Esfandiari Kisses His Chips Goodbye ... Literally

After a limp from early position, Shawn Buchanan raised, making it 3,800 to play. Antonio Esfandiari called from the small blind, and the early-position limper called too.

The flop came down and Esfandiari led out with a bet of 5,700. The limper called but Buchanan folded.

On the turn, Esfandiari led again for 9,100. The limper called.

"You never give up, Cyclops?" Antonio asked his glasses-clad opponent. "You're one of those never-give-up types, aren't you? I don't like that type."

The river was the and Esfandiari slowed down and checked. "Cyclops" bet 21,000 and Esfandiari dropped into the tank.

"Jack-ten would hurt me emotionally, not just financially," Esfandiari said. "What do you have, Cyclops?"

Esfandiari then cut out enough to call and held it in his hand. He kissed the chips.

"You want a gift?" Esfandiari asked. Then he turned to the dealer, and with chips in hand began to talk. "Will you take this and put it on his stack?"

The dealer shook his head.

"Just give it to him," Esfandiari said. The dealer refused again so Esfandiari himself reached over the table and put the call in front of his opponent's chips.

The player didn't reveal his hand until the dealer made sure to specify that it was, in fact, a call, then the player showed for a rivered straight, and it was good. Esfandiari shook his head and sent over the chips.