It's limit poker, and it's heads up, so things are in a comfortable rhythm in the flop games. It was Phil Ivey's turn to raise the button. It was Bill Chen's turn to call from the big blind. Chen check-called a bet on a flop of . He then check-raised the turn and induced a fold from Ivey.
The game has switched to Omaha Hi/Lo. Bill Chen raised the button and Phil Ivey called to a flop of . Both players checked. Ivey tried a bet on the turn but Chen quickly called. The river blanked and drew checks from both players.
"Nine," said Chen. Ivey then opened for a pair of tens to drag the pot.
None of the first few hands of hold'em have gone past a single bet on the flop. Phil Ivey has taken the worst of it, and has slipped back down to about 1.4 million.
Two big pots of stud split have both gone Phil Ivey's way to increase his count to 1.8 million and lower Bill Chen's count to about 2.5 million. Ivey bet all the way on a board of in the first hand, with Chen calling showing . Chen called one more bet on the river, where Ivey produced in the hole for a pair of aces that Chen couldn't beat.
Shortly thereafte, Ivey was the one calling all the way down as his board developed . When he paired jacks on sixth street, he bet into Chen's board of . Chen called that bet, but folded to a river bet.
The end for John Juanda came in the stud round. He completed a trey on third and was raised by the bring-in, Phil Ivey. Juanda called to fourth street, where he checked the lead and then raised. Ivey was undeterred. The rest of the chips went in on fifth street.
"You got anything?" Juanda asked.
"Two pair," Ivey replied.
"S***."
Ivey showed his eights and deuces, while Juanda showed ace-high. Juanda did make a running two pair, aces and treys, but Ivey rivered a deuce for a full house to send Juanda packing.
Another pot played by Bill Chen became another pot won by Bill Chen. Phil Ivey brought it in, then called Chen's completion bet. Ivey actually had the lead with a 6-high board on fourth street and with a 7-high board on fifth street. He bet both and Chen called both.
Both players caught kings on sixth street. Ivey checked, then folded to Chen's bet.
Ivey is down to 600,000. Chen is crushing everyone with 3.25 million. Juanda is still shortest with 450,000.
It was John Juanda's turn to bring it in, but he decided to raise after Phil Ivey's completion bet folded Bill Chen. Ivey called the raised, then called another bet on fourth street. On fifth street Ivey drew the higher board and bet. It was enough to put Juanda all in. He called with buried eights, a hand in the lead. Juanda made tens and eights on sixth street, which held up when Ivey bricked the river.
Juanda is up to 460,000. Ivey fell back to about 800,000.
We're in stud now, and with an extra street of betting chip counts can change in a hurry. Phil Ivey caught the bring in again, and then folded after Bill Chen completed and John Juanda raised. Chen then re-raised, with Juanda calling.
Chen bet fourth street, fifth street, sixth street and the river. Each time Juanda called. At showdown, Chen turned up for a pair of kings. Juanda stared longingly at his own cards and then mucked.
It was improbable that Bill Chen would win every pot he played. He gave a few chips back to John Juanda in the last hand of razz. Phil Ivey brought it in with a king before Chen completed a jack. Juanda, also with a jack, called to fourth street. Chen drew best and bet but Juanda called again.
Juanda took the lead on fifth and sixth streets and bet each time. Chen's board developed pretty horribly by then and finally on sixth street he gave up the ghost.