Tran Plays It Like a Swede
An interesting hand just developed between Erik Hellman of Sweden and Tom Tran of Las Vegas.
It began as a five-way limped pot, with Hellman in the small blind and Tran in middle position. The flop came 
, and Hellman led out with a bet of 25,000. A player sitting under the gun called, then Tran raised to 75,000, forcing everyone but Hellman to fold.
The turn was the 
. This time Hellman checked, Tran bet 125,000, and Hellman paused just a short while before calling. The river then brought the 
, putting a fourth spade on the board. Hellman checked once more, and Tran unhesitatingly carved out a bet of about 180,000, pushing it forward.
Hellman studied Tran's bet for a moment, then folded his 
face up. "I got lucky," said Tran, who then showed his hand quickly — two red cards, the 
and what looked like the 
.
"Wow," said Hellman, impressed with the bold bet. "You should go to Sweden sometime," he added with a grin, alluding to the Swedes' reputation for aggressive, daring play. "It would suit you."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,820,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
1,250,000
50,000
|
50,000 |