The WSOP Grudge Matches are generating quite a bit of excitement this year as fans get to relive some of the most thrilling main event heads up battles. Two have already been chosen and have actually been announced for more than a month now but it’s only recently that the third one was announced. It turns out that Johnny Chan is quite in demand because he’s in two of the three grudge matches already announced. He’s going to be battling Erik Seidel in a replay of their 1988 WSOP Main Event Match. That’s in addition to the match between him and Phil Hellmuth, a recap of the time where Hellmuth put a halt to Chan’s winning streak.

A Whole lot of Epic

Some of us haven’t even been born yet when the greatest heads up matches, the most epic, heart-stopping moments in the history of the entire game. It’s great, then, that the WSOP organizers have thought up a way for us to relive them. In the WSOP Grudge Matches, we’ll get to see some of the most epic matches in history replayed – except that this time, the loser of the first match gets to have his chance at revenge, a way to settle the “grudge”, so to speak. No doubt they’ve relived moments in their minds again and again, thinking of torturous ‘what if’s’ and ‘what could’ve beens’. But now that chance has been given and the only question left is, will he be able to turn around his fate or will it remain sealed? The matches set up for this year are the 1989 Main Event Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnny Chan match, the 2003 Main Event Sammy Farha vs. Chris MoneyMaker, and finally, the 1988 Main Event between Erik Seidel and Johnny Chan.

Why these Matches?

If you haven’t learned your poker history yet, then here’s your chance. In the first match, between Hellmuth and Chan, Hellmuth won. Johnny Chan was fresh off a WSOP Main Event winning streak, and the fight with Hellmuth would have given him an impossibly awesome record of three consecutive wins. However, in the end, it was Hellmuth who won, immortalizing himself instead, his 9-9 winning over Chan’s A-7. Hellmuth and Chan are friends now, but this match is going to be a “pride match” for them.

The second fight will be between Chris MoneyMaker and Sammy Farha. In that match, the most famous bluff in history was born. It was actually one of the most riveting fights of all time. Moneymaker actually offered a split to Farha, saying that they would share the money and play only for the bracelet. Farha flat out refused. Then, in the most pivotal hand of the game, Moneymaker bluffed with his busted flush. Farha suspected the bluff, but nonetheless folded his top pair, preferring to wait for a better opportunity. However, it never came, and Moneymaker went on to make history.

Finally, there’s Seidel vs. Chan. It’s the moment that got immortalized in the movie, Rounders. Chan was the reigning champion and Seidel was, back then, the hopeful new kid. But Chan managed to get a straight on the flop, and he led Seidel around and made him bet at every round. In the end, it was Chan who won his second title, earning himself his second bracelet.

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