FTOPS EVENT #1

A very disappointing 338/5319 finish. I could not have played better. There was only one bet the entire tournament I regret and even that was only a minor mistake. I played as perfect a game as I am capable of but I got unlucky a few times in a row and it is over.

I got all my chips in early with AT on a ten-high flop. I was check-raised on the flop and I just didn't think he had a set so I figured I was up against a flush draw. His bet was substantial and I figured I could get him to either give it up or race with me. He wound up calling my shove and showing 55. It was a gift. I guess when there are over 5000 players in a tournament, there are bound to be some scrubs in the early levels so it pays to play some big pots.

The first hour was a fiesta of big cards. Mostly, I was getting paid by hitting flops. I got KK once and QQ twice only to find no takers, but every KQ turned into top pair against somebody I had outkicked. At the first break, my $3k had become nearly $10k.

I was determined to hold on to my chips so I played a solid game for the next two hours, content to chip up slowly and avoid big confrontations. The only hand I regret was in the second hour when I was the table chip leader and after an early limp and a short-stack call, I pushed on the big blind with 66. The pot was $1400 and the limper was around $6k, but he had aces and doubled through me. I could have just taken a flop there, or if I'm going to raise, then I could have raised the amount of the short stack to see how the bigger stack responds.

At the second break, I was just under $14k and after hour three, I was around $18k. When the antes kicked in, I was able to raise just often enough to keep pace. My $21k was an average stack when we made the money with 738 players remaining. The chips began flying after the bubble burst and I began to get cards again, but I couldn't get a hand to hold up. Case in point, I raised with AT and the bb shoved. I considered folding until I saw that the $4k additional which I needed to put in was worth betting even if he had a bigger ace, considering the size of the pot. He had QT as it turned out, which was fortunate, but they were spades and he caught the flush.

I got AK for the first time in the entire event while on the button, following a middle-late raise. He had me outchipped but not by a tremendous amount. I pushed all-in and the shorty on the bb pushed as well. The initial raiser insta-called with AQ. I was able to beat the AQ for a big pot but I couldn't fade the 42 and shorty stole $19k from me. Still, I was up to $42k.

On the very next hand, I raised with KK and the giant stack on the bb played with me. It came 743 and he bet into me. I toyed with going all-in to show I was serious, but considering his stack, I thought it more prudent to simply call and see another card. The turn was another 4 which I didn't love. He bet again. I think there's enough of a chance he's playing a seven that I flat call again, hoping to slow him down. The river is a Q and he makes a baby bet of $20k. It was just the right size that I had to call even though I knew I was going to see a four in his hand - he showed 54.

That pot knocked me down to size, but on the next hand, the AQ guy pushed and I went over the top with A9 and beat his JT. I was at $36k. The cards kept coming and I raised the button with AQ. The sb pushed and I called off most of my chips. He had 77; the flop brought a queen but then it rained down cards to create a straight around his 7 and I was near death. I busted on the next hand I played. It's frustrating to do everything right for over four hours and still come up short.