[user75032]
Binh Nguyen11:12pm -- That's a New One
The heads-up play had settled into a predictable rhythm that was just jolted by Cornel Andrew Cimpan. He called Binh Nguyen's preflop raise to 375,000. Both players checked the flop. The turn is where things started to get mixed up. Cimpan checked to Nguyen, who bet 400,000. Cimpan went for the first check-raise we've seen in a long while, check-raising to one million. Nguyen called.
On the river both players quickly checked. Nguyen showed down for top pair; it was enough to drag the massive pot. He's up to 10 million now, with Cimpan down to 3.7 million.
11:05pm -- Another Curious Line
We've seen some unusual betting lines from Binh Nguyen in this heads-up match. Consider the following: he opened for 375,000 preflop and was called by Andrew Cimpan. On a flop of , Cimpan check-called another 400,000. Both players checked the turn and the river. Nguyen turned over for a pair of queens and the winner.
10:53pm -- Round and Round They Go
Heads-up poker play is often a graceful pas de deux, with the players continually shifting up their lines as they attempt to exploit each other's perceived weaknesses. Cornel Andrew Cimpan is limping most of his buttons; Binh Nguyen is raising most of his. Cimpan limped again in a recent hand, with Nguyen checking his option from the big blind. Nguyen led out for 175,000 on a flop of and was called by Cimpan. When the turn fell , Nguyen checked and snap-folded to a bet of 275,000 from Cimpan.
10:49pm -- Nguyen Fighting Back
If the first half-hour of heads-up play belonged to Cornel Andrew Cimpan, the second half-hour has belonged to Binh Nguyen. Nguyen is taking pot after pot from Cimpan. He recently raised to 310,000 and was called by Cimpan. The flop came , with Cimpan check-folding to a bet of 300,000 from Cimpan.
[user75032]
Cornel Andrew Cimpan is still at a chip deficit.11:45pm -- Cimpan Doubles Up
Just when we thought this all-in match might never end, it was on the verge of being over. Binh Nguyen raised to 375,000, then snap-called when Cornel Andrew Cimpan pushed all in.
Nguyen:
Cimpan:
Whoever called Cimpan a bad penny had it right. You just can't get rid of him in this tournament, because even though he was dominated in this hand, he took down the pot on a board of .
That pot makes Cimpan slightly less short, with 4.3 million to Nguyen's 9.6 million.
11:42pm -- All In, But No Call
Binh Nguyen raised preflop to 375,000. Andrew Cimpan responded by moving all in. He got no call. After securing the pot, he flashed an unsuited .
11:35pm -- Queen High Good Enough
As has become customary, Binh Nguyen raised to 375,000 and Cornel Andrew Cimpan called. They checked all the way on a board of . At showdown, Nguyen turned over queen high, which was apparently the best hand. He took another small pot.
11:29pm -- Slowly But Surely...?
It's hard to be sure, but it seems like Binh Nguyen is making some progress in widening his chip lead against Cornel Andrew Cimpan. The two players checked a limped pot to a turn of . Cimpan tried a bet of 250,000 there, but folded to a raise to 600,000 from Nguyen.
11:27pm -- Crowd Getting Restless
Someone in the crowd just shouted out a plea for set-over-set. We wonder if even that unlikely occurrence would end this match. For the most part, Binh Nguyen and Cornel Andrew Cimpan are content to play small ball (Cimpan especially). The flow of play is that Nguyen raises his button to 375,000, then slows down after the flop if he encounters any resistance; Cimpan limps his button and keeps the pot small throughout.
A few minutes later, Cimpan asked the crowd, "What are you guys doing here? This is so boring."
11:24pm -- Another Change in Play
Binh Nguyen limped his button, and Cornel Andrew Cimpan raised the big blind to 400,000 for the first time during heads-up play. What could that mean?
We have no idea. On a flop of , Cimpan checked and folded to a bet of 600,000 from Nguyen.
[user75032]
12:21am -- Nguyen Takes a Chunk Out of Cimpan
With Cornel Andrew Cimpan on the button, it was (of course) a limped pot. On a flop of , Binh Nguyen bet 200,000 and was called by Cimpan. As is typical when Nguyen encounters resistance, he checked the turn. Cimpan bet 450,000 and must have been surprised to see Nguyen check-raise to 1.15 million. He folded after 30 seconds, bringing loud cheers and applause from Nguyen's supporters.
12:14am -- Cimpan Still Grinding
Binh Nguyen raised to 375,000 and Andrew Cimpan called. On a flop of , Cimpan check-called a bet of 400,000 from Nguyen. Both players checked when the board paired, , on the turn. Andrew fired out one million on the river, folding Nguyen.
12:10am -- Play Resumes
Cards are back in the air. The blinds are still 75,000 and 150,000.
[user75032]
12:54am -- How *DO* You Get Rid of a Bad Penny and Keep It From Coming Back?
Binh Nguyen opened for 500,000, then snap-called after Cornel Andrew Cimpan moved all in for more than 3.0 million chips.
