Sunday, June 6, 2010 1:36 AM Local Time
Congratulations to Men "The Master" Nguyen who has claimed his seventh WSOP bracelet in a dramatic final day of Event #10: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship.
Both Nguyen and runner-up Brandon Adams had some challenging moments throughout the day, with both being short and all in on different occasions. However they showed great fighting qualities and with chips at their disposal they both were dangerous in contrasting ways. Adams was all class and composure as his tight, solid image was utilized perfectly, while Nguyen's in-your-face aggression was relentless on the final table.
There were times where Nguyen looked like he was equally as likely to tilt off all of his chips or pass out on the floor, but in the end he did what he does best, and ran away with the title as he collected his seventh WSOP bracelet and $394,800 in prize money. He proved once again why he is known simply as "The Master"! Congratulations Men!
Sunday, June 6, 2010 1:35 AM Local Time
Men Nguyen was in a great mood as he slowly but surely widened his chip lead on Brandon Adams. On their penultimate hand, Nguyen asked, "What have you got there Brian?"
"350," replied Adams, without correcting Men as to Adams' proper first name.
"I might bust you on this hand." But Nguyen didn't. He folded fourth street.
As the dealer was dealing the next and final hand, Nguyen leaned across the table to the short-stacked Adams.
"Play all in now Brian?"
Adams looked up at Nguyen. "You commit to go all in blind in front of all of these people?" Adams asked, pointing at the gallery.
"Yeah, yeah," said Nguyen. "All in blind. I haven't looked. You looked? All in blind."
"Ok, all in blind," replied Adams. They raised back and forth until Adams was all in for his last 360,000. He opened / . Nguyen rubbed his hands together and then slammed over / . The race was on.
Adams promptly caught a queen on fourth street to make a pair of queens. His board developed / / for a final hand of one pair of queens.
Nguyen's board came / .
Nguyen slowly squeezed out the top right corner of the card and saw the tell-tale line of a face card.
"Picture!" he said excitedly, almost falling backwards off the stage. Nguyen moved the card to the center of the felt so that all of his railbirds, crowded around the table, could see it. Then he opened a corner so that only they could see it. They exploded in cheers.
"KING!" Nguyen's brother said, and sure enough it was the , giving Nguyen a pair of kings and the best hand.
Adams was eliminated in second place, leaving with $243,958. And with that bizarre conclusion, the tournament ended.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 1:23 AM Local Time
Brandon Adams brought it in with the as Men Nguyen completed in the dark with the . Adams made the call. Both players checked fourth as Nguyen still hadn't looked at his hole cards. Nguyen again checked fifth as Adams fired a bet. Nguyen decided he'd better look at his hole cards and he decided to make the call.
On sixth, Nguyen checked and Adams bet. Nguyen put in a check-raise and Adams deliberated before making the call. Nguyen again fired the river and Adams looked him up.
Adams: /
Nguyen: /
"How do you not raise it?" exclaimed Nguyen as Adams showed aces up which was not quite enough to beat Nguyen's trip tens.
"Well, I was thinking about it..." sighed Adams. He's now on life support with just 350,000 chips.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 1:15 AM Local Time
Adams: (X) (X) /
Nguyen: /
Adams: (X) (X) /
Nguyen: /
Ever so slowly, Brandon Adams' stack is edging downwards. In back-to-back hands against Men Nguyen, Adams put in one bet on third and fourth streets and then folded as soon as the hand got to the big-bet streets. Nguyen has not been shy about showing his hole card in pots that he wins, showing first an open-ended straight draw with four Broadway cards and then pocket aces.
Adams is down to 900,000 chips now, just 7.5 big bets at the current limits. Nguyen has the rest of the chips, 3,600,000 in total.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 1:07 AM Local Time
Refreshed and ready to gamble, the two players are back and play has resumed.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:58 AM Local Time
Despite playing just one level since the last break, both Men Nguyen and Brandon Adams were adamant about taking another break - both virtually walking away from the final table until their wish was granted. We'll be back in ten minutes.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:52 AM Local Time
After a lot of banter and mostly "raise and take it" hands, there was finally a hush over the final table as the two players clashed in a big pot.
