Raucous Celebrations

As I was discussing Italian heritage with Charlie Ciresi, a roar from the neighboring table interrupted our exchange as one player screamed in celebration at the very top of his voice. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss!!!" he exclaimed, causing the entire cardroom to swivel in their chairs. "I think he won," observed Ciresi astutely.

In a moment that was reminiscent of a Scooby Doo episode, the triumphant player (later identified as Hungarian amateur Laslo Pocze) then proceeded to leap into the arms (or thereabouts) of his onlooking friend on the rail. It was as though he'd won the tournament there and then!

A quick glance down at the felt unveiled the motive, our doctor from Budapest having outdrawn queens with aces on a queen high flop when a most welcome third bullet arrived on the river. "Have you ever seen a celebration of that magnitude?" I asked Charlie. For a TD who has watched more than his fair share of tournaments unfold, his startled expression spoke volumes.

Tags: Laslo Pocze