Shortly after the recent exchange between John Phan and Gioi Luong, we had a fairly large three-way pot in which Shun Uchida benefitted from the other two players' aggression. By the end of that one, Uchida's 8-6-4-3-2 nipped Luong's 8-7-4-3-2, and Uchida took a nice-sized pot.
On the next one, Phan raised from the button and Luong called from the big blind. Both took two cards on the first round. Luong checked, Phan bet, and Luong quickly check-raised. Phan paused, then called.
On the second draw, both players took one card. Luong bet and Phan called. On the third draw, both again took one card. "Here comes the skill card," called Phan.
Luong checked. "Sign of weakness," said Phan. Phan checked as well. Luong didn't show his hand right away, so Phan turned over his J-7-6-4-3. His jack was good, as Luong mucked.
The tension between Gioi Luong and John Phan has been building all afternoon, ever since Phan accused Luong of trying to shoot an angle after Phan accidentally posted a blind under the gun. It has finally erupted.
In a hand between Shun Uchida and Luong, Uchida discarded two cards. Luong discarded three cards. The dealer knocked the felt, burned a card, and as she was dropping two cards down to the felt, Luong said, "Wait wait wait," and tried to change one of his cards. Phan was immediately out of his seat.
"He can't do that! He can't do that! He's trying to change his card. He knows he can't do that!" The dealer immediately called for a floor, but in the interim Luong changed his third discard at least two more times.
Phan was irate, shouting over the dealer as the dealer tried to tell the floor what had happened. He got so incensed that he leaned across the table and grabbed the card that he believed Luong had initially discarded. That brought Luong to his feet, shouting back at Phan with his top lip quivering in anger.
Ultimately, the floor ruled that the card which Phan believed was the initial discard must be discarded. Whether or not that was the card which Luong initially discarded is unclear.
"He uses every angle there is," Phan complained. "I don't know why he does that. He knows better."
"I don't want to talk with you. You play your hand!" snapped Luong.
"Take the angle," Phan replied. "Gamble up."
On the very next hand, Phan raised from the button. Luong three-bet him from the big blind. Phan angrily made the call, flinging his chips into the pot so hard that one flew off the table. Luong stood pat through all three draws. betting all the way until the last round of betting, where he checked. Phan took three on the first draw, then stood pat the rest of the way as well.
Luong may have called his hand. What he said was unintelligible to us. Phan didn't muck right away, waiting for Luong to open his hand, which he ultimately did to reveal 6-6-7-4-2 -- a pair.
"He called the wrong hand!" shouted Phan. "Snowing! It's raining in here." Phan opened 9-7-6-3-2 to take the pot.
These two players are under each other's skin. More to come, no doubt.
Down to about 170,000 before the hand, John Phan raised from the button and Shun Uchida called from the big blind. Uchida took two, and Phan three cards on the first draw. Uchida bet, and Phan called.
On the second draw, Uchida took one card and Phan took two. Uchida again bet, and Phan again called.
Both stood pat on the last draw. Uchida bet again. Phan thought a moment, then made the call, saying "Show me your ten."
Indeed, Uchida had 10-7-6-5-4. Phan showed 9-8-7-4-2, and scooped the pot. He's back up over 250,000.
Gioi Luong and Shun Uchida are taking turns beating up John Phan. This time it was Luong's turn
On the second draw, Luong drew one and Phan stood pat. Both players checked the action. On the third draw, Luong was pat.
"Pat?" asked Phan. He frowned and peeked at his hand. Turning to the dealer, he asked, "What did you do to me?' He thought for about sixty seconds before deciding to break his hand and take one card.
Action checked through on the final round of betting. Luong showed 9-6-5-3-2. Phan sighed. "I threw away a nine to pick up a nine," he said, showing 9-8-6-5-4. The pot went to Luong, but with no action on the last two rounds of betting, it wasn't that much of a hit to Phan's stack.
John "The Razor" Phan raised from the button, Shun Uchida called from the small blind, and Gioi Luong folded in the big blind.
Uchida and Phan each took two cards on the first draw. Uchida checked, Phan bet, and Uchida called.
On the second draw, Uchida took two cards again. "I'm good," said Phan, indicating he was standing pat. Uchida checked, Phan bet, and Uchida quickly check-raised.
Phan looked at Uchida, then took about a minute before calling.
On the third draw, both stood pat. Uchida bet. Phan thought a moment, then called.
Uchida turned over 7-6-4-3-2. Phan grimaced, then mucked his hand. Phan is now down to 150,000. Meanwhile, Uchida is our chip leader with 549,000.
The break does not seem to have changed John Phan's fortunes at all. He raised from the small blind, and Shun Uchida called in the big blind. Both players drew three cards. Phan checked, then called after Uchida bet.
On the second draw, Phan took two to Uchida's one. Again he checked then called Uchida's bet. Both players stood pat on the third draw, although Uchida thought about breaking his hand. The action checked down.
"You probably got it," said Phan. Uchida showed 9-8-5-4-2. Phan grabbed the top card off the deck and peeked at it. "You break, you win anyway." He mucked his hand and remains firmly fixed in third chip position.
In the first hand back from the break, Shun Uchida took a three-way pot. Then Uchida got a walk in his big blind.
In the next one, John Phan raised from the button and Gioi Luong called from the big blind. Both took two cards. Luong checked, Phan bet, and Luong called.
Both took two again on the second draw. This time Luong checked, Phan bet, and Luong folded.
"It's not over 'til it's over," said Phan.
Uchida and Luong are now close to even, with Phan still trailing.
The last hand before the break was an interesting one. Well, everyone but John Phan might call it interesting. He might describe it differently.
Phan raised on the button, and Shun Uchida folded in the small blind. As Uchida pitched his cards toward the dealer, they turned over, exposing a king and two sevens. The dealer made sure both Gioi Luong and Phan knew of the exposed cards, and play continued.
Luong quickly three-bet from the big blind, and Phan called.
Luong stood pat and Phan drew two. Luong bet and Phan called. On the second draw, Luong again stood pat and Phan again drew two. Again, Luong bet and Phan called.
On the last draw, Luong stood pat once again and Phan drew one. Both checked.
Luong showed 9-8-7-5-4. Phan stood up and looked at Luong's cards, then showed four of his: 6-5-3-2. He could've used one of those sevens. Or an eight or a nine, even.
Luong is our leader with 539,000, Uchida has 401,000, and Phan is down to 256,000.