Is there anyone who can stop Michael Chow at this point? He is literally running over this final table, seemingly showing down the nuts or close to it every time he's in a pot. He and Scott Epstein went to war in a recent pot, with Epstein raising pre-flop and Chow calling in position. Epstein continued on a flop of ; Chow raised that bet.
Epstein called to the turn, where he check-called one bet. He check-called all in on the river . Chow showed down the nut flush and second nut low, . Epstein flashed , having flopped a straight and a good low. Neither was good enough at the end of the day.
Epstein leaves with $51,431 in prize money. Chow, meanwhile, has more than 2 milion of the 3.6 million chips in play.
Dan Heimiller and Michael Chow were heads up in a three-bet pot. The flop came , and Chow check-called a bet from Heimiller. Then he took the reins, betting after the on the turn. Heimiller called, and then called once more after the on the river. Chow showed for trip aces and the second nut low. "Scoopscoop! Scoopscoop!" shouted Chow's friends on the rail, and he did exactly that.
Chow's fans are the only ones making noise at the final table, and as their next round of beers was just delivered, they started singing Happy Birthday to Chow. It may not be his birthday, but it's certainly his lucky day. After running over the table since eliminating Cipolla, he is up to 1.7 million in chips. That's more than everyone else combined.
And then there were five. Desperately short stack Michael Cipolla held on as long as he could but finally found himself all in on the turn of a with nothing but a very slim draw. Opponent Michael Chow turned up for two pair, aces and kings. The river blanked out, sending Cipolla into the Great Beyond.
Fred Koubi is getting a little peckish. He just asked where his beef jerky was since he was under the impression that everyone who made a final table was given Jack Link's Beef Jerky to much on. After all, the barricade around the final table is a giant Jack Links ad.
The floor dispatched someone to track down the jerky.
This hand started out with drama and ended with a goodbye. S. Rosewood was in the small blind and got his first card, but when the dealer got to him on the second round, his card fell on the floor. Dan Heimiller, who was in the big blind, called "misdeal," but the dealer said it was simply an exposed card and Rosewood would get another one after the rest of the deal was complete. Heimiller disagreed and the floor was called over. Rosewood jokingly asked if he could just keep the . The floor explained that it was only a misdeal if the first or second card from the top of the deck were exposed, not the first or second card dealt to a player.
By this point, Rosewood had received his new fourth card and action had folded to him in the small blind. He completed, and Heimiller decided he'd rather keep his current hand and raised. Rosewood called, and the flop came out . Rosewood bet, and Heimiller quickly raised. Rosewood then moved all in for only 10,000 more than the cost of a call. Heimiller seemed confused for a minute and acted like he was thinking. "I'm just trying to look at it," he said, asking Rosewood to move his hand out of the way so he could see the bets in the pot. Then he sort of shook himself and said, "I call. Of course I call."
Showdown
Rosewood: for an open-ended straight draw and runner-runner low draw
Heimiller: for a pair of aces
The turn was the on the turn kept Rosewood's hope for a low alive, but the on the river wasn't what he needed. After spending most of the day as chip leader, Rosewood is out in 7th.
Three bets pre-flop. Three bets on the flop. Two bets on the turn. After all of that, Scott Epstein wound up only getting a quarter of the pot. Epstein was the first raiser pre-flop, then called when Dan Heimiller raised the button. Epstein bet and three-bet a flop of , with Heimiller calling the third bet. On the turn , Epstein led out again. Again Heimiller raised. Epstein just called.
Both players checked on the end, a . Heimiller showed , the nut low with a pair of kings and a busted diamond flushd raw. Epstein showed the same nut low, , but only a pair of eights. He got quartered.
As my blogging partner just mentioned, the big bets are getting expensive. Joe Leibman lost one pot at showdown and although it did not eliminate him, it did cost him his seat t the final table.
Leibman opened pre-flop with an early-position raise that Ylon Schwartz re-raised. Dan Heimiller called form the small blind and Leibman also called. On a flop of , Leibman bet and then three-bet to get the slightly shorter-stacked Schwartz all in. Heimiller folded out of the way, taking the players to showdown.
Schwartz: , a pair and some draws
Leibman: , a flush draw
The turn and rivver came and to make two pair for Schwartz and give him the double-up. The hand also left Liebman with just 30,000 chips.
The very next hand, Leibman was all in from the big blind. Michael Chow and Sasha Rosewood checked the action all the way to the river, . That's where chow bet his wheel, to fold Rosewood for the side pot. Leibman hadn't yet looked at his cards and rolled them over one at a time. He rolled an , and , but the that was his fourth card was no help. He departs in 8th place.
At this point in the tournament, every hand shifts the balance of power at the table. If a big stack loses one large pot, he's down to the bottom of the counts. With the small bet at 40,000 and the big bet at 80,000, there really isn't much room for mistakes or bad luck. At the break, the shortest stack, Joe Leibman, had 1.3 big bets left while the chip leader, Dan Heimiller, only had 8.5. Everyone else has between 3 and 7.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
; Chow raised that bet.
turn, where he check-called one bet. He check-called all in on the river 
. Chow showed down the nut flush and second nut low, 
. Epstein flashed 
, having flopped a straight and a good low. Neither was good enough at the end of the day.
, and Chow check-called a bet from Heimiller. Then he took the reins, betting after the 
for trip aces and the second nut low. "Scoopscoop! Scoopscoop!" shouted Chow's friends on the rail, and he did exactly that.
with nothing but a very slim draw. Opponent Michael Chow turned up 
. The floor explained that it was only a misdeal if the first or second card from the top of the deck were exposed, not the first or second card dealt to a player. 
. Rosewood bet, and Heimiller quickly raised. Rosewood then moved all in for only 10,000 more than the cost of a call. Heimiller seemed confused for a minute and acted like he was thinking. "I'm just trying to look at it," he said, asking Rosewood to move his hand out of the way so he could see the bets in the pot. Then he sort of shook himself and said, "I call. Of course I call."
for an open-ended straight draw and runner-runner low draw
for a pair of aces
on the turn kept Rosewood's hope for a low alive, but the 
on the river wasn't what he needed. After spending most of the day as chip leader, Rosewood is out in 7th.
, with Heimiller calling the third bet. On the turn 
, Epstein led out again. Again Heimiller raised. Epstein just called.
. Heimiller showed 
, a pair and some draws
to fold Rosewood for the side pot. Leibman hadn't yet looked at his cards and rolled them over one at a time. He rolled an 
and 
, but the 
that was his fourth card was no help. He departs in 8th place.