Brandon Adams was the bring-in with the as Men Nguyen completed with the . Adams put in a raise and Nguyen called. Adams led on fourth and fifth, before Nguyen paired on sixth to take control on sixth and seventh. Adams thought for a long time before making the call.
Adams: (X-X-X) /
Nguyen: /
"You got it," said Adams as Nguyen revealed two pair to the cheers from his fans on the rail. Adams is now down to 920,000 with Nguyen up over 3.5 million.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:44 AM Local Time
Men Nguyen is throwing out plenty of one-liners right now as the rail is being more entertained by his antics than the poker right now.
"I got six bracelets man. I want one more! How many you got? One? None?" said Nguyen. "Don't worry, you beat Men The Master and you'll be famous tomorrow!"
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:40 AM Local Time
Men Nguyen is talking and drinking up a storm now that we are heads up. He's been raising most pots in the dark without looking at his cards and pounding on Brandon Adams.
"Let's raise the blinds. This is too slow. I'm getting tired!" laughed Nguyen.
Adams sharply replied, "No...you might pass out!"
Nguyen chuckled and turned to his entourage, "No more beers for Men!"
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:34 AM Local Time
Adams: (X) (X) / / (X)
Nguyen: (X) (X) / / (X)
It's turned into a carnival here at the final table, with Men Nguyen enjoying the hell out of the proceedings. Twice he's completed blind after Brandon Adams pulled the bring in. The second time, Adams raised. Nguyen squeezed his hole cards and then re-raised, with Adams calling.
"Gamble, gamble!" said Nguyen. He called Adams' bet on fourth street. By fifth Adams slowed down and checked. "100 hurt-me dollars," said Nguyen after checking with TD Bob Smith how much he could bet. Adams called.
On sixth street Nguyen again asked how much he could bet, then bet "100 hurt-me dollars". Adams called. Nguyen bet the river dark. Adams squeezed and folded.
"I'm not going to look at this one," said Nguyen, pointing to his river card. "Kill it." The dealer killed the hand and pushed the pot to Nguyen.
"Ship it baby!" Nguyen shouted.
"All you can eat, baby!" replied one of his railbirds.
"I can have a good time, right Bob?" Nguyen asked Smith. "I can raise blind?"
"You've raised blind many times," replied Smith. Nguyen now has 3.2 million. Adams is down to 1.3 million.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:22 AM Local Time
As we commence heads-up play, Men Nguyen has found his voice once again as he holds a 3 to 2 chip advantage over Brandon Adams.
Men Nguyen - 2,700,000
Brandon Adams - 1,800,000
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:20 AM Local Time
Steve Billirakis was first crippled in a clash with Brandon Adams before Men Nguyen finished him off.
After a raise and a re-raise on third, Billirakis fired on fourth before Adams bet on fifth, sixth and the river. Billirakis said he was chasing hearts as he folded the river and Adams showed two pair.
Adams: /
Billirakis: (X-X-X) /
That hand left Billirakis with just 120,000 in chips which he committed on third street on the very next hand against Men Nguyen.
Billirakis: / /
Nguyen: / /
Billirakis improved to two pair but it wasn't enough as Nguyen made trip sevens to take it down. Billirakis departs in 3rd place for a collect of $152,788.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:17 AM Local Time
Adams: (X) (X) / FOLD
Evdakov: / /
Nguyen: / /
Men Nguyen's mood is much, much improved after eliminating Nikolay Evdakov in 4th place. Brandon Adams brought it in on third street, then called after Nguyen limped and Evdakov completed. Nguyen also called.
Evdakov had the lead on fourth street. He bet, with Adams and Nguyen both calling. Adams caught the lead on fifth but checked it to Nguyen. He bet in front of Evdakov, whose raise chased Adams out of the pot. Nguyen re-raised to get Evdakov all in.
