The craziest hand of the 2021 WSOP?
Was this really the 'worst fold of all time' in Jungleman's victory in the Poker Players Championship? Poker social media and the guy who did it seem to think so.
Every year the World Series of Poker provides a memorable hand that gets the whole poker world talking and it looks like this year it is this hand from the Jungleman victory in the Poker Players Championship.
With Cates down to his last chip, less than a big bet, in Limit Hold'em he puts his money in giving a chipped up Ryan Leng 11-1 on the call with top pair. Leng went into the tank and folded. Had he called Jungleman would have been out but instead Cates went on to win the title.
Is this the craziest hand of the 2021 @WSOP?
If Ryan Leng had called @junglemandan would have been eliminated, but instead Jungle made a massive comeback to grab the win in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship for $952,020! pic.twitter.com/htI8Qb1nwH
— PokerGO (@PokerGO) November 6, 2021
As you can imagine, social media and poker discords across the world have been talking about this hand, most people agreeing it might be the worst fold in televised poker history. Not only because Jungleman put less than a big blind in at the end but because it literally led to him being able to mount a comeback and win.
It is also memorable for an eccentrically dressed Jungleman celebrating the victory in pretty hilarous style as a result. Dressed as a DragonBall Z character he proceeds to mimic a Street Fighter move before laughing and declaring he was bluffing. The antics continued after the win:
I WON!!! I CAME BACK FROM ONE BIG BLIND AND A GUY FOLDING TOP PAIR IN LHE FOR LESS THAN AN ANTE 😂
— Daniel Cates 🇺🇸 🌎 (@junglemandan) November 6, 2021
'Lack of fitness' played a part
The aftermath will also prove interesting in this hand as it led Leng to do some deep soul searching. He has already won a bracelet in 2021 but was understandably down about the hand, which he agreed was one of the worst folds ever. He revealed that the mistake was due to being exhausted and not noticing how small a bet Cates had actually put in. He also resolved to work on, amongst other things, his fitness:
(2) Some of you have never met me and still go out of your way to try to pick me up when you think I’m hanging my head. You are wonderful, caring people and it brings peace to my soul to know that the world is filled with people like you.
— Ryan Leng (@RyanLeng9) November 7, 2021
(4)Let’s start with the fact that I somehow didn’t even recognize that it was only half of a bet (even though it’s still just a pure call if it was a full bet). If I was sitting at home watching @PokerGO and saw someone make the exact same fold I would think it was terrible.
— Ryan Leng (@RyanLeng9) November 7, 2021
(6) Stop it. I made a terrible fold, I am to blame, not Jungle, not anyone else. Secondly, let’s analyze how/why I could make such a bad decision in such a big spot?
— Ryan Leng (@RyanLeng9) November 7, 2021
-years of repetition and a well of knowledge to fall back on, is going to require a lot of endurance.
— Ryan Leng (@RyanLeng9) November 7, 2021
While Leng really does not have to explain himself, it is admirable the way he is using this as an opportunity for growth. This writer can really emphasise with him too, as when I am tired in live poker tournaments I sometimes struggle to do basic maths or notice things at the tables.
It's unfortunate for Leng but for poker fans it's hard not to appreciate the reaction from Jungleman in one of the most unique eccentric tournament victories ever seen at the WSOP.
Have you seen a worse fold? Let us know in the comments:
