A Big Pot
"Hey, this is going to be a big pot," claimed one player luring me to the table. I sighed upon approach: one player had bet 450 into a pot and received two calls - early signs suggested this was anything but a 'big pot'.
However, it would appear as though others had inside knowledge that surpassed mine (either that or they were utilising a crystal ball) as just as I was about to pivot on the spot and walk away, the turn triggered more fireworks than Independence Day.
The initial aggressor (small blind) checked, the hijack bet 1,100, the button called, and the small blind raised, sliding in a column of chips from what was a gargantuan stack.
"That's more than the pot," observed another player.
At this point, we must have spent five minutes trying to calculate the pot, the dealer, eventually, declaring that the small blind could raise an additional 5,450, although even she didn't sound that sure.
Nevertheless, the 5,450 went in, which led to an all-in from the small blind for a few thousand more, followed by two calls.
The river came the , and after the small blind checked, the button moved all in for around 5,000. The small blind called, but found his opponent immediately announcing "nuts" and tabling . The hijack, meanwhile, was forced to show and, after an unnecessary call for the floor (as if this hand hadn't taken long enough), the second losing player flipped .
The player left to stack all the chips was Robert Campbell, and he is now right up there with the chip leaders with circa 35,000 in chips.