Greg Raymer showed all the signs of a man who was card-dead. With a ring of spectators watching his every move, Raymer folded hand after hand, giving a little eyebrow raise or shaking his head ever-so-slightly as he was dealt pair after pair of rags. Still, he chatted up his table and cracked jokes as he waited for a playable hand, his stack barely past the 10,000 he started with.
The hand started innocently enough. With the blinds at 300/600 with a 75 ante, there was an opening raise to 1,500. One caller. Then two. Then three — all before the action came around to Raymer in the small blind.
“I know if I squeeze here, I’m gonna get at least two callers. Maybe even three,” he speculated, before taking a look at his hole cards. What he saw was apparently enough, and Raymer announced that he was all-in for the 10,000 and change he had in front of him.
“I’ll get into character,” he quipped, donning his signature glasses and crossing his arms over his chest.
The initial raiser folded, as did his first caller but Alejandro Bonanata, the second caller behind him, moved his own stack into the middle. That got Johannes Korsar, the third caller, to muck his hand and the rail craned their collective necks as the two prepared to show down.
“I only looked at one,” said Raymer, revealing the [AS]. Bonanata showed [JD]-[JS] and Raymer reached for his second card, turning up the [QC].
“I feel good about this one… I think I’m going to win it,” said Raymer as the dealer burned and turned.
The flop came down [AC]-[9S]-[2S]. The turn was the [4H] and it looked like FossilMan would at last earn his double-up.
Until the [JH] cruelly hit the river. Holy two-outers, Batman.
Gracious as ever, Raymer asked for the proper spelling of his opponent’s name and proceeded to sign the shiny gray fossil he had been using as his card protector and handed it across the table as a parting gift as he made his exit.
With the dinner break approaching, we’re down to 154 players.
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