The Australian Poker Cup at WPT Australia had barely begun when Ardi Jaya found the only card in the deck that could save him from top set.

The hand took place during the opening level, with Jaya holding 8♥ 8♦ against an unnamed opponent’s 9♠ 9♦. What followed was a particularly painful way to lose with pocket nines.

Ardi Jaya Finds the Case Eight

The 9♣ 5♣ 8♣ flop gave both players a set, but Jaya’s middle set was in serious trouble against his opponent’s top set.

Although the exact betting sequence and sizes were unavailable, chips went into the middle on the flop before the 3♦ turn brought further action. With one card remaining, Jaya needed the only remaining eight in the deck to survive.

That left Jaya with just one winning card heading to the river, giving him a little over a 2% chance of pulling ahead.

The 8♠ arrived right on cue.

Jaya bet after improving to quad eights, only for his opponent to shove with nines full of eights. Jaya made the call and turned over his quads to claim the pot.

His opponent had gone from flopping top set to making top full house on the river, a hand that would win almost every time. On this occasion, it only made the final bet more expensive.

The Australian Poker Cup runs from September 10 to 14 at The Star Sydney and is the first of the festival’s major tournaments. If the opening level is any indication, players may be in for an eventful few days.

All images courtesy of The Star Sydney.

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