May 28, 2009

  • Viva Las Vegas!

                  

                     The time has come, I’m all packed and ready to go and will be leaving for the airport in the next hour or so.  Departing in Ontario, CA at 7:50PM and landing in Las Vegas, NV at 8:50PM.  I have butterflies and am really nervous for how this trip is going to go.  Will I do well in my tournaments?  Will I win a bracelet?  Will this trip change the course of my life forever?  Will I be able to keep myself away from gambling in the pit?  Will I manage my money right?  Will I party too much like I did last summer?  All these questions racing through my head, it’s probably normal to worry as much as I am but at the same time I’m really excited and anxious.  I feel like a soldier being sent off to war, only in this war it’s every man for himself.  I’ve played poker around the clock everyday ever since I got back from my last summer Vegas trip and feel like I’m more prepared and disciplined this time around.  Tomorrow will be used to run errands and settle in to my new home, Rio All-Suite Hotel, for two months.  Saturday at Noon will be my first tournament which is the WSOP “Stimulus” Event #4 $1000 buy-in, which being their lowest buy-in to date, it’s supposed to break the record for the largest player field size in a live tournament setting, we’ll see if that’s true.  As I said in my previous posts, I won’t be playing as much online poker or posting in this blog as often as I used to but, I did setup my twitter account and will update everyone on my progress, chip stack, living status, etc.  on a regular basis.  So for those of you who are interested on being updated, you can follow up on me with this link:

    http://twitter.com/ecafkrod

    Again thanks to everyone who has supported me every step of the way and thanks to all the people who wished me luck, I’ll need all the luck I can get!  See you on the felts!

May 26, 2009

  • Last Week’s Update – WSOP Countdown

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    87124259May 24 17:46ETFTOPS Double Up Challenge 4Freeroll11889–
    87124402May 24 17:46ETMiniFTOPS Double Up 4Freeroll33077$4
    87123876May 24 17:16ETFTOPS Survivor Challenge 4Freeroll34931$50
    87124040May 24 17:16ETMiniFTOPS Survivor 4Freeroll992109$1.75
    87122758May 24 16:16ETFTOPS Sat Challenge 4Freeroll289152–
    87124338May 24 15:46ETMiniFTOPS Double Up 2Freeroll1,077610–
    87124228May 24 15:46ETFTOPS Double Up Challenge 2Freeroll353184–
    87124009May 24 15:16ETMiniFTOPS Survivor 2Freeroll2,169598–
    87123702May 24 15:16ETFTOPS Survivor Challenge 2Freeroll637242–
    87122817May 24 14:46ETFTOPS Hold’em Challenge 2Freeroll291128–
    87122750May 24 14:16ETFTOPS Sat Challenge 2Freeroll697214–

     

    92363950

     

    May 23 18:46ET

     

    $15K Super Turbo KO

     

    Six HandedTurbo

     

    $55.00 + $4

     

    588

     

    402

     

    –

    87124245May 23 17:46ETFTOPS Double Up Challenge 3Freeroll21074$40
    87124372May 23 17:46ETMiniFTOPS Double Up 3Freeroll607387–
    87123858May 23 17:16ETFTOPS Survivor Challenge 3Freeroll45530$40
    87124026May 23 17:16ETMiniFTOPS Survivor 3Freeroll1,530544–
    87122755May 23 16:16ETFTOPS Sat Challenge 3Freeroll45256$30
    87124195May 23 15:46ETFTOPS Double Up Challenge 1Freeroll647599–
    87124307May 23 15:46ETMiniFTOPS Double Up 1Freeroll2,055527$1
    87123957May 23 15:16ETMiniFTOPS Survivor 1Freeroll3,364855–
    87123249May 23 15:16ETFTOPS Survivor Challenge 1Freeroll986797–
    87122810May 23 14:46ETFTOPS Hold’em Challenge 1Freeroll67249$30
    87123023May 23 14:46ETMiniFTOPS Hold’em Challenge1Freeroll1,7031,512–
    87122770May 23 14:16ETFTOPS Sat Challenge 1Freeroll1,1671,110–

     

    91045155

     

    May 22 21:31ET

     

    Main Event Shootout

     

    $200.00 + $16

     

    81

     

    71

     

    –

    91923266May 22 21:17ETSatellite to $25K Heads-Up$500.00 + $354528–
    89426653May 22 21:01ETFriday Night FightDouble Stack$500.00 + $35259143–
    92250229May 22 20:31ET$25,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3283107–

     You made 6 rebuys/add-ons for $180.00 .

