Bill Perkins opened to $5,000 and got calls from Bobby Baldwin, John Morgan on the button, and straddler Al DeCarolis. The flop came , and Morgan led into the field for $16,000. Only Perkins called. The board paired with the , and both checked. Morgan went with a much smaller bet of $15,000 on the river, only about a third of the pot. Perkins called and said something about Morgan bluffing.
"I never bluff," Morgan declared, showing and taking the pot with a straight.
Morgan has nearly $700,000 now, good for about a $100,000 profit.
Jean-Robert Bellande opened for $17,000 and got calls from Al DeCarolis (button) and Brandon Steven (small blind). Everyone checked the flop, and the board was when it got checked to DeCarolis again. He bet $40,000, getting a fold from Steven. Bellande loaded up his big chips and put out enough to make DeCarolis risk his stack if he wanted to continue, a raise of roughly $130,000.
DeCarolis snap-called with the , and he initially said he wanted to run it once against Bellande's . Bellande convinced him to run it twice, but the and were both bricks, and DeCarolis scooped a pot of just under $400,000. Bellande is now stuck a bit with a stack of $900,000.
Bill Klein hasn't had much success thus far but he just opened to $4,000 and called a reraise to $15,000 from Al DeCarolis. Klein check-called $25,000 on the flop, and both checked the , bringing a . Klein bet $58,000 and took down the pot.
Rick Salomon has been putting on what's known as a "sleeper straddle" in some of the pots. The sleeper straddle can be pulled back if there is action in front of Salomon, but if it folds to him, it becomes a live straddle and he gets the last preflop action. According to the talk at the table, Salomon is known to put on the sleeper straddle in many Hollywood games.
Rick Salomon was down heaps at the start of the game but has continued his loose-aggressive ways and his style is starting to earn him some pots without showdown. In one recent hand, he opened to $6,300 and got three-bet to $15,000 by Bill Perkins. The flop brought , and Salomon checked. Perkins bet $15,000, and Salomon fired off a raise to around $60,000, which got a quick folded from Perkins.
The sleeper straddle was on for $10,000, and Bobby Baldwin made it $20,000 to go from the blinds. Rick Salomon called from the sleeper straddle, and both checked the , bringing a . Both put in $35,000 on the turn, though we couldn't see who fired first. On the river, Baldwin bet $60,000 and got a fold.
"The Owl" is now up to $1.2 million, good for a profit of about $200,000.
John Morgan opened to $11,000, and Bill Perkins called from the mandatory straddle. Perkins check-called $25,000 on the flop, and both checked the and .
Morgan showed for top-top but Perkins had checked and failed to induce a bet.
"Wow, you have radar," Bellande complimented his neighbor.
"Well, what the hell is he calling with?" Morgan said. "There's nothing out there."
"Note to self, when playing John, bet your own hand," someone said.
Morgan's down to $650,000, while Perkins is over $500,000.
Four players saw a flop for $9,000 apiece, and Bobby Baldwin fired out $30,000 from the mandatory straddle. Only preflop raiser Rick Salomon called (on the button), and the two checked the . Baldwin bet $45,000 on the river, and Salomon quickly threw in a sizable raise to $155,000. Baldwin thought for a couple of minutes and mucked, and Salomon is up to nearly $900,000 now.
Brandon Steven raised to $7,000 in the hijack and got a call from cutoff Bill Perkins. Back to the sleeper straddle, where Rick Salomon reraised to $27,000. Only Perkins continued, and the flop came . Salomon checked and called $25,000. He checked and called another $50,000 on the , and both checked the .
Perkins showed and Salomon couldn't beat it, sending the $200,000 pot to the hedge fund manager.
, and Morgan led into the field for $16,000. Only Perkins called. The board paired with the 
, and both checked. Morgan went with a much smaller bet of $15,000 on the 
river, only about a third of the pot. Perkins called and said something about Morgan bluffing. 
and taking the pot with a straight. 
when it got checked to DeCarolis again. He bet $40,000, getting a fold from Steven. Bellande loaded up his big chips and put out enough to make DeCarolis risk his stack if he wanted to continue, a raise of roughly $130,000. 
, and he initially said he wanted to run it once against Bellande's 
. Bellande convinced him to run it twice, but the 
and 
were both bricks, and DeCarolis scooped a pot of just under $400,000. Bellande is now stuck a bit with a stack of $900,000.
flop, and both checked the 
, bringing a 
. Klein bet $58,000 and took down the pot.
, and Salomon checked. Perkins bet $15,000, and Salomon fired off a raise to around $60,000, which got a quick folded from Perkins.
, bringing a 
. Both put in $35,000 on the turn, though we couldn't see who fired first. On the 
flop, and both checked the 
.
for top-top but Perkins had checked 
river, and Salomon quickly threw in a sizable raise to $155,000. Baldwin thought for a couple of minutes and mucked, and Salomon is up to nearly $900,000 now.
, and both checked the 
.