World Series of Poker finalists can’t crack chip leader Qui Nguyen

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, Oct. 31, 2016 | 11:25 p.m.

Qui Nguyen can’t explain the significance of the Rocket Raccoon hat he’s worn throughout the World Series of Poker Main Event, so much like the television audience, his tablemates are left guessing.

“I know it’s from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’” Gordon Vayo said. “But I don’t know anything about it.”

Chalk up the curious headwear as another mystifying aspect of the 39-year-old local’s run toward the $8 million first-place prize in poker’s world championship.

Nguyen is an enigma, and not one the poker world has come any closer to solving since the $10,000 buy-in event restarted Sunday at the Penn & Teller Theater in the Rio.

After taking the lead from the final table’s initial hand on the first night, Nguyen only increased his advantage during the second round of action. He’ll go into Tuesday’s final session, which begins at 4:30 p.m. and airs on a slight delay on ESPN, with 197.6 million chips — more than fellow finalists Vayo and Cliff Josephy have combined.

“Some of my friends said, ‘Oh, you’re winning,’” Nguyen said. “I say, ‘No, don’t say that.’ Anything can happen at the table, but I’m doing the best I can.”

Nguyen would break a trend of eight straight years — ever since the World Series of Poker implemented the delayed format — where a professional in their 20s has prevailed in the tournament. He considers himself a professional gambler, not just a poker player, but had never recorded any major tournament results and spoke of massive losses at the World Series of Poker before this year’s Main Event.

Vayo fits closer to what’s grown to be the expected profile of a poker champion. The 27-year-old San Francisco resident started playing professionally a decade ago, enduring multimillion-dollar swings before he was old enough to legally purchase alcohol.

While Nguyen has pushed the action and played more hands than anyone at the table, Vayo has stuck to a plan of caution. He’s emphasized not risking too many of his chips in situations that could turn unfavorable.

“I was fully aware coming into this that I might make some folds where people would say, ‘Wow, that was interesting,’” Vayo said. “But I know those spots and I’m not afraid to look silly.”

The patience paid dividends during Monday’s sixth hand when Vayo made three of a kind on the flop with pocket 8s. He proceeded to play it passively, allowing Vojtech Ruzicka to bluff three times and lose nearly his entire stack.

Vayo, who finished the day with 89 million chips, took the lead for a while until Nguyen zoomed back by him in part by scoring the next elimination. Nguyen called an all-in bet from a short-stacked Michael Ruane with Ace-Jack. Ruane showed King-Queen, putting him at a slight disadvantage.

The flop of 9-9-2 changed nothing, but Nguyen began to celebrate when a Jack hit on the turn even though the card improved Ruane’s chances of winning by giving him a gutshot straight draw. A harmless 8 came on the river, though, to ensure Nguyen won the pot.

“I was excited to get chips in versus him if I could but he’s playing good and it’s tough to put him on a hand because of his unpredictability,” Ruane said.

No one knows that better than Josephy, who had the lead after seven days of play in the summer but has since lost loads of chips to Nguyen. Josephy, a 50-year-old from New York with two previous WSOP championship bracelets, had a particularly frustrating experience sitting to Nguyen’s left on Monday.

Nguyen put Josephy to a decision for all of his chips midway through the evening despite holding a relatively weak starting hand with pocket 4s. Josephy reluctantly folded his Ace-Queen.

On other occasions where Josephy re-raised, Nguyen was much stronger — such as a few hands after the courageous moves with 4s when he showed up with pocket Kings. Josephy ultimately survived and guaranteed himself at least a $3.4 million payday, but he knows he has ground to make up with only 50 million chips.

Josephy joked with Nguyen at the end of Monday’s play about his lack of success in their encounters. Nguyen cracked a smile and laughed.

He never expected to be the player everyone was trying to figure out at the final table, but he sure is enjoying it.

“For me, I feel the same way,” he said. “I don’t feel any different. I don’t want to be a movie star or anything.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.