Playing with the chip leader at your table can sometimes be difficult, as they often use their stacks to bully players out of otherwise playable hands, or force others to risk their tournament lives at inopportune moments.

In this case, Joseph Kennedy faced off against chip leader Tu Kham Tran, but he was able to weather the storm, making a great call under pressure. Try as he might, Tu couldn’t crack Kennedy’s calm by putting him all in with an aggressive shove on the river, helping Joseph double up.

The hand began with a couple of limpers calling the blinds, but the stakes were raised when Joseph made it 10,000 to go. Surprisingly, he found four callers, all of whom saw a flop. The table checked around to Joseph who bet 25,000. Tu called, but no one else was keen to tangle.

Both remaining players checked the turn, but when Joseph checked after seeing the river, Tu sensed he could push him out with a shove. He was almost right. After thinking for a couple of hard minutes, Joseph called, risking his last 60,000 chips, flipping over his .

When Tu mucked his cards the table congratulated Joseph on his excellent call. Although Tu’s stack is still considerable, Joseph is in a now in a much stronger position to make the final push towards Day 2, not to mention the confidence boost that usually accompanies a gutsy call.