Nguyen:
Cimpan:
For the second time, Nguyen had Cimpan all in with the worse hand. Nguyen's supporters were chanting his name as the dealer burned and turned a flop of , pairing Cimpan's king! How does he do it? The guy runs so good! He improved again with the that hit the turn, making an unbeatable trip kings. The river completed the board, ensuring that Cimpan would once again double up. He is now the chip leader.
12:50am -- Cimpan Bored Again?
Last time Cornel Andrew Cimpan moved in preflop two hands in a row, it was right after he told the crowd he was bored. He moved in after Binh Nguyen opened to 500,000, the second time in a row he's done so. Nguyen asked for a count (3,300,000) but opted not to call.
12:48am -- Again, Cimpan All In But Gets No Action
Binh Nguyen made his new standard raise to 500,000. Cornel Andrew Cimpan moved all in, bringing some whistles from the crowd, but Nguyen folded. Cimpan flashed .
12:43am -- New Level, New Style?
Andrew Cimpan was first to act and, oddly enough, raised to 600,000. There was no call from Binh Nguyen.
Meanwhile, the rail is really getting punchy. A few started whistling the Jeopardy! theme music, and all cheered uproariously when Binh Nguyen raised the next hand to 500,000, breaking his pattern for the last 90 minutes of raising to 375,000. Of course, with blinds at 100,000 and 200,000, a raise to 375,000 is not a legal raise at this point.
12:38am -- Cimpan's Turn
Cornel Andrew Cimpan and Binh Nguyen limped into a flop of . Nguyen check-called 250,000, then check-folded to a bet of 500,000 when the turn fell .
12:32am -- Back and Forth, Back and Forth
We seem to be at a standstill, with neither player able to string together a few pots necessary to change the tide. It was Binh Nguyen's turn to take a pot down. He did it by check-raising Cornel Andrew Cimpan on a board from 200,000 to 600,000.
Binh Nguyen's button brought the standard raise to 375,000. Cornel Andrew Cimpan called for a flop of , which both players checked. On the turn, Cimpan checked and then called another 375,000 from Nguyen. Both players checked the river. Nguyen showed ace high, , a hand that was beaten by Cimpan's with a rivered pair of deuces.
12:25am -- Ten Million Chips
Binh Nguyen's chip stack is once again north of 10 million. He took a limped flop of with Cornel Andrew Cimpan. Both players checked to the turn, where Nguyen check-called a bet of 250,000. The action on the river went check, check, with Nguyen tabling for a pair of sevens and the winning hand.
Last call is in 15 minutes (yeah, California is.. unfortunate... in that regard). Place your cocktail orders now.
1:25am -- Nguyen Good to the Last Card
I'm out of words to describe the ridiculously amazing river beats we've witness over the course of the six... er, seven days of this tournament. Binh Nguyen just open-shoved preflop with and was called by Cornel Andrew Cimpan, who showed . Everything was looking good for an end to the tournament with the and the turn. Cimpan needed to dodge an eight, a three, and a five on the river. Only the fives were especially problematic. The dealer burned and turned... the ! The gallery erupted in roars of disbelief both pro and con. Nguyen's supporters were obviously happy; everyone else roared in a sort of "AYFKM?" kind of way.
Nguyen's the chip leader. Again. Play continues. Some more.
1:22am -- Savage Getting Punchy Too
"This is now a seven-day tournament," TD Matt Savage just quipped. Yes, folks. The hour is late.
1:20am -- Wow, Really?
A raised pot between Binh Nguyen and Cornel Andrew Cimpan reached the turn. With the board showing , Cimpan made it 700,000 to go. Nguyen raised him to 1.7 million, then improbably folded to an all-in bet from Cimpan.
The very next hand, Nguyen raised to 500,000 from the button and then released his hand when Cimpan announced he was all in.
1:11am -- The Natives Aren't Restless, They're Dead
Binh Nguyen opened for 500,000 preflop in front of Cornel Andrew Cimpan, who moved all in. There was hardly a reaction from the audience to that development, a sure sign that we have reached the point where people just want this thing to end. Nguyen folded.
1:07am -- You Thought the Action was Slow BEFORE...
Now that Binh Nguyen has lost the chip lead, and Cornel Andrew Cimpan remains committed to his small ball approach, play has ground down even further. Nguyen has actually folded his button a few times recently, which hadn't happened at all when he had the chip lead.
Most hands are now limped, with a single bet taking the pot down somewhere after the flop.
[user75032]
1:55am -- Nguyen Folds to Pressure on Four-Flush Board Again
On a flop of , Binh Nguyen check to Cornel Andrew Cimpan, who bet 500,000. Nguyen called. Both players checked the turn after it came . The river put a fourth spade on the board, the .
Somewhere in the not-so-distant past, Nguyen had bet a four-flush board as first to act and then folded to a raise from Cimpan. History repeated itself in this hand, with Nguyen betting 500,000 and then folding to a raise to 1.5 million from Cimpan.
