The Most Important Hand of Poker Ever Played

The first instinct is probably to say that Chris Moneymaker's winning WSOP hand was the most important poker hand ever. It is tough to argue with this, but I'm sure that someone who has been around long enough could come up with a better answer.

Its possible that the answer is... whatever pot guy laliberte played that got him hooked on poker causing him to inject about 15 million into the online poker economy.

Or maybe the hand when Wild Bill Hickok was shot dead, perpetuating the image that poker was a game for outlaws which still is around today.

Perhaps it was something that happened in the mayfair club in NYC, which put all of the key players to the modern poker world into place?

There was a lot of things that had to happen just to get to the spot where moneymaker could win 3 million or whatever it was.

Still though, its hard to argue against moneymakers winning hand. The guys f@#ng name is moneymaker for crying outloud, that guy was born to change the poker world

Chris Moneymaker is gay.

The most important poker hand, ever, was when God beat Satan with seven high over trip sixes, I don't know how he did it, but it changed everything 4ever.
Halleluja.

One would have to assume it's the MoneyMaker one. His last name alone was enough to get him on late night show with Leno and stuff. It always makes me think if a random joe won the ME that year would poker still explode the way it did?

Guy has dumped millions into online poker.. but it seems like only a handful of guys capitalized on it, mainly being durrrr.

I don't really know much poker history, maybe some of the older poker dudes can fill us in on other major hands of history.

I believe moneymaker should get paid $1+ million per year for the rest of his life for the contribution he made to poker. However, the flip side to that the poker boom was coming with or without him.

Guys who did more for the game to start are Amarillo Slim, Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Bob Stupak (odd putting his name in here but w/e). This list can really go on and on. For sure add Jack Binion, Jack Keller to that list and I'm sure I'm mega missing some one (or several). In the later wave add Mason Malmuth, David Sklansky.. these guys were cultivating the poker boom all along. Later it was Negreanu, Hellmuth and company progressing it there. It was Lyle Berman and Steve Lipscomb and ultimately the World Poker tour that ingited all the bomb that had been built starting the boom. Thankfully there was no patent or if there was the WSOP bought rights to use hole card cams. That's what changed poker imo. With or without moneymaker the boom was coming in my opinion. Varkoni winning the tournament and hellmuth shaving his head was aired over and over that year and still imo ranks as one of the best WSOP broadcasts ever.

Before I forget, Mike Sexton = one of most influential people in poker so I don't want to leave his name off the list. He's one of those ones I was missing.

Back to the orginal question, the most important hand of poker ever played? Imo that has to be the first one.

Anyways, great topic!

Wait. At least 2 hands from the movie rounders probably need to be added to the debate as well as that movies overall roll in the poker boom.