![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rHXM63eeK6UUvmYHWMrlpQY9YSsACoYg232eU_Eq3hhi0J2lQ3dt5PWpTkKG-jaiNT4rmaYHAXKyxktC9_7Mf_s-adNaWy9RT5ebWrRDMy_gjmCQkkWH7GmBIMemVbCdOM8Al9bG3UbQ/s200/FTOPS8hand10.jpg)
The bad news is that I can't help but feel like I didn't play very well and just got cold-cocked by the deck...instead of getting cold-decked. In honor of my first ever tourney buy-in over $100, I downloaded a screenshot program to help in case I felt like posting any hands on my blog. In looking over the ones I saved...I'm almost embarrassed to include them.
I wish I had stories of well-executed traps, stone bluffs run on prolific online pros...instead I have stories of flopped full houses, flopped nut-flushes and miracle rivers.
Don't get me wrong, I know that to cash in a tournament like FTOPS is an achievement regardless of the circumstances. There were several pots I correctly identified a steal attempt and took the pot with a well-timed re-raise. There were several intuitive lay-downs that proved to be lifesavers. But I think every big pot came my way via the cards, not the play.
In the early stages of the tournament, I limped with 3d4d to see if I could get a glimpse of a free flop. The button min-raised. I called and the flop came: Ad-4c-10d...I bet the pot to see where I was and was re-raised immediately. I figured I was facing AK here...maybe AQ...but I had already taken a hit and needed to get back in. So I pushed and was insta-called. I was looking for a diamond, but a 4 came on the river and doubled me up. Not much skill there. Quite the opposite. I never push flush-draws...but I think I was a tad intimidated and tried to get some chips to play with.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV5yv4GjFdTHDkpl0M94SZ8bXwqQXbfvyi86W19Nx2bu-alsuIIVRdj-mbJ0Dydy2VVA3xPghyphenhyphenzFVCmOfeyy1YexMUHubG4ghFjrsSG0NiDvfuxvqpIWc-FWVs8Y1xzcNj-6jUHtOna04/s200/FTOPS8hand1.jpg)
I promptly donked off a lot of those chips to one of the chip leaders a few hands later. I had pocket sevens and flat called to try to trip up. The big blind, a large stack, checked. The flop came 6-8-K with two clubs. BB checked to me and I didn't make him for a king...so I bet pot. He called after a few seconds. The turn was another king. I bet pot again. I didn't see anyway he could call now. But he did. The river was a club, he bet 3/4 of my remaining stack and I folded.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiOT40os80n7OtNBvpFn7EYhSmwUjC0pKZqH4Or0P2-KyGgVCb4V8YrS3kNLpJ8xa96HI0oQ4eP_V8QiIq5CJDTIltFC_p00-sF9OVIpH9pvTUupqvAK1iiKXZr7rDHgsURugWdTfNEyg/s200/FTOPS8hand2.jpg)
The next pivotal hand was my most frustrating. I was getting shortstacked and looked at pocket 9s. I had every intention of pushing, but a pot-bet by an early position big-stack, an all-in by a short stack later, the action is on me. The 9s and a pot that size was too much to pass up...I put the early position raiser on overcards, but while I had NO IDEA what the shortstack held, I pushed. Initial raiser thought for a minute and called my additional money. As expected, the raiser had AQ and shortie had some suited connectors.
