Recent chip leader Ron S. found himself in a battle at table 34 just now, one that could have cost him dearly. Although he still had plenty of chips in front of him, he didn’t have as many as he did at the end of the last break, and a loss in this hand would most likely be fatal, as there were other big stacks at the table. Luckily for him, he withstood the pressure and made the right moves, virtually doubling his already significant stack by the end of the hand.

With the blinds at 1,200/2,400, the hand began with Ron limping in under the gun, which was followed by a raise to 4,500 by Sylvie Laflamme, his neighbor to the left. Gaetan Laperriere then raised to 12,500. When Ron made a smooth and quiet call, Sylvie smelled danger and got out of the hand. “Good fold,” Gaetan said, eliciting a bemused smile from Ron.

Flop:

First to act, Gaetan bet a near pot-sized 26,000 chips. Ron called it like he was checking the time. The turn was a , and this time Gaetan bet 45,000. No longer quite so casual, Ron’s smile disappeared. He had to think about it, because if he played this wrong his night might be over. Ron seemed to be double-checking his mental math. Was Gaetan trying to buy his way out of a bluff? Did he have pocket aces? Two pair? A flush? After about a minute, brows furrowed, Ron made his choice and shoved over the top.

Pot-committed, Gaetan was compelled to call and flipped over his cards, . Ron followed suit, flipping over his . The river card was no help to Gaetan, and Ron doubled up. Although there is still another level to go before the next break, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Ron ended up back at the top of the leaderboard at the end of it.