Greg Raymer, better known as “Fossilman” to his fellow poker pros, has a most interesting fascination with snowmen. I’m not saying he skips out of playing poker over the winter to build enormous snowmen in his backyard, or that he is one of those overly exuberant decorators during the holidays, but that he simply loves picking up his hole cards and spying a pair of fat ladies, racetracks, or simply put, pocket 8’s.
It all started at the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event where Raymer whittled his way through the final table into a heads-up competition against David Williams, whose largest live tournament cash up to that point had been a mere $1,795 for a 2nd place finish in the Back Nine tourney a year prior. Raymer, on the other hand, had already scooped his largest cash up to that point as his first live tournament cash, pocketing $48,960 for 3rd at the World Poker Finals in November of 2000.
Raymer led the chip count going into the final hand of the 2004 WSOP Championship. Greg peaked down at what would become his proverbial snowmen, 8d-8s, while Williams saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel in Ah-4s, a strong heads-up hand that caused him to raise out of the starting gate. Raymer called and the Flop came down 4d-2d-5s.
Williams paired the 4’s and decided to make the best of it by raising Raymer’s check-down. Raymer retaliated with a triple reraise and got the call. The Turn was a 2h, giving both players two pair, but leaving Raymer in the lead. Raymer shot out a bet and Williams instantly call. When another 2 fell on the River, giving both players a Full House, Raymer pushed all-in and Williams followed suit without hesitation.
Greg Raymer collected $5,000,000 and the coveted WSOP Championship bracelet, while Williams digressed with $3.5 million, the most substantial cash of his current $8 million live tournament career.
Since that time, Raymer has counted his snowmen as the luckiest hand he’s ever been dealt. According to a report in 2007, the Fossilman has never folded pocket 8’s pre-flop and claims that the hand had only failed once (up to 2007) when he was eliminated early on from the USPC tournament in 2006.
In 2010, Greg was forced to establish a specific set of snowmen that he prefers, that being the exact hand he was dealt in the 2004 WSOP Main Event – 8 of diamonds with 8 of spades. At the 2010 WSOP Main Event, Raymer had just about exhausted his chip stack when the mystic 8’s appeared before him.
Unfortunately for Greg, it was the 8 of diamonds and the 8 of hearts, not the auspicious spade of his numinous desires. That would be his final hand in the tournament that year as his opponent’s especially fortuitous pocket Aces held strong. Greg was quoted, “If I had 8d-8s, I would guarantee I would win this hand”. Instead, he signed a fossil and passed it over to his opponent on his way to the rails.