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Canadian John Krpan Calls Out Poker Masters Bubble Play — Then It Took a Turn
- Clemen Deng chose not to eliminate a short-stacked opponent near the bubble, sparking debate over etiquette versus strategy.
- Deng’s decision allowed Joey Weissman to survive and cash, while John Krpan, who objected, was eliminated next.
- Deng’s strategy paid off, as he finished runner-up in the $10,500 Poker Masters event.
John Krpan was just one elimination away from a Poker Masters cash when a hand at the other end of the table caught his attention. It didn't involve Krpan. He didn't even lose any chips in it, nor was there a questionable ruling to argue over. Instead, Krpan objected to what Clemen Deng chose not to do.
With 13 players remaining in the $10,500 Poker Masters Event #4 and only 12 getting paid, Deng had an opportunity to eliminate Joey Weissman, who had left himself with almost nothing behind. Rather than force Weissman all-in, the chip leader kept him alive and Krpan was not impressed.
The exchange that followed turned a routine money bubble into one of the more talked-about hands of the series. So, let's talk about it.
One Player, 10,000 Chips and a Very Long Bubble
Weissman raised the button to 180,000 with A♦K♦, intentionally leaving himself just 10,000 chips. Deng, who was sitting in the big blind with roughly 1.6 million and pocket threes, could have raised enough to put those last chips at risk. Instead of doing the obvious, he just called.
A 9-8-4-10-J board then checked through from flop to river, leaving Deng's pocket threes ahead and Weissman with only that final 10,000-chip stub.
Krpan didn't hold his breath and challenged the decision, telling Deng that he had “disrespected the game.” Deng's answer was simpler that you might expect: it was all part of his strategy.
Nick Palma, who wasn't involved in the hand, joined the conversation and backed Deng's reasoning.
If Weissman remained in the tournament with one-third of a big blind, everyone else still had to negotiate the bubble. For a big stack such as Deng, that meant more chances to raise into players who had very little incentive to fight back while somebody else was so close to elimination.
Old-School Etiquette Meets Bubble Strategy
There was nothing in the hand that actually violated a tournament rule. The disagreement came down to what a player should do when given the chance to knock someone out on the bubble.
Krpan's position was rooted in the idea that players should be trying to eliminate one another when the opportunity presents itself. Deng was treating Weissman's tiny stack as useful leverage: the longer the shortest player survived, the longer everyone immediately above him remained under ICM pressure.
Over the past decade, that type of play has become increasingly common in high rollers. Short stacks will sometimes raise while deliberately keeping a single chip or tiny fraction of a blind behind, allowing them to survive a lost pot and potentially wait for someone else to bust first.
On the other hand, big stacks can exploit the same dynamic from the other direction by avoiding an elimination when prolonging the bubble gives them more freedom elsewhere.
For Krpan, who has been recording live tournament results since 2010 and has more than $1.5 million in career earnings, it was enough to produce a very public disagreement at the table.
Weissman Survives and Krpan Goes Out Next
After the "squabble", Weissman actually recovered from one-third of a big blind to roughly 190,000 and, somehow, avoided the bubble altogether.
Instead, Adrian Mateos became the 13th-place finisher, leaving without a payout. It was already Mateos' third bubble in the first four events of this year's Poker Masters. Krpan came next.
The Canadian lost a race shortly after the field entered the money and finished 12th for $20,000. Weissman, whose survival had started the argument, went on to finish ninth for $24,000.
Deng reached heads-up play against Vitalijs Zavorotnijs and ultimately finished runner-up for $144,000. Zavorotnijs won the tournament for $224,000 after an 80-entry field generated an $800,000 prize pool.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitalijs Zavorotnijs | $224,000 |
| 2 | Clemen Deng | $144,000 |
| 3 | Nick Palma | $104,000 |
| 9 | Joey Weissman | $24,000 |
| 12 | John Krpan | $20,000 |
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