When Duncan “Pumper” Bell entered heads-up play, he and his opponent Steven Merrifield were virtually even in chips. But, after a particularly grueling river, Bell found himself shaken and down 5-1 in chips.
Taken From CardPlayer.com Live Updates:
Duncan Bell raised to 175,000, and Steve Merrifield made the call. The flop came 8
5 2
, and Merrifield bet 270,000. Bell called, and the turn was the 4
. Merrifield bet 475,000, and Bell called once again. The river was the 9, and Merrifield bet 1 million. Bell called and mucked when Merrifield turned over K 9 for a rivered pair of nines. After the hand, Merrifield held an approximately 5-1 chip lead.
After a few moments, Bell composed himself and found the will to make the comeback that inevitably led to his first World Series of Poker bracelet.
Bell took some time out after his win to talk to Card Player about how he handles a tough hand and the poker scene in Vancouver, Canada.
Question:
Can you talk about that brutal hand that left you down 5-1 heads up? How do you come back from a beat like that?
Duncan Bell: I had two sixes. I thought I’d let him bluff off into me. As a poker player, my strengths are in my read. I struggled with my read on him the entire day. There was one hand where he fumbled with his chips when he was weak, but even then I thought he could be throwing me a false tell, I thought I had the best hand. On the turn, I turned a gutty [gutshot-straight draw]. So, I thought that not only do I have the best hand, but now I have a draw to go with it. I almost shoved, to be honest. I ended up just calling, and I paid a huge price on the river for that mistake. The 9 looked like such a safe card.
But that’s poker. There are ups and downs. If you’re good, it’s mostly ups. When these hands happen, you have to shake it off. You count your chips, you regroup, and you refocus and realize where you are. After taking a couple of moments, I realized I was still okay. In the end, I held over him a little bit but was able to compose myself and come back.
Question: You’re good friends with Shawn Buchanan. How was it making the final table with him?
DB: The field was so big that for two guys who are good friends from the same town to make the final table [is incredible]. It might never happen again. The whole poker scene in Vancouver is really great. The games there are smaller, of course, but if you can beat a $2-$5 game in Vancouver, then you can beat the $10-$20 game at Bellagio. Those guys back there really pushed me to get better. I think my victory really reflects on the poker scene back home.
