It's been a while since Bill Chen had the chip lead. He has it again after raising the button and being called by big blind Phil Ivey. Both players checked a flop of . Ivey led the turn and was called by Chen.
When the river fell , Ivey slowed down. He checked, then folded to a bet from Bill Chen. Chen is up to about 2.5 million after dragging that pot.
Bill Chen brought it in on third street, then raised Phil Ivey's completion. Ivey, undeterred, re-raised. Chen called to fourth street, where he checked the lead. Ivey fired another bet that Chen called.
Chen also checked fifth street, but raised after Ivey bet. Ivey called that raise, then called bets on sixth street and seventh street. At showdown, Chen tabled two pair, aces and kings, with in the hole, to scoop the whole pot.
Now that the games has moved to stud split, the action has picked up again. Phil Ivey brought it in on third street, then called Bill Chen's completion bet. Ivey called another bet on fourth street, then put in a raise on fifth street. Bill Chen called that raise.
Ivey made open kings on sixth street and bet them. Chen called, but couldn't find another call on the river. He folded to Ivey's last bet.
Nothing happened in razz. One hand made it to fourth street. Consider it a five-minute break. Now we're on to stud. Phil Ivey still has the lead, roughly 2.8 million to 1.5 million.
Bill Chen has, for the moment, put a halt to Phil Ivey's relentless march on Chen's chip stack. Chen called from the big blind after Ivey raised the button, then check-called the flop and turn. The river was checked by both players. With the board showing , Chen opened to make an ace-six low and a pair of sevens. Both were good.
The next hand Chen scooped again, calling the flop and turn and betting the river, when his was best both ways on a board of .
Scooping those two pots has pushed Chen back up to about 1.5 million.