[Removed:326] vs. John Phan
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The tension mounts for several minutes with an unexpectedly large post-Matusow crowd still following the action. After several minutes, Phan starts studying his card again, and then holds them so loosely that everyone behind him can clearly see his hand --
. He sets his cards behind his chips, leaning against the stack to face the crowd. Everyone behind him can still see the cards, but nobody on the other side of the table can -- including [Removed:327]. Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier, sensing a fold when Phan started waving his hands around, was sitting nearby away from the table, and started to lean in for a peek. But when Phan laid his cards down and continued to think, he seemed to be in a bit of a quandry -- was it ethical to look at Phan's hand while the hand was in progress, even if Grospellier wasn't involved? He decided to hold back.
Phan talks to himself for a few more minutes, saying he didn't want to race, and didn't think [Removed:327] would bluff in this spot. Phan eventually folds face-up so everyone can see his
. As the dealer pushes the pot to [Removed:327], Phan asks [Removed:327] to show his cards, "for the crowd." [Removed:327] thinks for a minute, and Phan asks him to show just one. Phan guesses that [Removed:327] has pocket fives. [Removed:327] relents, and briefly flashes -- the
. [Removed:327] picks up the 420,000 pot, and Phan defends his fold, saying he wasn't interested in a race -- he can find a better spot. John Phan still has 400,000 in chips.
[Removed:326] takes the chip lead with over 900,000.