1:51am -- For Those Who Like to Keep Track of Those Sorts of Things
The limits are up to 125,000 and 250,000. The average stack is 6,960,000, or roughly 28 big blinds.
There are no antes for heads-up play at Commerce Casino.
It's been more than four-and-a-half hours since Mike Sowers was eliminated in third place.
1:48am -- Cimpan's Knaves Are Enough
Look, I'm not going to lie. The hour is getting very late, and the action hasn't been scintillating. I can't tell you how Binh Nguyen and Cornel Andrew Cimpan got to the river on a board of . I do know that Cimpan bet 400,000, which makes me suspect it was a limped pot that checked all the way down. Nguyen called, and was shown by Cimpan for two pair, jacks and eights. It was a winner.
1:45am -- Play Resumes
We were on another tape-change break, but play just resumed.
No, not a reference to a historical battle; just a reference to the number of hands that have been played so far at this final table.
2:21am -- Back to Normal
Binh Nguyen feels he has enough chips now to make standard raises to 575,000 once again. Cornel Andrew Cimpan is following suit. He raised preflop to 625,000 but couldn't entice a call from Nguyen. Cimpan showed .
"Two aces he showed," announced TD Matt Savage. "Those are no good for sure."
2:17am -- Don't Look Now
Binh Nguyen is up to about four million in chips.
The hand after TD Matt Savage announced that, Cornel Andrew Cimpan raised preflop to 10 million, drawing peals of laughter from the crowd. We're not even sure Cimpan had that many chips to raise, but it didn't matter. Nguyen folded.
2:12am -- Nguyen Chipping Up
A series of preflop all-in raises from Binh Nguyen have gone uncalled by Cornel Andrew Cimpan. He's managed to chip back up to about three million as a result. That's not much at blinds of 125,000 and 250,000, but it does give him a little bit of breathing room.
2:05am -- Nguyen Not Out Yet
The very next hand, a dejected Binh Nguyen moved all in. Cornel Andrew Cimpan called quickly. Nguyen opened , a hand in the lead over Cimpan's . Six-deuce, you ask? Well, sure, it's no four-deuce. Yet Nguyen was incredibly short and Cimpan can do no wrong. Why not take a shot? Nguyen paired his nine on a flop of , but the was yet another sweat card as it gave Cimpan an improbable gut-shot straight draw. This time, Cimpan didn't hit. The river blanked to give Nguyen a small double-up.
2:00am -- Just Another Double-Up for Cimpan
The action happened so fast, it took the crowd a second to realize what was going on. Binh Nguyen opened with a raise to 575,000. Cornel Andrew Cimpan moved all in and Nguyen snap-called. Cimpan was the player at risk of elimination, and he had the worse hand. He showed against Nguyen's . With the stage properly set, the dealer burned and turned a flop:
Nothing has come easy for Nguyen in heads-up play. The flop gave Cimpan some help, as it made him a pair of fours. That wasn't enough to overcome the pair of tens held by Nguyen, however. On to the turn we went. It was the perfect sweat card, the . That built tension in the room to a fever pitch. Cimpan, the "Bad Penny," needed a four, an ace, or a heart to stave off elimination (again!). There was a collective sucking of breath as the dealer revealed the river...
Pandemonium erupted in the upstairs ballroom again! This time it was punctuated by disbelieving laughter from almost everyone except Binh Nguyen. He was crippled by this loss. At this point, he must think that God hates him.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop. The turn 
is where things started to get mixed up. Cimpan checked to Nguyen, who bet 400,000. Cimpan went for the first check-raise we've seen in a long while, check-raising to one million. Nguyen called.
both players quickly checked. Nguyen showed down 
for top pair; it was enough to drag the massive pot. He's up to 10 million now, with Cimpan down to 3.7 million.
, Cimpan check-called another 400,000. Both players checked the 
turn and the 
river. Nguyen turned over 
for a pair of queens and the winner. 
and was called by Cimpan. When the turn fell 
, Nguyen checked and snap-folded to a bet of 275,000 from Cimpan.
, with Cimpan check-folding to a bet of 300,000 from Cimpan.
. 
.
. At showdown, Nguyen turned over queen high, which was apparently the best hand. He took another small pot.
, Cimpan check-called a bet of 400,000 from Nguyen. Both players checked when the board paired, 
board from 200,000 to 600,000.
, which both players checked. On the 
with Cornel Andrew Cimpan. Both players checked to the 
river went check, check, with Nguyen tabling 
for a pair of sevens and the winning hand.
turn. Cimpan needed to dodge an eight, a three, and a five on the river. Only the fives were especially problematic. The dealer burned and turned... the 
, Binh Nguyen check to Cornel Andrew Cimpan, who bet 500,000. Nguyen called. Both players checked the turn after it came 
.
. I do know that Cimpan bet 400,000, which makes me suspect it was a limped pot that checked all the way down. Nguyen called, and was shown 
