Trading Blows
It's been a very evenly matched, back-and-forth heads-up battle to this point with the two men essentially trading jabs back and forth.
Phil Laak opened to 26,000 from the button, and Pantling called to see a flop. Both men checked the flop, and Pantling bet 43,000 on the turn. Laak folded, and Pantling earned that little pot.
On the next hand, Pantling raised to 33,000 from the button, and Laak put in the call to continue on. A check apiece on the turn led them to the river. Laak check-called a bet of 38,000 there, and both men check-checked the river. Pantling mucked when Laak showed , and the two men trade pots again. Laak gets slightly the better of that exchange though, and it may well be the man who wins the slightly bigger pots more often that ends up winning this bracelet.