Back to back pots for Daniel Menger, both costing Xiacheng Chen a few chips. A fairly rare four-way flop (that’s two-thirds of the table) of Th 5h 6c started the first one, with small blind Chen checking, big blind Noel Hayes checking and under the gun raiser (to 600) Menger betting 800. The button folded and Menger made the call.
Both players checked the 8d turn, and the 3h river saw Chen lead out for 1,300. Menger made the call with Kc Td (top pair) and Chen flipped over ace high (As 9c), losing the pot.
The next hand, Chen was back in action, raising on the button, called by big blind Menger.
The flop: 8d Td Qd. Menger check-called Chen’s 800 bet and quickly announced his next “check” in the dark.
The turn: Qh. Menger made the call when Chen bet 1,100, bringing the Ts on the river. This time Menger waited to see the card he’d paid for before making a decision on it (although this turned out to also be “check”). Chen gave up, checking behind and mucking when he saw Menger’s Tc 8c full house.
“No bluff on the river?” queried Menger, who’d probably have appreciated another one, but only got a grin in response. His stack is just over 31,000 now, while Chen’s is around 25,000.