Grubby at PokerWorks

Thanks much to change100 for secretly sweating me and to roah for the cheering comments.  You can believe that if I had final tabled this thing, I would’ve shared.

If this is the first post you’re reading, I live blogged my progress and strategy thoughts in Full Tilt’s FTOPS main event all day today. At $500+35, it was the most expensive tournament I’ve yet played… until next month, when I hope to play one of the WSOP or Venetian events.

Part 1 is here, with Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and now this final part.

UTG+1, I get 99.

80 players left before the money.

I could maybe stall and fold till then.  $664 is a lot and would get me back started in SnGs without having to make a deposit.

What the hell, I’m all-in.

My heart sank when I got a caller.

Having just 7x the blinds isn’t enough to scare anyone, I’m surprised I didn’t get more than one.

Just please, no big pair.

He shows AQ and I have a chance.

I can’t bear to look at the screen.

Through my fingers, I do, and first see the Q but then see the 9.

Gads, these rollercoasters.

Hallelujah.

I double up.

Next hand UTG is KQ, which I fold.

Hand in the SB is 59s and it’s folded to me.  BB has 7x.  I push and he folds.

Blinds are T600/1200 with ante T200.  I’m sitting at 1/2 average a bit above 10x.

A few hands later, I get 99 again and this time fold.

***

The slowdown to cashing didn’t happen as much as other tables.

I was severely crippled, unable to even consider calling any raise.

When we passed the bubble, players dropped fast enough to go to the next level.

I could’ve waited a bit longer to get to the 352-405 level for $854.55, but I went in with the best hand I’d seen in a long while, 77.

Called by 88 who even got an 8 on the board just in case I was hoping for a set.

Out one player away from the next level at 406 for $759.60.

Aaron Bartley steamrolled his table the closer it got to the bubble and picked up a ton of chips. 

Ahh, if only I had that many chips I could reraise people and get lucky with 23 just like him.

Going into the break, though, he lost over T50k of them.

Remaining pros (David Singer dropped):

Aaron Bartley, 259,150 chips
Gus Hansen, 82,563 chips
Paul Wolfe, 41,520 chips
Erick Lindgren, 38,781 chips
Lee Watkinson, 23,650 chips

Average is T50,775 and 374 players are left.

I’m not too happy with my play.  Once I doubled up I should’ve been pushing more hands and risking an early bust-out rather than to come in at the bottom.

But yeah, money is more critical at this time especially having it drained thanks to all the prior SnG and cash game hands.  This win makes up for about half what I lost this weekend, so I’m relatively satisfied.

Now I’m shutting off the computer and headed to 7-Eleven to get a sandwich, a Big Gulp (comes free with a sandwich), chips, and a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar.

When I get back, I may play a few SnGs to try to bump up that value another $100 so that bubbling levels isn’t too painful.

Such an addict.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 20th, 2007 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.