There's no stopping Men "the Master" Nguyen right now. Not only is he playing almost every pot, but he's winning a fair number of them. He called behind Nikolay Evdakov's completion bet on third street. The two were heads-up to fourth, where Evdakov bet and then called a raise from Nguyen.
Evdakov retained the betting lead the rest of the way and check-called every street. At the river Nguyen finally checked behind. Evdakov opened for a pair of queens, but Nguyen produced two aces from the hole to take the pot.
Evdakov is down to 315,000. Nguyen is crushing the rest of the table with about 2.5 million chips.
Brandon Adams was the bring-in with the before Steve Billirakis completed. Joe Cassidy announced a raise and play folded to Billirakis who re-raised to put Cassidy all in for his tournament life.
Here's how the boards fell:
Cassidy: / /
Billirakis: / /
Billirakis started in the lead but Cassidy's board fell nicely to end up with queens and nines to double up! He's back to around 220,000 with Billirakis slipping to 565,000.
Brandon Adams took a cautious line in a hand against Joe Cassidy and wound up being rivered. Cassidy completed third street, then called Adams' raise. Adams bet the lead on fourth street with his king, but when he caught an ace on fifth street he slowed down and checked. Cassidy wrinkled his brow before betting. Adams called.
On sixth street Adams still had the lead and Cassidy's board wasn't showing much. Adams checked again, then tanked for about thirty or forty seconds before calling. Down the river, Cassidy had only 30,000 chips left in his stack. Adams put him in. Cassidy squeezed and then called. Adams had for a pair of kings; Cassidy rolled over for a rivered two pair, eights and fives.
It's been a roller coaster ride recently for Joe Cassidy. After doubling up in the previous hand, Cassidy lost a chunk of chips to Steve Billirakis after he couldn't call a bet on seventh.
However next hand he was able to double up once again, this time through Men Nguyen. It was a strange hand, that saw Cassidy complete with the and Nguyen call after bringing in with the . Nguyen then raised the bet on fourth and fired on fifth and sixth before Cassidy raised and put his last chips into the middle. Nguyen made the call and the cards were on their backs:
Nguyen: /
Cassidy: /
I don't think anyone in the building put the Master on that hand, but he had outs to improve to crack Cassidy's aces. It wasn't to be as both players bricked the river and Cassidy doubled up once again 550,000. Nguyen drops to 2.1 million.
Men Nguyen brought it in with a five, then called Brandon Adams' completion. The two players checked it all the way down. At showdown, Adams opened for a pair of sevens, a hand that couldn't beat Nguyen's board. Nguyen opened for quad fives.
"You didn't bet?" asked Theo Tran from the gallery. "Did that really just happen?"
"I'm early," replied Nguyen. "I could check-raise."
Brandon Adams was the bring-in and he decided to raise following the completion from Men Nguyen. The raise was called and Adams fired again on fourth. Nguyen paired up on fifth took the lead, before both checked sixth. On the river, Adams fired a bet with Nguyen deliberating before making the call.
Adams: / /
Nguyen: (X-X) / / (X)
Aces in the hole for Adams improved to two pair which was too good for Nguyen as he angrily tossed his cards into the muck. Adams is up to 925,000 with Nguyen slipping to 2.1 million.
Men Nguyen started downing the Coronas before the final table went to dinner. Back from dinner, he's looking for more.
"All you can eat, baby!" said a railbird after Nguyen won a pot.
"All you can drink, baby!" Nguyen replied. "Chris, I thought you were getting me Corona," he said to Chris Grigorian. Grigorian just made a calming motion with his hands.
"Please. I play better," said Nguyen, putting his hands together in supplication.
"I'll drink for you," said Grigorian.
A few hands later, a cocktail server came by the final table area. Nguyen seemed perturbed that the cocktail server didn't have a Corona for him.
"Where's my Corona?"
"I brought you one," said the server. The floor supervisor announcing the action also assured Nguyen that the cocktail server previously brought a Corona for Nguyen.
"You're just drinking them so fast you don't remember," said Steve Billirakis. Nguyen then put in an order for another Corona.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
/ (X)
/ 
/ 
for a pair of queens, but Nguyen produced two aces from the hole to take the pot.
before Steve Billirakis completed. Joe Cassidy announced a raise and play folded to Billirakis who re-raised to put Cassidy all in for his tournament life.
/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 
/ (X)
/ (X)
. Nguyen then raised the bet on fourth and fired on fifth and sixth before Cassidy raised and put his last chips into the middle. Nguyen made the call and the cards were on their backs:
/ 
/ (X)
for a pair of sevens, a hand that couldn't beat Nguyen's board. Nguyen opened 
for quad fives.
/ 
/ (X)