Squeezed Out: $2080 UPC II No-Limit Hold 'Em

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Two-Cokes rides again

We were getting into the home stretch of La Última. Today's $2080 event drew a field of 35 and I got table 12, seat four. I couldn't get away from Hoyt "All In" Corkins but at least he was on my right where I could keep an eye on him. Kevin "The Man" Chan had seat seven and my buddy Avi "Two Cokes" Freedman had seat eight. I won several small pots and then busted a short stack in seat five to chip up to 11,075. Then seat two raised under the gun and I smooth called with pocket Queens. The Man made it 2000 and the initial bettor folded while I called. The flop came Five-Trey-Deuce with two Hearts. Kevin moved in for 6600 more and after some thought I was pretty sure he had Ace-King and I called. He did and he didn't improve so I busted The Man. I had 21,825 at the break.

 

I was down to 16,125 when we redrew with 18 players left. I got table 16, seat one, and had Kristy "Alrighty Then" Gazes on my left in seat two, "Brooklyn" Dan Pugliese in seat four, and Avi Two Cokes in seat nine on my right. Nothing worked and I was down to 11, 200 at the next break.

 

Then someone raised in late position and Avi Two Cokes called on the small blind. I found King-Queen offsuit on the big blind and decided to try the squeeze play, moving in. The original bettor folded but Avi called with Ace-Jack offsuit, making me a 60-40 dog. He flopped an Ace right away and I was down to 200. I was all in for the small blind and didn't even look at my cards but when a four-way pot got checked down I found Ace-Queen for top two pair and I was up to 900. It folded to me on the button and I pushed in with a suited connector but lost to the big blind and I was out of the contest in 13^th place.

 

Avi didn't last much longer and I met him for dinner at Fusia, the new pan-Asian restaurant at Mandalay Place. The highlight of the menu was the assortment of three sushi hand rolls. Avi had two Diet Cokes and I had a Grey Goose martini.