After plowing through the field to get to heads up play things have slowed down for Gus Hansen. David Chiu (left) went into heads up play with about 4 million and in serious danger against Hansen’s 23 million. Win a pot here and there and double up once though and then things aren’t so bad.
That is exactly what happened for Chiu and after about an hour of heads up play he is up to 9 million and Gus is down to about 18 million. Still a 2 to 1 chip lead, but another double up will flip the tables and make Chiu the 2 to 1 leader over Gus.
The difference between first and second is around $1.6 million so there is plenty to play for even before you factor in any ancillary benefits to being the champion of one of the largest tournaments of the year. Gus is in a commanding position but the death grip he had on this tournament has loosened slightly in the first part of heads up play.