Important Issue

Listen to this please, and if you agree with please spread it around however you deem fit.

Huh?

This just in Chris "PiMaster" Viox took third again at a live event....

Hold on just a sec.... What? -  I am mistaken.  It looks like he won.  Is this a misprint? No?!?!

It is now confirmed Pi actually won. 

Yes I actually won a live event yesterday.  It was a $350 NLH 6 max event at the WSOP Circuit Series in St. Louis.  The win was worth $8998, so I can't complain.  It only had 107 entries, and was the smallest prize pool I've ever played in live.  It may also have been as unlikely of a win as I'll ever get given the circumstances that occurred.  So here is the summary:

We started with 5k in chip at 25/50 blinds.  The blinds were only 30 minutes long because this was basically the 2nd chance event of the day.  Therefore some gambling was going to be necessary.  With the first 45 minutes, I had bluffed off most of my stack to a guy that I found out would never fold any draw or top pair.  I was down to 1500 at the 50/100 level.  Over the next 2 1/2 levels I would get up to 12500 without getting allin and called or busting anyone.  This was pretty ridiculous given my stack and the blinds.  I made some good bluffs and my allins were never called.

I stayed around 12-18k for a couple hours before an crazy hand came up.  I was on my 3rd table of the day.  I had been playing fairly snug (due to my stack, the stacks at my table, and the blinds).  The only "player" at my table raised my big blind for 2.3x from the cutoff.  He had raised my big blind every time it folded to him.  I had already decided to reraise with any big or bad hand.  However, I looked down at T9.  With this hand, I preferred the call with the intention of check-raising allin any decent flop (his cbet % was 100%).  The flop came a beautiful T(63d).  He bet 2700ish and I shoved for 14 or 15k.  He tanked for a while, and it looked like he wanted to call.  I had not done this once though, and had been not taking any chances.  So he had to respect it.  I was worried about a hand like JT.  He finally called with Ad5 (wtf?!?!).  Sure enough I get a great sweat when the 4 rolls off, but fortunately I dodge his 11 outer. 

After that hand, I lost a big pot with AQd vs 66 leaving me with around 19k.  Then a young kid got sat on my right with a big stack.  He proceeded to lose a big pot to get about even with me.  Then at the 400/800 level, he raised UTG to 2400 and I looked down at JJ.  I reraised to 7500, and when it folded around to him he shipped the rest in (Sidenote - in this structure I can't rationalize calling here too often especially against a perceived agro player who just lost a bigt pot.).  I obviously called and lost to his KK.  This left me with 1525, or less than 2 big blinds. 

At this point, things got insane for the next hour.  The next hand after getting crippled, I look down at JJ UTG, and I triple up against the blinds to around 4800.  The ensuing hand folds to the SB (perceived agro internet kid) and he raises to 2400 (red alert).  I look at K5 and figure with only 6bbs why not?  He flips over AA - game over.  The board runs out A23 5 (at which point I said "damn now I can only chop").  As the river is dealt the dealer starts laughing before I even see the card, and I know it's the 4.  Freeroll!!!!!!!  I fold a round of hands not better than 8 high.  Then I get a walk with only 4k.  I steals from the cutoff with 97 and the next hand with KT. I fold through the blinds, and then shove from the button with A8.  The big blind insta calls with 55.  The board rolls out 367 2 8 (I annouce "bink" when it hits).  Now I'm up to 12kish.  I buy some blinds to get to around 15k.  When my big blind comes around, it folds to the small blind again.  He looks at his cards and sticks in a bunch of chips.  It is about 8 or 9k.  It is also obvious he didn't realize I had much more than that.  I think his range is much bigger than would be normal for commitikng 12-13 big blinds.  I look at A9, and figure this is an easy hand to go with.  He looks a little pissed as he has to call off 6 or 7k more with Q2.  I flop a 9, and it holds - 30kish.  Four hands later, the same guy raises UTG to 3600.  I look down at KK and reraise to 10500.  He ships it in barely having me covered.  His TT never catches up and amazingly about 45 minutes after being crippled to 1500, I have around 60k and may be the chip leader in the tourney with 20 left.  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! 

I get moved once again.  I stay between 50-70k until the money hits.  From 10 players on down, I pretty much owned the tourney.  When we combined at 7 players,  I had 200k+ and the other two guys on my table had 15k and 50k at the 3k/6k level.  The guy I had just eliminated 8th had 10k.  I simply ran over the table.  Of the final 9 players (not including me), I eliminated 8 of them (I also doubled guys up probably about 6 times).  The final table allins up until heads up were J9 vs KJ (lost), A8 vs QJ (won) A9 vs J7s (lost), AJ vs A3 (lost), one I forgot where I busted a shortie in 6th, AA vs A6 (won), 77 vs Q8 (won), KQ vs Ax (won). 

When I got heads up, I had about a 2 to 1 chip lead.  I whittled him down a little, then lost T5s vs A3.  He eventually took a small chip lead before the pot that basically decided it came up.  He limped the button and I checked my 65.  The flop came 7(89h).  I led into him, and he insta shoved.  After my call, he showed KT.  At this point, Adam Friedman yells something like "you've got him dead." It was eerily reminiscent of his comment at the WSOP Razz final table when he shouted "you got him almost drawing dead."  At which point the guy hit perfect perfect to bust me.  However, this time my straight held and Adam's life was preserved.  He later stated he thought the guy had K9. Whatever!  I was destined to win when I avoided that amazing premature celebration.  The guy was left with under 2 big bets.  He doubled up the first hand when I shoved blind, but I finished off a couple hands later with T7 vs KJ.