Over the years, we’ve seen some pretty spectacular comebacks in tournament poker, but it is extremely rare for a player to be down to one actual chip and spin that single chip up into a victory.
The first time it happened (that we know of) was back in 1982, when Jack Straus found a misplaced chip under his chair after losing his entire stack, and with that one chip, he managed to come back and win the tournament. This is where the popular phrase “a chip and a chair” comes from.
Nguyen Le has recently done something very similar in the BetMGM Poker Championship at the Aria. With 11 players left, Nguyen’s stack was reduced to a single tournament chip, and, somehow, he was able to put that chip to the best use possible to win the whole thing.
One Chip to Beat Them All
Most tournament runs are pretty straightforward. We may see a few bad beats or a couple of nasty coolers along the way, but if you’ve watched and/or played poker for a while, these things no longer shock you.
Every now and again, however, there is a bizarre story that can hardly be explained by any logic outside of “it was simply meant to be.” Nguyen Le’s run in the $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship is most certainly one of these stories.
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With 11 players left, Le was supposed to be eliminated. He was supposed to put all his chips in the middle, lose his stack, and bust. However, a strange set of circumstances saw his opponent table his hand before the action was over.
On the river, Le faced a bet for his last chip, but having the perfect information, he knew he was beat, so he figured he might as well keep that chip. The only way he could possibly fold there is if his opponent’s cards were face up.
Saving one chip is hardly something to be happy about, but, as it turned out, it was the best decision of Nguyen Le’s poker career. From that point on, things started going his way, and after a couple of much-needed double-ups, he was back to a very workable stack of over 20 big blinds.
By the time the tournament got down to seven players, Le managed to build that small stack into a chip lead!
His good run continued and, eventually, the tournament got down to three players, at which point they worked out a chop, leaving $45,000 and a trophy on the side to play for. Once the deal was done, Le proceeded to finish the job, winning the title and pocketing a grand total of $777,777 — more than doubling his total career earnings!
A Win for Poker History Books
It is moments like this one that remind us just how exciting poker can be and how it is one game where you’re truly never out until you’re out.
No one, the winner included, believed he could spin that chip into a victory. But he decided to do the best he could with it and maybe ladder up a few spots if he gets lucky.
But the poker gods clearly had different plans as cards kept coming Nguyen’s way, and anyone who plays tournaments knows that it doesn’t take that much to get back in the game. A couple of double-ups, a few steals, and you’re in the mix once more.
This story is also great marketing for the BetMGM Poker Championship at the Aria, an event that’s already seen a huge surge in popularity since its debut in 2022. The 2025 edition featured a $3 million guarantee but ended up paying $5.9 million, and with such an epic conclusion, it is safe to assume the next one will attract even more players.
