Players are on a 15-minute break. Smokers are rushing out of the room to light one up while others might be grabbing a quick snack or drink. They'll be playing for close to four more hours when they come back as we are playing down to 18 players or 2 am, whichever comes last.
Grinding away in the corner of the Signature Room here at Borgata is Ravi Raghaven. He recently picked up a small pot when he opened to 2,100 and called a 6,000 raise from the player on the button.
The flop came and Raghaven check-called a 3,500 bet. The two players checked the turn and river and Raghaven took it down with .
Raghaven is one of the more successful players in the field with nearly $2.7 million in lifetime tournament winnings including winning the World Poker Tour Five Diamond Poker Classic in 2012.
We hear the clock called on a player and find Rocha involved in another pot on the river. The board was fairly plain with the exception of three diamonds. As the floor is counting down the clock, Rocha's opponent asked him "what do you have?"
Rocha was quiet for a few seconds and then responded "I have something."
This was apparently enough to get Rocha's opponent to believe that he was bluffing as he moved all in. Rocha snap-called with the nuts, and joked after the hand "I had to balance my speech range after that last hand."
Chris Tryba is an experienced poker pro who has played on the game's biggest and brightest stages, as the gold bracelet he won during the 2012 World Series of Poker proves.
Despite playing for - and winning - prizes well over the six-figure mark, Tryba is here today playing for what may be the most important reason in anybody's life: family.
His cousin Peter Tryba - a devoted husband and father - is in desperate need of a kidney transplant within the next 3-6 months. With organ donor lists notoriously long Peter is in a race against time, and who better to have on his side than a man who wins races for a living.
Chris has decided to donate 10 percent of his potential winnings from the Borgata Spring Poker Open to help fund his cousin's cause, a truly admirable move in a game where selfishness is often lauded as a virtue:
My husband Peter Tryba has suffered from chronic kidney disease (CKD) for the past 13 years. The condition is a result of an autoimmune disease called IgA nephropathy. His condition has been managed with medications to lower his blood pressure and keep his kidney function stable. Unfortunately he is now at the end stage of the kidney disease (ESRD) where his kidneys are only functioning at 13%. He will need a kidney transplant from a donor with a matching blood type (He is A+). We will be going to Tufts to meet with the transplant specialists and get put on a list of people waiting for donors. This can potentially take years to find someone. In the meantime, Peter will need to be put on dialysis, 3 days a week, for 3 hours a session in order to help boost his kidneys in eliminating toxins from his body. Peter is otherwise a young, healthy person who has done everything to manage his condition, but now he needs help. He needs a donor. I am willing to donate my kidney to my husband, but we have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and so I feel that I need to be there to care for both of them during this difficult time. The best option is for someone to volunteer. We wanted to let everyone know that this is what we will be going through in the next few months and would appreciate any information, support, guidance, or advice as we embark upon this journey. Thank you,