I'll spare the play-by-play, but my trips lost to a rivered straight. I still won some chips from the side-pot, but I was crippled.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfVMwmevshAyFK6b5zvOFwuheVhyphenhyphenaMY0hm9UAcOjLOVv4qmUXCauCHIQYdnfIs2KUmllC2lGt2gKokCrzpyd8Vdi8tH0XAosXmCJpm7xYQwPCCFiTVIKee-jyzFatPFgKUXKV2s6T21P8/s200/FTOPS8hand3.jpg)
A few hands later, with less than 10X BB, I made a cardinal sin and just min-raised with two low cards hoping to see a flop. I hit my six on the flop, and went check-check. The turn was a four and I was confident I was ahead here. I check-pushed and the SB thought he smelled a steal. his 4s were no good and I doubled-up.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0RWkch33LKrzCGmRxOEgfaprJy46DVQENwQUiGwzdGhSP91w1dAjbOGsGVUMzx7xaxnThVD2I-PhlabLVIshIk5d2q5Sb2rGoeuvtfJc3DKkfuR-3yLF9xAb_CMTNwPHb6M6EawGkWvl/s200/FTOPS8hand4.jpg)
The next hand led to some derogatory comments in the chat box, but I don't feel it was completely deserved. I had lost a few hands and was spiraling downward..perhaps a little on tilt...and raised from the cut-off. I was re-raised 2.5 times my initial bet by the small-blind. I don't know why, but I was confident he didn't have an ace and I still had enough chips that if I didn't get one on the flop I could fold and still have a chance so I called. Needless to say, the flop was kind. He checked, I pushed and he called.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVNeaYobZVL7-QYbc1KOp7iB_ni-brWQUjGcf7Dp0kZcXfglrTsoXUPKEg-5t9zifYESLlJv-UQTij-MFUIeTUrHEIw3wz7kJg8Iv0t2ElHrWtQa1kBVkVuYqWV35e74FWz7o4u41gu0g/s200/FTOPS8hand5.jpg)
In a poster-child for not limping with aces, see the following hand:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEE8KBoiNOdweUQOaFaeM95GAosPK5vsg73_i2cXes1yFcV9LeYdYK2k5TIN8DMYV6OUYzf-hyZmN254Gfb-xIM5CHRhIEy4-nxb0tiEEil9hcC4O0vZNuaYqnZJ0fr2dvLGRNjtSZOw6L/s200/FTOPS8hand6.jpg)
And the luck continues.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Utkq8OAL02Or-bgd_3gvnBhO_80Q8lMVN58pfX88rxu9FP-7AMFBGaDS1aBLBKhHG5i9ErJArQaosRumpq7keI4miupq9Z-2N373wezR-wn2nJHNy5Ply7K43N1efwXe65avapl7LeMB/s200/FTOPS8hand7.jpg)
Given the cash and the fact that the next 50 or so spots earned roughly the same amount of money, I loosened up my play a little but I don't believe that had anything to do with the following hand. I found AK in the small blind. UTG +2 raised and since I HATE AK and really consider it like 10J...a simple drawing hand, I called. When the flop came A-Q-J, I just KNEW he had AQ or AJ and had two-pair. But I wasn't going to fold if he bet so I just pushed hoping he had a pocket pair and would fold. He didn't. Sure enough, I was facing AJ and it took a MIRACLE king on the river to keep my improbable run alive.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJHESsGg6rpkWdk2b6iowqmOw64BPNH2U_X8ZK__0X-x02krbamOrehjFkkjiKYSSO7WTv0yyEz4JBWdBa-NmoiBBFXu7flJIQB4l0n_Dcar_sSjjJzF3VlTpqAzsVAZ9aEPMAe6N0cCr/s200/FTOPS8hand8.jpg)
After a steal attempt with disappointing results and a few unfavorable flops, I was barely going to make it through the blinds the next time around. The next pay level had just come and gone and I didn't have anything to lose. I HATE pushing with A-no face in this position, much prefer 8-9 or 7-8, but I didn't have a choice and made the "crying" push. A medium stack thought for a LONG time before calling with 7-7. This was the best I could possibly have hoped for, but I had used up all my luck and was sent to the rail in 63rd.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7euQDRSGphxhNDcgcyDfOzGs8sf0MY2A28MnasxNrwVyxuajW-YOvg2wzG7cXiYkv5tOQY22JRe8w7mKeLUYpPdoiUbcqHH4l5boWz-3o2tvo9pq_yP8ebbWyOwCQFF8aZ16Xgfs6FMo7/s200/FTOPS8hand9.jpg)
A few final thoughts. I loved the experience of playing in FTOPS. It was the first "major" tournament I've ever played in (I haven't even played a Sunday Major) and it served as a great reminder that while my game has come a long way, I still have a long way to go. I am in a hurry so I don't have access to exact hand histories that might make some of the aforementioned plays a little more reasonable, but overall I don't think I played as poorly as this sounds and I don't think I played as well as my finish would indicate. But that's poker.
I have to say, I LOVE PL Hold'Em. I don't think I have ever played a PL Hold'Em tourney before and it just suits my game so well. I am not a big risk-taker, especially pre-flop, and have a tendency to get too tight toward the bubble and a little later in tourneys and without antes, these events are tailor-made for me. Then again, so are flopped boats and nut flushes.
I may try to use some of my winnings to take a few satellite shots at the main event for Sunday...I have to have something to do while I wait 8-12 weeks for my Full tilt hat to come in for cashing in an FTOPS event. Provided they don't withhold it for poor play. Which I may deserve.
2 comments:
nice work. Congrats on the cash.
Nice job bro. Digging the blog...
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