The origins of the Deuce Deuce Revolver

Redmond, WA... circa 2003... approximately 2:20 AM:

Three brave souls left at the table, after a long night of battling across the felt. Each one waiting for that last big hand that would define their evening as the big winner, or send them packing with nothing but a story to tell. As it turns out, on this night, I was only left with a story.

Mojo shuffles up while I post the fifty cent small blind. Katt to my left posts the $1 big blind as the cards are in the air. I lift my cards and am happy to see KQs, a decent hand in a three-way poker game. Mojo checks his cards from the button and plays it cool, raising to $3. "Position raise" I say, while tossing the $2.50 in. I wait for the typical fold from Katt who calls without hesitation. Shit, Katt has aces, the only hand he plays for a raise.

The flop comes down KQ2, and I check without showing a lot of interest in what came out, even though I've been hit over the head with the deck. Katt checks behind, looking just as un-interested as me. Mojo fires out $9. "Perfect" I think, I'll set him up for the big fall here and go home a hero. I smooth call, muttering something about "continuation bet". Mojo is talking shit and his hands are steady, which means he's weak. Maybe a small pair? I'm focused on him, because I know Katt is going to fold... but he calls. What? From most players, that call screams "draw" - something along the lines of JTs. From Katt it usually means "monster", so my attention turns there and I hope he really does have those aces, or maybe AK. Perfect, I have them both drawing thin.

The turn comes 7. I think for a minute about checking, but decide I can't chance a free card in this situation. I've got to make this sting, to force out the draws against my top-two. "Twenty-five" is the bet, as I toss five red chips into the pot. Katt goes into the tank - I can't tell if he's fallen asleep, or forgot he was in the hand. I'm 95% sure he's about to throw his hand away, but then... he quietly stacks five red chips up and pushes them forward, "Call". Too many Bud Lights? Too much Jimmy B? I officially put him on the same hand I have - he must have two pair to be passively calling this big bet. He can't have KK or QQ - he would have re-raised before the flop. Mojo is looking at a pot with more than $80 in it, and sees where this is going. He has to come along for the ride. I know he'd raise here with anything that beats me, so I'm happy to see him put his dead $25 in.

The river couldn't be much worse for me, an Ace rolls off and now I know I'm in serious trouble with just about any hand Mojo was rolling along with. I only have $50 left in my stack. I check it, expecting Katt to check along. I'm already looking at Mojo to see how much he liked the river, and how much he's getting ready to bet. Barely audible to my left I hear "all in". Whoa. Katt? All In? He DID have aces and he just spiked it. Mojo calls off the last of his chips - and now I'm staring at a $200 pot. I know this is going to break the game, it's my last chance for glory, and I can't lay down the two pair getting 4:1 on my money. I call and turn it over right away, because if I lost I want to show them how bad they sucked out on me. Mojo turns over his AQ, really proud of his better two pair getting there on the river.

Quietly, the man who had shown the least interest in the hand, check-calling all the way to the river before going all in, slow rolls his cards one at a time. We see a 2 - and Mojo's smile turns into a horror-filled grimace as Katt turns the other 2 over. He only has one thing to say about his play, which earned him the glory, the money, and the bragging rights for the night:

"The deuce deuce revolver, it's always been my problem solver".