Yesterday's FTOPS

Both events (the $2500 NLH and the $100 PLO w/ RBs) started during my drive back from nationals in Iowa. So I had Joel, aka gamblegambel, start both tourneys for me. Not much happened during his time holding down the fort, but he was instrumental in me being able to play in both. I got home about an hour and forty-five minutes into the NLH event and fifteen minutes into the rebuy.



I will talk about the rebuy event first b/c it is a much shorter summary. I ended the rebuy period with about 6K, and I was in for $409. In a PLO RB this is neither a lot of chips or a lot of money spent. So I wasn't unhappy but I had some work to do. I was down in the low 4K range when I doubled up with A(AKd)Q vs Q(Q6d)9 on a J(Txd) flop. Unfortunately this was the only significant hand I won in the post RB period. I stayed about even for a while picking up small pots here and there before my bustout hand. I had A(AKd)3 in the BB at the 100/200 level. Someone min raised and then the next guy made it 1100; someone called. I potted it (something like 5600 of my 8200). All folded except the 1100 raiser who repotted it. I called and he showed KKQQ rainbow. This trailed my hand 73/27, but he spiked a Q on the flop as my tourney ended. Had I won the pot, I would have been a pretty large stack at the time, but it was not to be. The PLO tourneys always feature some truely horrific players. Some of the so called top online tourney players aren't even adequate at this game. I still think these big PLO tourneys offer some of the best overlays online. Even the play in the lower buyin WSOP events was pathetic.



On to bigger and hopefully better things. I still had around 4400 after starting with 5K in the NLH. Joel said the only significant hand he played involved his straight running into a flush. My whole strategy in this tournament was patience. With 30 minute levels, and small jumps in the blinds, this tournament was going to be fabulous. I didn't think most online tourney players would properly adjust. This meant they would be playing too fast on many marginal hands. I just wanted see cheap flops and sit back and pick these plays off.

I chipped up to 5100 by the end of the 2nd hour. (I lost my hand history, so I am trying to remember the significant hands.) I was at around 4200 when I doubled up. UTG raised to 180 at the 30/60 level. I called on the button with 55. Flop was K5? with two of a suit. He led for 300 and I raised to 1000. He pushed having me covered, and I called as he showed AA. I knocked out Phil Gordon in a KK vs QQ situation. He had smooth called an EP position raise to 360. I had KK in the SB, and tried to make a squeeze looking raise to 1300. The original guy folded, but Gordon obviously pushed. My hand held and I got the Full Tilt pro bounty ($200) on him and will also be receiving a shirt. I will add this to the "I busted Layne Flack on Full Tilt" shirt. These shirts are goofy, but add a little fun to any tourney. I then won a big one with TT. Button raised, I RR, he shoved for around 3K, and I called. He had 99, and my TT held. I belive I was in the 11k range at this point.

This was my hardest hand of the day. At the 60/120 level, after a limper, I also limped w/ QTc. Four others came in. The flop came (Q9h)4. The big blind led out for 500, the 1st limper called, I made a marginal call, and another guy called behind. An offsuit T turned, and it checked to me. I bet 2200 into the 2800 pot. This was a bigger bet than normal, but the board was extremely draw heavy. The first two folded, but the last guy CR allin for 7800. I had him covered by about 2000. I had no idea what to put him on. It seemed a strange way to play a draw or trips. I could only figure it was a weirdly played monster, but it easily could have been a bluff, but I wasn't willing to risk it this early because my table was soft and I still had just under 8K left. I was confused so I took the "safer" route of folding. This may be timid (Moon said he would have probably called), but I felt the risk wasn't worth the reward.

I got right back up to 10K when a short stack moved allin for 1500 with Ax and I had AA. I stayed in the 9500-11000 range for a while. Still at the 60/120 level I picked up QQ. After a limper, there was a raise to 480, and I repopped it to 1500. He called. On a T high flop, he lad at me for 2700, and I pushed for around 9500. He folded to get me up to around 15K.

The biggest bluff I pulled off on the day started with me raising to 400 in the CO w/ A4h at the 80/160 level (I think). The BB called. On a QT3 rainbow, he check called a 500 bet. He also check called an 1100 bet on the turn when a J fell. The river brought a 9. He checked again, and I fired a 2700 bet (into a 4K pot). I didnt think he could call even w/ two pair. He tanked for a while, and finally folded. If he called I would have been down under 14K, but as it was I jumped to over 20K. I picked up another 5K with a coin flip AQ vs TT allin pre.

I chipped up into the mid 30K range, and then the hand of the tournament for me came up. At the 150/300 w/ a 25 ante, two players limped. I had AQd in the BB and opted to check. The flop came As(72h). I decided to check and see what happened. The first limper (RiverLoser a real good online player) bet 700 into the 1200 pot and the other guy folded. For some reason, I had a feeling he had a monster like 77. I am not sure why, but I wanted to keep this pot as small as possible, so I just called. On the Q of spades turn, I check called a 2K bet. We had both started this hand w/ over 28K. The river was the beautiful Q of hearts. Like I said I thought he was real big. Maybe he started with Ax of hearts or 22 or 77. So I led out into the 6600 pot for 4500. I thought he would RR if I was right. If I CR, I may not get his stack. Indeed he did RR to 15000 (leaving himself just over 10K). I pushed allin. He thought for just a little bit of time before calling w/ 22. I had majorly sucked out with runner runner, but I played the hand perfectly. I would have lost the minimum had I not hit, but I stacked the guy when I got lucky. This was one of the best hands I can remember playing. It put me to 63K and in 2nd place with around 150 players left. The rest of the day I was pretty card dead. I ended at 55,686 which is good for 22nd of 78. The top 63 are in the money.

This tourney was really loaded. I think I have played extremely well so far. Hopefully, I can continue this through today. Both Moon and Master J are still alive. Moon is in 39th with just under an average stack. We swapped 5%; so that is looking good. Golden Boy has done a masterful swap again. Master J is very short with 6300, and he is in last going into today. However, one double up will give him some room to manuever. Good luck to both of you! We start at 2PM if anyone wants to watch. The main event also starts today at 5PM I think.