Pale Death beats equally at the poor man’s gate and at the palaces of kings. ~Horace
As the Roman poet Horace so eloquently noted more than 2,000 years ago, even kings must contend with mortality. And as any poker player can attest, this ancient maxim holds true today.
The second-strongest hand in hold’em is routinely dethroned by the appearance of an ace on board, and every so often kings are cut down by two bullets in the hole. Nonetheless, it is a rare sight to see somebody fold pocket kings after an ace-free flop, which is why Gary Lucci’s laydown during the recent World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship was so remarkable.