Clive Kikia celebrates too soon on the river

African Ace Poker Desk · 2026-07-27

Clive Kikia experienced the ultimate emotional rollercoaster on the tournament floor, celebrating a miracle straight on the river before realizing his opponent had flushed him out.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions on the tournament floor today as Clive Kikia found himself at the centre of one of the most dramatic runouts of the day.

Clive moved all in with his short stack holding JT and was quickly called by an opponent holding AJ. Believing his tournament was all but over, Clive immediately stood up and began packing his belongings.

The flop fell A78 with two hearts, prompting Clive to jokingly chant for a nine while strapping on his backpack. The turn brought the six of hearts and Clive kept up his chants for the elusive gutshot.

Right on cue, the river delivered exactly what he asked for, the nine of hearts. Clive erupted in celebration and began to sit back down in his chair, believing he had pulled off a miraculous escape.

However, the celebration was short-lived. His opponent held the jack of hearts, meaning the river card had actually completed a flush to render Clive's straight null and void.

After realizing the bad news, Clive shared a laugh with the table before making his way to the rail in excellent spirits.