Louie Calvo raised to 150,000 from under the gun, Eric Hicks called from the button, and Rudolph Sawa called from the big blind.
The flop came and action checked to Hicks who bet 200,000. Sawa folded and Calvo check-raised to 1,075,000, putting Hicks to a decision for the vast majority of his stack. Hicks called and the two players tabled their hands.
Calvo:
Hicks:
Calvo had the lead with the better ace and Hicks needed to improve in order to win the pot. The on the turn changed nothing and neither did the river, so Calvo took the pot to double up and leave Hicks with just 125,000 chips.
Rudolph Sawa raised to 100,000 from the button, Louie Calvo called from the small blind, Eric Hicks moved all in from the big blind for his last 125,000, and Sawa and Calvo both called.
The flop came and Sawa bet 100,000 into the side pot. Calvo folded and Sawa and Hicks flipped over their cards.
Sawa:
Hicks:
Sawa had a commanding lead with his aces and nut flush draw and Hicks had little hope of preserving his tournament life. The turn and river were no help to Hicks and he was eliminated, much to the dismay of his enthusiastically supportive rail.
Rudolph Sawa called from the small blind and Louie Calvo checked his option.
The flop came and Sawa bet 75,000. Calvo called.
The turn brought the and Sawa bet again, 225,000 this time. Calvo announced "pot" and put out a raise to 845,000 to commit the majority of his stack. Sawa said "I believe it," and tossed his cards into the muck.
After an exciting hour of huge clashes that saw Eric Hicks depart in fourth, the three remaining players opted to calm down for a bit. We've been through an intermezzo of small pots, waiting for another major collision.
Luis Calvo is still the shortest stack. However, Calvo is playing about 25 big blinds and he's following the advice of his railbirds: "Take your time."
Mark Reilly limped from the small blind and Rudolph Sawa checked his option.
Reilly decided to peel on the flop, but Sawa accepted the 85,000-bet.
The turn brought a possible flush, and Reilly fired another 175,000. Sawa called again.
Reilly saved the third barrel and checked the river instead, but Sawa wouldn't let him see his cards for free. He bet out 375,000 and while Reilly gave it a brief thought, he eventually mucked.