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Poker is a brutal game. Every player knows it, but when it happens it can still leave them stunned and speechless. Popular streamer Mason “pyefacepoker” Pye had just such a moment recently in a massive spot in a massive game. It was a spot so stunning that both Felix Schneiders and Randy Lew stood up in sympathy with Pye.

To set the stage, Pye was deep in the $25,000 WCOOP 34-H with $3 million guaranteed on August 30, a game way above the streamer’s usual buy-in. There were 22 players left with 15 paid spots, and Pye was on the short stack in middle position.

When the streamer woke up with ace-queen of diamonds, it was clear his 10 bigs were going in. “Please,” he said just before shoving it in.

The rollercoaster began when the player to Pye’s left reshoved with kings. Pye shook his head in disgust when he saw the kings, but managed a quiet “wow” when he flopped two pair on an all-club ace-jack-queen flop. It looked like he might get the double when another ace turned him a boat, but the ten of clubs hit the river like a gut-punch to Pye, giving his opponent’s king of clubs the royal flush.

It was a crushing moment for a player on the verge of a huge score in an event well above his bankroll. No one really likes a bad beat story, and in the end kings just beat an ace-high, but the run of the cards can certainly deliver pain and punishment, and there are cases that deserve some sympathy.

Catch the heartbreaking moment below, and watch just how brutal the emptions of poker can be.

Phil Hellmuth's run in heads-up matches this year has been stellar, but it finally came to an end against one of the most enigmatic players in the game. After three wins against Antonio Esfandiari last year, and three more against Daniel Negreanu earlier this year, Hellmuth booked his seventh heads-up win recently against Nick Wright.

That opened the door for enigmatic pro Tom Dwan to step up and renew a very old rivalry. Dwan famously busted Hellmuth in the first round of the 2008 NBC Heads-up Championship when his pocket tens turned a set against Hellmuth’s rockets, which set off a predictable tirade from the poker brat.

That tirade ended with a simple offer from Dwan—”Pick your stakes heads-up.“ It’s taken 13 years for the challenge to be met, but Dawn and Hellmuth recently got at it again to renew their heads-up rivalry.

While Hellmuth’s record to this point has been amazing, it seemed clear it would end eventually, but the way it came to an end against Dwan was a bit eerie. Back in 2008, the final hand began with Hellmuth limping aces against Dwan. In 2021, the final hand began with Hellmuth limping aces against Dwan.

Dwan was playing a different hand this time around, and the rest of the action went quite differently, but aces seem to be the Achilles Heel for Hellmuth against Dwan heads-up. In this case, the money went in on the flop with Hellmuth well ahead of Dwan’s flopped pair of threes, but once again, it was the turn that did Phil in.

Dwan turned two pair with a nine to take the lead, and the river was a brick to send the round to Dwan. Hellmuth’s new-found maturity showed through at the end of this one—there was no tirade against Dwan this time around, just a quiet handshake to seal the game.

Watch the Poker GO highlights of the epic match below, and watch history repeat itself, nearly. Thirteen years later, Dwan was once again able to get there on the turn against Hellmuth’s limped aces for all the money, ending Hellmuth’s storybook run in his recent heads-up matches.

The partypoker Community Poker Knockout game runs today, and there are some special guest in the game. Among them are former Chelsea and England defender John Terry, who will be in the event representing the Daily Mirror community.

Terry will be in the game with a special, massive bounty on his head. The player who manages to get all of Terry’s chips will get a cool $1,000 in tournament dollars, but Terry says he is ready for the challenge.

“I am very excited to be in the line-up for the partypoker Community Poker Knockout on Thursday, September 9 at 7pm BST. I have won many prizes in my career in football, and I have always been extremely competitive, so I cannot wait to get stuck in on partypoker and take a shot at the title. I will be staunchly defending my bounty, but with a massive $1,000 in tournament dollars up for grabs, feel free to try and beat me and land yourself a big score.”

Among the other big names from the world of football will be the former Aston Villa man, Gabby Agbonlahor and Kevin Stephens. Everyone will also be competing against partypoker pros like Patrick Leonard.

Bounty winners should be aware bounty prizes and additional prizes can only be claimed on social media. Just take a screenshot of your winning hand and share it with your community, tagging partypoker to claim your special prizes.

The game runs today at 7pm BST with a $5.50 buy-in and a $20,000 guarantee, and will be streamed from start to end on partypokerTV.

Zachary Elwood, author of Reading Poker Tells and several other books on reading and exploiting human behavior at the poker tables, joined the guys from The Chip Race in their latest vlog show, The Lock-In. Elwood of course spent a good deal of time talking about behavior and tells, but the show was more wide-ranging than that.

The show kicks off with a discussion of Dara’s recent appearance on Zach’s podcast People Who Read People and then moves into a discussion Phil Hellmuth's tells in his recent heads-up loss to Tom Dwan. Elwood makes a point of discussion false tells during this segment, and Dara provides a few concrete examples of where he employed reverse tells successfully in a live setting.

Elwood’s expertise is in reading behavior and tells, but he’s very well-spoken on all things poker in this discussion. The three cover the current revolving ambassador situation at the major poker brands, specifically commenting on Krissy Bicknell's departure from partypoker and Ben “bencb” Rolle's addition to PokerStars.

Given recent Twitter activity, that led nicely into a frank discussion of vaccinations, the WSOP, and the recent outspoken tweets from Bicknell and Alex Foxen, among others, regarding vaccines. All three participants had very useful additions to this segment, but the highlight may be O’Kearney’s take. Making it clear he is a poker player, not a doctor, he goes on to address vaccinations from the perspective of respecting expert knowledge.

It’s a solid outing for the Lock-In, which has been something of a surprise, run-away pandemic success. While the visuals are mostly just talking heads, for some reason, the video component adds to the immediacy of the discussions, making The Lock-In feel more like a casual chat between friends than the more scripted and produced episodes of The Chip Race.

Catch Elwood’s full appearance at the link below, and catch up on all the old episodes at the back catalog of The Lock-In.

Even if you are just a passing poker fan, the name of Kevin Mathers is still likely a familiar one. Affectionately known by his Twitter handle, Kevmath, Mathers has been a fixture in the poker media world for years.

Mathers has been an essential follow on Twitter for poker fans for ages now, but there’s a new source of exclusive news, views and opinions on the poker world from the poker pundit. The Kevmath Report is Mathers’ latest foray into providing the world with the most accurate and complete poker info possible.

In the inaugural edition of the Report, Mathers said his plan was “to create something that will keep you entertained and informed.” That’s a goal he’s already scored over many years of Twitter activity, but the new substack page looks to be a wonderful, deeper peek inside the mind of a poker media master.

Behind the prolific tweeting, Mathers is deeply embedded in the poker world. He has worked with World Series of Poker, BLUFF Media, PocketFives, and PokerAtlas, and is currently one of the main resources helping to clarify the WSOP 2021 situation.

The first edition of the Report includes WSOP details, as well as info on other upcoming poker series. He also highlights a Brad Owen vlog where Owen plays nosebleeds, and pays tribute to recently fallen poker OG Layne “Back-to-Back” Flack.

The Kevmath Report is a must-see for poker fans who want to be in the know. Mathers has long been one of the more consistent and accurate voices in the poker media. Subscribe now to The Kevmath Report, and get into the mind of Kevmath.