On blinds of 1,000/2,000, Riky "RikyOneTime" Lara raised to 4,000 and "ActionJaxson18" called on the button. "SimpinAintEasy" shoved 21,000 in the small blind and pushed in his 24,219. "ActionJaxson18" called both as the three tabled their cards.
"SimpinAintEasy": 
Riky "RikyOneTime" Lara: 
"ActionJaxson18": 
The board came down 
and the snowmen of "ActionJaxson18" secured the pot, taking down to players.
The blinds were 1,000/2,000 when "fuenteslogan" moved all in for a total of 13,505 and "Hubble116" called on the button, putting their opponent at risk.
"fuenteslogan": 
"Hubble116": 
The board came down 
and the flopped full house of "Hubble116" scooped the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
152,493
67,848
|
67,848 |
The blinds were 700/1,400 and action fell on "barry20sanders" in the small blind who completed. Riky "RikyOneTime" Lara checked his option in the big blind and a 
flop landed. Both players checked to the 
turn card where "barry20sanders" check-called a bet of 2,188 from Lara.
The 
river completed the board, action checked to Lara and he bet 4,376. Again "barry20sanders" check-called and Lara then tabled 
for three ducks, "barry20sanders" mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
66,587 |
One player who recently jumped into the field is 42-year-old Riky "RikyOneTime" Lara, a father of four girls and married to "a super supportive" wife.
Hailing from southwest Detroit, Lara is a $1/$2 and $2/$5 no-limit hold'em live grinder who started to play more tournaments before the pandemic hit.
"I play most of my cash game poker sessions at Motorcity casino in Detroit," he told PokerNews. "I also like hit up MGM Grand poker room when I’m trying to change things up. I do travel to the World Series of Poker (WSOP) every year to grind cash games. I usually stay three weeks to a month each year to grind these juicy cash games."
In addition, Lara is a regular at mid-major tour stops such as the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), Heartland Poker Tour (HPT), and WSOP Circuit in the Ohio, Chicago, and Indiana areas.
"I do most of my traveling alone but I usually link up with friends from the felt at the WSOP," he said. "From time to time, I’ll take my wife with me on a road trip to a poker tournament."
It's an enjoyable experience for Lara, who grew up in what he called a "bad neighborhood" in Detroit, one rife with gangs, drugs, peer pressure, and a ton of violence. Poker has been a vehicle away from all of that.
"Poker for me all began at a very young age. I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my grandmother, my mother, and my Aunt Carmen, who’s probably the reason for me being a poker player. We’d stay up playing Mexican bingo for nickels, dimes, and quarters all night, and every time I won a bowl of change, I remember thinking it was the greatest thing ever.
He continued: "It wasn’t just about the quarters for me though. For me, it was more about the win. After that, I started playing five-card draw and some seven-card stud with the grown-ups. Even when I got to the age of 15 I found a way to go play poker at other people’s houses. There would be a table full of grown-ups drinking smoking cussing and then there would be me.
When he and his wife first got married 20 years ago, they were barely making ends meet, but that didn't stop him from playing a weekly $25 buy-in tournament.
"We’d get around 8-10 people and somehow I always would win or chop. That money helped us out in so many ways. We even almost depended on it every week to help out with everything. That’s where my wife’s strong support came from when it comes to playing poker for me. She really enjoyed watching me play poker. So when it comes to any games even if there out of town she’s the first one getting me out the door to go grind."
Prior to PokerStars coming to Michigan, Lara had never played online.
"I know it’s going to be such a big change for me," he said. "I’m looking forward to the challenge and trying to see the positives in online poker. Instead of having to buy airfare or lodging or renting a car, I can try to makes some money in the comfort of my own home in my PJs. I look forward to putting a lot of time and energy into online tournaments since I’m mainly a cash game player."
In addition to MICOOP, Lara has been dabbling in $0.50-$1 and $1-$2 NLH.
"I don’t want to just dive in and make mistakes so I’m taking it slow and getting used to things. I do love how much faster the game is and how much bigger the game plays compared to live. I’m just paying way more attention to betting patterns and the timing of each bet."
PokerNews will be keeping an eye on Lara as he competes for MICOOP glory.
The blinds were 600/1,200 when K.C. "LegendKiller88" Vaughan opened to 3,000 from under the gun and two players called to see the 
flop. Action checked to Vaughan, he bet 8,663 and "glove16" check-raised all in for a total of 14,506, Vaughan called.
"glove61": 
K.C. "LegendKiller88" Vaughan: 
The runout changed not a thing as Vaughan scooped with his higher overpair, eliminating "glove61" from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
109,546
109,546
|
109,546 |
The blinds were 400/800 when "D3adly22" raised to 1,600. "The Beeman22" and Mike "PeppSee" Long called to see the 
flop. "D3adly22" bet 4,000 and only Long called.
A landed on the turn and again "D3adly22" bet, this time for a total of 7,777. Long called and the 
completed the board. Both players checked, "D3adly22" showed 
for just ace high and Long then tabled 
, giving him a pair of nickels and the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
99,438
44,489
|
44,489 |
|
|
35,661 |
The blinds were 350/700 when Mike "PeppSee" Long opened to 2,100 from under the gun and action fell on "BigRon234" after two others called. "BigRon324" elected to three-bet shove their 15,783 stack and Long instantly pushed over the top, totaling 33,896 and the two other players folded.
"BigRon324":
Mike "PeppSee" Long: 
The board rolled out 
and Long scooped with his big slick, dropping "BigRon324" from the table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
54,949
31,249
|
31,249 |
On blinds of 300/600 K.C. "LegendKiller88" Vaughan opened to 1,500 from under the gun. "Pepbuzz" called in the cutoff and "Hubble116" shoved 71,550 from the small blind. Vaughan put his 10,320 stack into the pot and "Pepbuzz" ducked out.
K.C. "LegendKiller88" Vaughan:
"Hubble116":
Vaughan was in rough shape until the [qcjh3d} flop landed, giving him the lead with a pair of johnnies. A turn card was of no fear but a river ruined the fun as Vaughan fell to the higher two pair of "Hubble116".
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
84,645
15,745
|
15,745 |
|
|
Busted |
The blinds are 300/600 with a 75 ante and these are the top stacks thus far.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
139,000
139,000
|
139,000 |
|
|
113,000
113,000
|
113,000 |
|
|
107,000
107,000
|
107,000 |
|
|
102,000
102,000
|
102,000 |
|
|
95,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
|
|
90,400
90,400
|
90,400 |
|
|
90,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
On blinds of 200/400 "Aggro cRAGS" opened to 800 from under the gun and five players called, with Peter "PLH729" Hotaling being one of them. The flop hit the virtual felt, "Aggrp cRAGS" bet 2,625 and Hotaling raised to 7,100. "Aggro cRAGS" shoved their 22,250 stack and Hotaling called.
"Aggro cRAGS": 
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling: 
The 
was not a changer for either player but a 
river definitely shifted the hands, giving Hotaling a rivered flush to take down the pot, eliminating his opponent.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
49,000
22,500
|
22,500 |