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After going through a slump of not cashing in 26 straight tournaments, I broke through last night, and in quite a big way. I took 4th in the 50 50 for 3700 bucks. The 50 50 is a 50 dollar buy in with a 50k guaranteed prize pool. I final tabled this tournament in 2008, but only got 7th or 8th for about 1500. So here are a few hands that I can vividly remember. I wish I had all of the hand history but this will have to do.

Ok well the most important thing in this tournament was that I established an image of a very aggressive preflop player. I was making alot of raises preflop with alot of marginal hands and alot of my money came from simple blinds and antes take downs. Here was the first big pot I remember. I had built my stack to about 70k which was a monster at the time, but then I lost a few big pots and was all the way down to 20k with blinds at 500 1k. But I tightened up a bit, and got 1 double when this hand came up where I had 60k. This is where my image comes in handy. I pick up the beautiful AA and make a standard raise in last position. The sb thinks for a bit and shoves for around 55k so just under my stack. I insta call and he flips....A5 offsuit!! Well the flop is one of the worst it could be. 10105 with two hearts. He now has a pair and backdoor flush draw. Of course the turn is the 8 of hearts, and now I have a ridiculous sweat. The river blanks and I double to about 100k.

Then with about 90k, I call the big stack utg raise with 55. The flop comes 653 two diamonds. He bets 13k. I decide to put a small raise in there to 29k. I did this because the board looked great to me. Any over pair and he is shoving, and my bet looks weak like I'm trying to steal the pot. He thinks for about 20 seconds and shoves and I snap call with my set. He shows AQ and he's all but drawing dead. I double up big.


I then remember getting moved and going on a huge run of sick hands. Very first hand blinds at 1500 3k I call a small raise with 75 of hearts. The flop comes 1034. He bets small about 10k and I call to float(I'll get back to this in a bit.) The turn is my gin car, the 6 of spades. I decide now I'm going to bet small, about 9500 into a 30k pot. He calls. The turn is a Q of spades completing a flush. I'm not too concerned by this, and I bet 20k. HE min raises to 40k. Wow what to do now. I decide to just call, and he shows a bluff K7 offsuit and I take the big pot.

Going back to floating. This is the concept of calling a bet on the flop in position with nothing with the intention of bluffing the river if the guy checks to you. I did this literally 4 or 5 times last night with success in all of them. A perfect example. I called a raise on the button with Q10 and the flop came K46. This is the perfect board to float on. He continuation bet and I called. The turn brought a blank, and he checked. I bet 20k and he folded. The reason that its a perfect board to bluff at is because he can only play back at you if he has 1 of the 3 kings in the deck or a set. Chances are he missed it, or has an underpair, and wouldn't wan to commit his stack. When you have the big stack, you have to use it, and I did last night.

Ok so I ride the 250k-300k stack to the final 3 tables when this hand comes up. I have about 275k the guy has about 250k. I call his small raise in the bb with K5 suited. Flop comes Q98. I check and he bets I call. Turn is a K I put a bet in there of about 29k pot has 60k and he calls. Two clubs on board. River is a 10, meaning the board reads Q98K10. I decide to bet 50k and he thinks for just a few secs and calls and shows K9. Good call on his part and lame for me that he had two pair. If he has AK there, I doubt he's calling me. This put me at about 190k, and about 5th with 18 to go.

Well at the final 2 tables, I didn't get many cards. Made a couple steals but that was it, and now I was 7th at the final table. I was confident though for 2 reasons. The guy to my left and the guy to my right. To my right: an FTOPS champ who was raising every other hand, but often folding when played back at. I knew I could get some chips from him. And to my left, a crazy player who made ridiculous over shoves anytime he had a decent hand. Just needed 1 big hand against him. Well after alot of action, the short stack busts thanks to the 2nd short stack, so now I'm the short stack. I pick up A10 of hearts in the bb and it folds to FTOPS. He raises me all in and I insta call. He shows Q5. Flop comes A high and i hold and now have some chips at about 370k!

I mainly got my money by shoving in on FTOPS. Mostly in my bb. I reraise him all in with KJ and didn't get a call. Shoved the sb with A8 after he raised no call. I remember getting up to about 500k when this hand came up. Had QJ spades in the bb and he raised in the sb again. I shove for 400k and he calls and shows A4. The flop comes J high! I hold and now 5 handed everyone is dead even. I take a small chip lead later when I shove with two overs and a flush draw, when this hand comes up.

I'm not sure how I could have played the hand any differently without likely going broke. I call FTOPS raise with 66 on the button. He raised to 62k blinds at 15k 30k. We are about even I have him covered by 75k. The bb calls as well and the flop comes 943 rainbow. BB checks and as FTOPS has done all final table long, he c bets to 85k. I raise to 300k leaving me 400k behind. BB folds and he tanks for about 15 secs before shoving all in. If I call and lose, I have 75k, aka 2 and a half bbs. If I fold, I still have 400k. I decide to fold. The only way I think I could have played it differently is raising to about 270k and saving an extra bb. Oh well had to get caught eventually nice play.

After that, crazy man goes broke, and I have about 450k 4 handed when I get knocked out. And wouldn't u know it: it was thanks to FTOPS champ in a blind vs blind battle. He standard raises in sb and I call in bb with QJ. The flop comes 1094 two spades. He bets 85k I shove 400k and he calls with one of the worst hands I could see:A4 of spades. Now all my spade cards are out, and he can hit a card that would leave me drawing dead. Would have much rather seen A10 or K10. Well the turn is a Q...but its the Q of spades. And I'm drawing dead.


I realllllllly feel like I could have own this one. If FTOPS doesn't shove on the 66 hand, I woulda had 1 mil. Oh well good play by him, and I can't really complain. Up next for me are a few more mini ftops tournies, including 3 on Sunday. Thanks for reading.