Tim Vukson did all he could.

We got to the table and noticed a pretty hefty pot, next to a full board: . Everything seem to be dangerous on this board, flush, connectors for a straight, set, boat, you name it.

Big blind, Vukson had an all-in card in front of him and had just pushed all his chips out for the dealer to count. The only other player in the hand was Michael Mcdonald, and he was deep in the tank. The dealer announced the all-in amount, “One million, four hundred and twenty five”.

Stone faced and staring blankly ahead, Vukson didn’t flinch throughout Mcdonald’s drilling. “Do you want me to fold?”, “How strong are you?”, and “Where are you from?”. The last question receiving chuckles from the rest of the table. Vukson’s blinking eyes were the only sign he was alive.

Covering his opponent by a few million chips, Mcdonald seemed to come to a decision and threw in one chip for the call. Vukson produced a crooked smile and said, “good call”, which probably was music to Mcdonald’s ears, and turned over his hand: , for ace-high. Mcdonald turned over his black kings and that was the end for Tim Vukson’s journey.

Every chip counts and after the hand Mcdonald was sitting on north of 5.1 million chips.