Posts Tagged ‘FTOPS’

I had a solid Sunday today, no wins but made two deep runs. I took 2nd out of nearly 1000 runners in the Stars $150 6-max. The competition was surprisingly tough for a $150 tournament: I recognized three good players at my starting table, and the last few tables were downright tough. The competition was if anything over-aggressive, but there are worse mistakes to make. Speaking of over-aggressive:

PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em, 162 Tournament, 1500/3000 Blinds 375 Ante (6 handed) – Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) (t64393)
UTG (t286807)
MP (t283047)
CO (t165436)
Button (t59865)
SB (t164471)

Hero’s M: 9.54

Preflop: Hero is BB with 8, 9
1 fold, MP bets t6600, CO calls t6600, 2 folds, Hero calls t3600

Flop: (t23550) 7, 5, 6 (3 players)
Hero checks, MP bets t10990, CO calls t10990, Hero raises to t57418 (All-In), MP raises to t276072 (All-In), CO calls t147471 (All-In)

Turn: (t397890) J (3 players, 3 all-in)

River: (t397890) 2 (3 players, 3 all-in)

Total pot: t397890

Results:
Hero had 8, 9 (straight, nine high).
MP had 8, A (high card, Ace).
CO had 5, 5 (three of a kind, fives).
Outcome: Hero won t195804, CO won t202086  Read the complete post...

This was the second rush tournament I’ve played, and while I miss having reads and establishing dynamics at the table, I will say that rush otherwise allows for great tournament structures. You get in a ton of hands at each blind level and the tournament still goes by pretty quickly. Especially for non-NLHE games, where reads aren’t worth nearly as much to me, I think I’m a big fan. Anyhow, here are a few random hands:

Slowplay Costs Me the Pot

It’s really rare that slowplaying is correct in PLO8, and despite the results of this hand, I’m pretty happy with my decision. On the flop, it’s just really hard for him to have anything at all and so easy for me to have trips. When I’m ahead, I’m usually way ahead, sweating two or in this case just one out. Turn is great for me since it means there will be no low; I probably would have bet a rag. I don’t think I can expect too many calls if I bet the river, and most of the hands will value bet if I check anyway, so I’d rather try to induce. Or, in this case, save myself some money.

Full Tilt Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament, 25/50 Blinds (9 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com  Read the complete post...

The first in a series of four videos reviewing my play at the final table of the FTOPS $2K event that I won has just been posted on Poker Savvy Plus. The video contains a lot of insight into managing final table dynamics. Without giving too much away, I can tell you that I spend some time as a short stack, some time as a medium stack, and some time as a dominatingly large stack. The series explores my thoughts on how best to handle each of these situations at a final table.

If you aren’t yet a member, now’s a great time to sign up for a 7-day free trial!

Please be sure to let me know what you think of the videos.

Over two weeks ago, I won the FTOPS Tournament of Champions, the prize for which was a seat in the WSOP Main Event. I never received the money or any further information, so eventually I wrote them to ask about it. It sounds like the only incentive they are offering me to play is three nights’ hotel accommodations and dinner with an unspecified several of their red pros. My understanding was that the FTP incentives package also included a seat in the 2011 WSOP for any of their people who cash this year and also $10M if you win the whole thing.

I’m not sure if they just neglected to mention those or if I for some reason just don’t qualify for them, but it doesn’t really matter. The package with Poker Stars, from whom I’ve also won a seat, includes $1000 or 8 nights’ accommodations plus a PCA package worth about $16K to anyone who cashes. Their incentive for winning the whole thing is a lot smaller, but that’s obviously a remote consideration and offset by the opportunity to negotiate a lucrative arrangement with a variety of companies. So basically it seems like there’s no reason to go with FTP over Stars if you have the opportunity to do either, unless you realllllllly want to have dinner with Roy Winston and Eunjong Byun.  Read the complete post...

Last night, as I was sleep-deprived and caffeine-jittery and getting deep in the $300 SCOOP 4-Max, I was also on the phone with Mike Johnson and Adam Schwartz, hosts of the 2+2 Pokercast on which I am this week’s feature guest! You can search for it on iTunes or listen here to hear me talk strategy, offer some life advice to all those young poker pros out there, and even play a hand with the nuts live on the air! I haven’t actually listened to the episode yet myself, but apparently the guys also talk about the latest debacle at UB/AP.

Please let me know what you think!

Full Tilt Poker hosted a Tournament of Champions today for everyone who won an FTOPS event in any of the last four series. The only prize was a $10,000 WSOP seat (no details whatsoever on how/whether it can be cashed out) to the winner, and guess who that was?

To be fair, there were only 104 runners, and about 30 of them didn’t even show. Here are a few hands from the road to victory:

This is Why AQ is a Good Bluffcatcher

It’s got equity when he’s not bluffing. FWIW he’d been a total LAGtard up to this point.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em Tournament, 40/80 Blinds (9 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP3) (t3122)
CO (t885)
Button (t880)
SB (t1552)
BB (t1070)
UTG (t2029)
UTG+1 (t840)
MP1 (t960)
MP2 (t1952)

Hero’s M: 26.02

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with Q, A
3 folds, MP2 bets t179, Hero calls t179, 4 folds

Flop: (t478) 3, K, 5 (2 players)
MP2 bets t199, Hero calls t199

Turn: (t876) 3 (2 players)
MP2 bets t375, Hero calls t375

River: (t1626) A (2 players)
MP2 bets t1199 (All-In), Hero calls t1199

Total pot: t4024

Results:
MP2 had J, K (two pair, Kings and threes).
Hero had Q, A (two pair, Aces and threes).
Outcome: Hero won t4024  Read the complete post...

Isn’t it pretty? Plus, now that my avatar is no longer the black guy with the Afro, I expect to see 17% less racist vitriol directed at me in the chatbox!

Don’t Try to Bluff a Guy Named Psycho

This one’s a little embarrassing. I shoved turn here hoping to get him off a mid-pair, but here’s what happened instead:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold’em Tournament, 6000/12000 Blinds 1500 Ante (8 handed) – Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (CO) (t497480)
Button (t227662)
SB (t634145)
BB (t816177)
UTG (t1063367)
UTG+1 (t302032)
MP1 (t1684089)
MP2 (t451048)

Hero’s M: 16.58

Preflop: Hero is CO with A, K
2 folds, MP1 bets t24000, MP2 calls t24000, Hero raises to t88888, 3 folds, MP1 calls t64888, MP2 calls t64888

Flop: (t296664) 10, 10, 2 (3 players)
MP1 bets t43210, 1 fold, Hero calls t43210

Turn: (t383084) 4 (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets t363882 (All-In), MP1 calls t363882

River: (t1110848) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t1110848

Results:
MP1 had Q, A (one pair, tens).
Hero had A, K (one pair, tens).
Outcome: Hero won t1110848

Truthfully, AQ might actually be a better call than like 66 there, though I’m not sure he realizes that.

Cold-Decking Bakes

I know I look like a giant luckbox for this, and of course I am, but I can also point to two occasions where I lost huge pots on the final table bubble of big FTP tournaments with AA vs. KK.  Read the complete post...