The players have now decided to take the scheduled ninety minute dinner break and will return to recommence their heads-up battle at around 9:10 pm local time.
Moments prior to the break, there were a couple of small exchanges, but nothing serious enough to separate the two. First, after Fernandez had limped and Singer checked, the two players saw a flop only for Fernandez to take it down with a 40,000 bet.
Then, on the very last hand before the break, David Singer raised it up and Jacobo called the extra 22,000. A flop, Jacobo checked, Singer bet 55,000 and Fernandez folded.
Just when it was beginning to look as though the blinds belonged to whoever bet or raised first, there was a clash.
David Singer made it a slightly-over-minimum-raise 45,000, and Fernandez called. They both checked the flop. On the turn, Fernandez bet 50,000; after a pause for deliberation, Singer called. They checked the river and Singer took the fairly chunky pot with while Fernandez could only boast .
Limped flop of sees Fernandez check-raise Singer's bet of 50,000 to 150,000, only for Singer to return the favour with a raise of his own, this time to a total of 486,000.
After that monster of a hand, the slow whittling of David Singer continued.
Singer bravely button-raised, but Fernandez reraised the pot. Singer eventually called, but laid it down when Fernandez led out for 250,000 on the flop.
Then, trying a different tack, Singer called Fernandez' minimum raise from the button, then led out for 25,000 on the flop. Continuing the domination, Fernandez made it 125,000, and Singer passed.
Down to just 320,000 by this point, something had to give. After limp/checking their way to a flop, our heads-up two saw a flop. Fernandez checked, and Singer bet 25,000. Fernandez made it 100,000, and after a brief dwell, Singer, with an air of resignation, made it all in. Call.
Singer: (some sounds of surprise from the eagerly craning-to-see rail)
Fernandez:
No spade, Eight or Three on the turn or river, which came down the and respectively, and Singer was back in the game with 664,000.
David Singer takes down a small pot, his 20,000 bet on the turn of a board being called by Fernandez before both players checked down the river. Singer wins the pot with . Fernandez had
(5) Jacobo Fernandez kicks off what will prove to be a monster hand, his 75,000 being raised an additional 105,000 by David Singer.
Fernandez makes the call leading to a flop of . He checks only for Singer to slide in two columns of orange chips worth 200,000.
Initially slanting back in his seat slightly, as if disappointed to be facing the continuation bet, Fernandez' posture suddently alters as he starts to count out a call. But along with those 200,000 chips comes another 300,000 to make it a total of 500,000.
Singer dwells momentarily, but you can sense he isn't happy, the eventual fold being the expected outcome.
Since the demise of Robert Lipkin, David Singer and Jacobo Fernandez have been increasingly eager to tangle with each other, both now seemingly assured that it will be the two of them heads up.