At an underground Texas hold ’em game run by a Russian mobster my friend lost his entire $30,000 bankroll in a single hand. After that he promised to quit poker and concentrate on law school and also got a part-time job to make ends meet.
Several months passed and he stayed true to his promise until his childhood friend was released from prison. While my friend was an honest player, his ex con friend was a hustler and unapologetic cheat. To help his ex con friend pay off a debt, my friend allowed him to play on his credit at the the local poker club; however, his ex con friend runs up a $25,000 tab for which the debt gets bought by the Russian mob.
My friend proposes to the collector that he pay weekly installments; the collector gives them five days to pay. My friend then decides to hustle again and on a winning streak, he earns $7,200 in three days, but still needs to double it in 48 hours. His ex con buddy directs him to an out-of-town game hosted by New York state troopers, where he wins almost the full $15,000 before his buddy unexpectedly joins the game. The officers catch him base-dealing and they both are beaten up and relieved of their entire bankroll. After that his friend decides to flee, but my friend returns to the city and cut ties with the low life.
Desperate, my friend asks his law school professor to loan him $10,000 and he graciously does. My friend challenges the Russian mob boss to a second heads-up, No-Limit Texas Hold’em game for the remaining debt, with winner-take-all stakes, which he accepts. My friend beats the mobster in the first session, winning $20,000. The mobster offers to let winnings “ride” and continue the game, but my friend now had enough to pay off most of his debts and declines. As he is about to leave, the mobster taunts him that he is paying him with the money he lost from their previous game. My friend changes his mind and decides to continue playing.
My friend doubles the blinds at the risk of losing everything to the mobster again, and possibly his life. As the night wears on the mobster begins to play on tilt because hes getting beat down. In the final hand, my friend baits the boastful mobster into going all-in, and defeats him with a nut straight. The mobster throws a tantrum at having been lured into a mistake. The mobster admits my friend won fairly and allowed him to leave with his winnings.
With over $60,000, my friend settled the low lifes debt, the poker clubs $6,000 credit and the $10,000 loan, and restores his original bankroll of three stacks of high society. He then dropped out of law school and headed for Las Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker.
Haven’t heard from him since, I think he got into acting and does that now.
