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A tense moment unfolded during Event #4: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em at the Poker Masters series when chip leader Clemen Deng chose not to eliminate short stack Joey Weissman on the money bubble, sparking criticism from fellow player John Krpan.
With 13 players remaining and 12 spots paying, Weissman raised to 180,000 from the button holding A♦K♦, leaving just 10,000 behind. Deng, sitting on roughly 1.6 million in the big blind, opted to flat call with 3♣3♥ rather than shove over the top and force Weissman to risk his entire stack.
The board ran out 9♦8♥4♥10♠J♦, and both players checked to the river. Deng’s pocket pair held, allowing him to win the pot while leaving Weissman with just one-third of a big blind still in play on the bubble.
Krpan, who wasn’t involved in the hand, confronted Deng afterward, accusing him of “disrespecting the game” by not putting Weissman all in. Deng defended the decision as part of his strategy, while fellow player Nick Palma stepped in to explain that such tactics are common in modern tournament poker.
Palma clarified that keeping a short stack alive lets the chip leader continue raising aggressively and pressuring the bubble, since other players tend to play tightly while waiting for the shortest stack to bust. This allows the big stack to accumulate chips more freely.
The strategy paid off for Weissman, who built his stack to around 190,000 and survived the bubble, eventually finishing ninth for $24,000. Krpan busted in 12th for $20,000, while Deng went on to finish runner-up, earning $144,000.
