A flop of wound up being very costly for Dan Heimiller. He was the out-of-position player and had called Michael Chow's button raise pre-flop. On the flop Heimiller check-called a single bet.
When the turn came , Heimiller check-raised. Chow called, then called another bet on the river . Heimiller tabled for a set of deuces and the second nut-low; Chow did one better for both halves, tabling for the nut low and a Broadway straight.
With that pot, the stacks look very even once again.
The players are back to a stalemate, although Dan Heimiller retains the chip lead. Despite having Michael Chow all in earlier, he just can't seem to get that knockout blow. Heimiller recently rivered a flush against Chow, , but the very next hand Chow rivered a flush right back on a board of .
Sometimes in limit, it's easy to forget that there are two ways to win a pot. You can make the best hand, sure, but you scoop the pot every time the other guy folds. Mike Chow has had trouble showing down winners since heads up began, but he's brought himself back from the brink of extinction the other way.
On a flop, Dan Heimiller checked, and Chow bet. Heimiller called, then check-called another bet after the on the turn. The river was the , and Heimiller checked one more time. Chow bet all in, and Heimiller looked longingly at the bracelet for a moment before folding. Chow took a big gulp of air and said he'd just had ace-king high.
A few hands later, Chow limped the button, and Heimiller checked to a flop. Dan bet, and Mike raised. This time, Heimiller reraised, and Chow called. The turn was the , and Chow flatted a bet from Heimiller. The on the river was a total brick, missing low draws, spade draws, and wrap draws. Heimiller grimaced and checked. Chow took over with a bet, and sent Heimiller muttering into the tank. He talked himself into a fold, and Chow was back to a healthy stack without a showdown.
After starting heads-up play with the chip lead, nothing has gone Mike Chow's way. Dan Heimiller has been grinding him down, bet by bet,pot by pot. Chow tried a different tack in a recent pot. He checked his option after Heimiller limped the button, then check-raised Heimiller's bet on a flop of . Heimiller scrunched up his face, peeked down at his cards, and then mucked.
With only thirty total big bets in play right now, scooping even one pot can be a huge swing. Dan Heimiller took four big bets off of Michael Chow in a recent pot. Chow limped the button, then called Heimiller's raise. Heimiller led out an flop before it was his turn to call a raise made by Chow.
The turn came and again Heimiller led out. Chow called to the river. Heimiller fired a third time. This time Chow tanked before finally tossing in a call.
"Just two pair," said Heimiller. He opened for two pair, kings and eights.