Nguyen was drawing with a pair and a flush draw against Evdakov's aces. Both players bricked sixth street. On seventh street, Evdakov opened first and didn't improve. Nguyen had a draw to any 5, 6, 7, 10, queen or club. He dramatically flipped over the for two pair, sixes and fives.
"YEAH!" he screamed, popping out of his chair. He gave two short fist-pumps.
"Nice hand," said Evdakov. He rapped the felt and departed.
"I'm sorry Brandon," said Nguyen after he re-took his seat. "I got excited."
Nguyen is up to 2,560,000 in chips. Evdakov is out, taking home $110,629 in prize money.
Sunday, June 6, 2010 12:06 AM Local Time
Brandon Adams was the bring-in with the . Men Nguyen called before Nikolay Evdakov completed. Adams folded and Nguyen made the call.
Evdakov led the betting on all streets, with Nguyen raising on both sixth and seventh streets. Evdakov paid him off with a call.
Nguyen: /
Evdakov: /
A straight to the queen for Nguyen as Evdakov's aces up were no good.
"Nice call! You think your hand is good after I raise you?" chuckled Nguyen who was suddenly in a much better mood than the previous hour of play. He climbs back to 2 million with Evdakov down to 400,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:56 PM Local Time
The four players are back from the break. It was a break that Men "The Master" Nguyen needed after Brandon Adams claimed the chip lead and had all the momentum as Nguyen was clearly steaming.
Brandon Adams - 1,540,000
Men Nguyen - 1,270,000
Nikolay Evdakov - 1,000,000
Steve Billirakis - 690,000
The cards are back in the air!
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:37 PM Local Time
Players are on a 20-minute break.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:37 PM Local Time
Adams: (X) (X) / / (X)
Nguyen: / / (X)
Brandon Adams and Men Nguyen were heads up to fourth street. Nguyen bet his 7 and Adams called with his 6. Both players checked fifth street. On sixth street, Nguyen fired again with an open pair of fours. Adams raised with an ace, and was called by Nguyen.
Nguyen checked the river, then faced a bet from Adams. Nguyen dejectedly flashed and mucked.
Adams is up to 1,500,000 and Nguyen seems to be reeling from repeated losses.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:29 PM Local Time
Men Nguyen completed before Nikolay Evdakov announced a raise. Nguyen made the call and then led the betting on fourth, fifth and sixth streets. Evdakov made the calls before the river was dealt. Action was with Nguyen and he sat in the tank for a good two minutes before checking over to Evdakov who fired a bet. Nguyen splashed the pot with a call.
Evdakov: / /
Nguyen: / / (X)
It was Nguyen's kings against Evdakov's queens, and despite drawing better on every street, Nguyen couldn't find a river as Evdakov hit two pair to take it down.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:20 PM Local Time
Cassidy: / /
Evdakov: / /
Joe Cassidy has been eliminated from the tournament in 5th place. Nikolay Evdakov brought it in on third street, then called Cassidy's completion. On fourth street the two players raised enough to get Cassidy's last 95,000 in the middle. Cassidy opened a pair of sevens; Evdakov had caught a pair of nines on fourth street. By the river, Cassidy got a good sweat. Evdakov had been unable to improve, and Cassidy had a double gutshot straight draw to go along with his draw at two pair or trip sevens. He bricked all the draws with a .
Cassidy leaves with $86,461 in prize money. Evdakov is still somewhat short, with just 465,000 in his stack.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 11:15 PM Local Time
Joe Cassidy is again on the short stack after laying his hand down on fifth street to the pressure of Steve Billirakis.
Billirakis: (X-X) /
Cassidy: (X-X) /
Billirakis was the bring-in, Cassidy completed and Billirakis called the bet. Cassidy fired on fourth and again on fifth, but Billirakis put in a raise. Cassidy thought long and hard but respected his opponent's play as he gave it up. He's down to just 150,000 with Billirakis up to around 750,000.