Elite Logic: A bluff or hero fold that shows the mental game at its highest level.
• Practical Value: A moment that teaches a lesson you can actually use in your next session.

Event: WPT® Five Diamond World Poker Classic (Archive) The Setup: Vanessa Rousso opens holding A♦A♥ and gets defended in position by Andrew Robl with Q♣J♥.

The action

The flop comes 8♣4♣A♣. Rousso flops top set on a monotone board, while Robl picks up a queen-high flush draw with two overcards to the board.

Rousso leads for 400,000, immediately building the pot on a texture that heavily favors her range. Robl calls, keeping his draw alive but already facing serious pressure.

The turn is the Q♠, pairing Robl and giving him top pair to go with the flush draw. With the board now offering both made hands and strong draws, Rousso doesn’t slow down. She moves all-in.

This shove is precise. On a three-club board where Rousso blocks top pair combinations and dominates all ace-x holdings, calling ranges collapse fast. Robl is left with a hand that has equity but is crushed when called.

The result

Robl tanks for an extended period and eventually folds, later saying it was the only Ace-high board where he felt he could let the hand go. The Wondercam revealed a club on the river, which would have completed Robl’s flush.

The takeaway

This wasn’t a trap missed. It was a trap avoided. By shoving the turn, Rousso denied Robl a free river with live equity and forced him to make a high-pressure decision while behind. On monotone boards, top set doesn’t need deception. It needs protection. Rousso played it clean, fast, and correctly.

Event: WPT® Final Table (Archive) The Setup: Justin Young limps the button with K♣5♣. Chino Rheem completes the big blind with A♥4♦.

The Action: 

The flop comes 3♥ 7♦ K♠. Young hits top pair, but Chino picks up a live overcard and the nut-flush draw. Young leads for 300k, a small protection bet that invites an attack. Chino raises to 1.4 million. Young, holding top pair, three-bets to 3 million to signal real value.

Chino doesn't blink; he shoves for over 12.6 million. This is textbook high-level aggression. As mental game experts like Jared Tendler point out, elite players understand that the combination of fold equity and 15 outs (flush + overcard) creates massive profit in high-leverage spots.

The Result: 

Young is forced into a soul-searching tank. Calling off a tournament life with K-5 on this board is a nightmare, as almost any turn card shifts the equity toward Chino's range. Young eventually folds the best hand, and Chino drags a monster pot without a showdown.

The Takeaway: 

Chino Rheem is a master of using stack pressure to make top pair feel like a bluff-catcher. When you have nut-draw equity to back up your aggression, your hand becomes a weapon that capped ranges simply cannot handle.

Event: WPT® Final Table (Archive) 

The Setup: Andy opens for 600k with 6♣6♠. Darren Elias, one of the game's all-time crushers, wakes up with 10♦10♥ and three-bets to 1.55 million. Andy calls.

The Action: 

The flop comes A-9-6, giving Andy bottom set. Elias continues for 1.3 million, and Andy flats, keeping the pot manageable for now. The turn is the Q♦, which both players check. The river, however, is the fourth spade, an "ugly" card that threatens any one-pair hand.

Andy moves all-in for a 20.4 million chip pot. Elias is put in a brutal spot where his overpair now looks incredibly fragile against a board that has completed multiple draws.

The Result: 

After an eternity, nearly prompting the floor to call the clock, Elias makes a disciplined, veteran fold. Andy wins the pot without a showdown.

The Takeaway: 

You aren't paid for having the best hand on the flop; you’re paid for making the right decision on the river. Elias respected the ICM pressure and the board texture, proving that at a WPT® final table, survival value often outweighs raw chip EV.

Event: WPT® Lucky Hearts Poker Open The Setup: Darryll Fish raises with Q♠J♠. Jared Mahoney, sitting on Pocket Aces, flats to set a trap.

The Action: 

The flop lands 9♠ 6♠ 3♠. Fish leads for 450k with his queen-high flush draw and overcards. Mahoney, confident in his Aces, raises to over a million. Fish announces he is all-in, and Mahoney insta-calls.

At this point, the Aces hold 63% equity, but Fish has a massive combo draw. The turn is the 5♥, but the river is the 7♥. At the end the board read: 9♠ 6♠ 3♠ 5♥ 7♥.

The Result: 

The crowd went wild as Fish scooped an enormous 8.6M chip pot. Mahoney was left stunned as his Aces were cracked in one of the most brutal coolers in recent WPT® memory.

The Takeaway: 

Aces are just one pair. Once the pot is bloated and the board gets "wet" (connected and suited), big pairs lose their invincibility. Fish’s decision to jam rather than call put the maximum stress on the Aces, and the deck rewarded the aggression.

Event: WPT® Borgata Championship The Setup: Three-handed at a high-stakes championship, blinds are massive. David Paredes picks up A♠A♥ on the button and raises to 880k.

The Action: 

Joe Kuether shoves from the blinds with Ace-King. It’s the ultimate tournament cooler. Paredes insta-calls.

The flop of 5♣ 9♣ 5♦ is safe for the Aces. However, the turn is the K♥, giving Kuether a pair of Kings and a glimpse of hope. For a moment, the tension at the Borgata was at a breaking point as Kuether picked up a few more outs going into the river.

The Result: 

The river is the Q♦. The Aces hold, and Paredes scoops a staggering 19.5 million chip pot while Kuether hits the rail.

The Takeaway: 

Sometimes the game is simple. You can study solvers until your eyes bleed, but you cannot dodge Aces vs. A-K for stacks when the blinds are high. The key is to accept the variance and be ready for the "scare cards" like that turn King without losing your composure.

2025 Live Tour Honourable Mentions

These hands didn't come from the archives—they happened on the 2025 tour and set the poker world on fire in real-time.

Clemen Deng’s 5% Miracle: 

At the WPT® Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Deng got queens in against aces. He was a massive underdog until a Queen spiked on the river to crack the aces and leave the table in shock.

Chance Kornuth’s Hero Call vs. Nick Rigby: 

At the WPT® Bay 101 Shooting Star, Kornuth faced a massive river shove from the legendary Nick "Dirty Diaper" Rigby. Kornuth tanked for minutes before calling with a straight, taking 10% of the total chips in play in one of the year’s gutsiest calls.

Ory Hen’s Runner-Runner Flush: 

During Day 1B of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Ory Hen cracked Aaron Massey’s flopped set of aces with a runner-runner club flush. 

It was named the "Gold Hand of the Day" and propelled Hen to the top of the leaderboard.

What These Hands Tell Us About 2025 Poker

1. Coolers are Content: High-level poker is a game of small edges, but the massive coolers are what keep the fans engaged.
2. Survival Beats Ego: The best players on this list—Elias, Robl, Rousso—knew when to fold or when to apply maximum pressure to protect their tournament life.
3. The "Old School" is Still School: Watching footage from 10 years ago still provides a masterclass in hand reading and stack management that applies perfectly to the modern game.