    91031101May 22 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13484341–
    91045224May 22 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23618–
    91923311May 22 19:42ET$25K Heads-Up Super SatTurbo$24.00 + $23216–
    91477626May 22 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $913496–
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $100.00 .
    92175098May 22 19:02ET$25K Heads-Up Super SatTurbo$24.00 + $22714–
    92240168May 22 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6581471–
    91045209May 22 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23013–
    92238512May 22 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4589136–
    92175079May 22 18:42ET$25K Heads-Up Super SatTurbo$24.00 + $23223–

     

    91045010

     

    May 21 21:31ET

     

    Main Event Shootout

     

    $200.00 + $16

     

    81

     

    78

     

    –

    91031035May 21 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13511386–
    91045076May 21 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2365–
    88975589May 21 19:37ET$1k Thursday Main Event SatTurbo$150.00 + $1096–
    92243078May 21 19:37ET$1k Thursday Main Event SatTurbo$265.00 + $1697–
    91353295May 21 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $91261$9,240
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .

     

    91898276

     

    May 20 00:16ET

     

    $30K Super Turbo Guarantee

     

    Turbo

     

    $110.00 + $7

     

    385

     

    129

     

    –

    91044744May 19 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168150–
    91031422May 19 21:30ETThe Fifty-FiftyDouble Stack$50.00 + $51,124896–
    91722851May 19 21:17ETSatellite to $25K Heads-Up$500.00 + $35439–
    91871588May 19 20:31ET$25,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $336080–
     
    You made 8 rebuys/add-ons for $240.00 .
    91030846May 19 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $1363659$238.50
    91099457May 19 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $9176145–
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $100.00 .
    91860795May 19 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6636397–
    91044811May 19 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23622–
    91858920May 19 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4661141–
     
    You collected $30.00 for 3 Knockouts.
    87737475May 19 18:31ETTuesday Main Event SatTurbo$50.00 + $55510–
    91088608May 19 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $16299210–
    91044807May 19 17:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23617–

    (05/19) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2025

    (05/19) Today’s winnings/losses = $268.50

    (05/19) Today’s net profit/loss = -$1756.50

     

    (05/21) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $1155

    (05/21) Today’s winnings/losses = $9240

    (05/21) Today’s net profit/loss = +$8085

     

    (05/22) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2135

    (05/22) Today’s winnings/losses = $0

    (05/22) Today’s net profit/loss = -$2135

     

    (05/23) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $59

    (05/23) Today’s winnings/losses = $141

    (05/23) Today’s net profit/loss = +$82

     

    (05/24) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $0

    (05/24) Today’s winnings/losses = $55.75

    (05/24) Today’s net profit/loss = +$55.75

     

                As expected, I didn’t get the chance to play all that often this past week due to all the preperation I’ve been doing for my move.  One day to note last week was Thursday, which I did notch a “W” in the $33k guart’d $109 cubed for a nice score of $9,240.  I remember playing this tournament and having full control over all my opponents during the final two tables leading to my outright win.  This score was definately a big confidence booster going into the WSOP and also bumping up my bankroll a reasonable amount.  I skipped out on all the weekend tournaments and Sunday majors because I had tons to do this weekend.

                I am now three days away from moving to Vegas for the WSOP.  I’ve gotten a lot of my errands done and just have a few dinners to attend these last few days.  As the time is getting really close I feel myself getting more excited, anxious, and even a little timid because of not knowing how my living arrangements will go since it’ll be my first time staying in a hotel/casino for such a long period of time.  I’m sure everything will just fall into place but even though it’s a few days away it feels like there is so much to do just to settle in.  I fly in on Thurs. night and the plan is to try and rent a car once I arrive at the airport, drive myself to the Rio, check-in and do some un-packing, get some early rest.  Wake up on Fri. morning and just run errands all day to settle in, maybe I’ll be able to get some poker in later at night just to get the hang of playing live again.  Sleep early and wake up early Sat. morning to play my first event which is the WSOP $1000 buy-in “Stimulus” Event #4.  Probably won’t go exactly as planned but will do my best to follow through. 

                Be prepared to not expect so many blog entry posts as I will be playing a lot less online poker and have less time to be online for that matter.  I am still working on setting up my Twitter account so that I could update everyone real-time on my status and progress using my cell phone.  I will probably get that up and running before I leave and will provide everyone on the details when I do.  I’ll also do one more blog post right before I leave, until then, thanks to everyone who’s been supporting me and wishing me luck up until this point.  My only promises is that I can only get better from here and will do my best to perform to my utmost ability at the WSOP.  Carpe Diem!

     

     

May 18, 2009

  • FTOPS #20, #21, #22, #24, and ME

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    90319783May 17 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168134–
    90854458May 17 21:01ET$85,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add onTurbo$100.00 + $946694–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    90294367May 17 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $1393213$978.60
    90843979May 17 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $92975$4,512.40
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    89419978May 17 19:06ETThe Sunday MulliganDouble Stack$200.00 + $161,181930–
    91600835May 17 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $41,077868–
    84244880May 17 18:07ETMiniFTOPS Main Event$50.00 + $511,983562$143.80
    84235131May 17 18:02ETFTOPS Main Event$500.00 + $354,8411,615–
    88974648May 17 16:31ETSunday Main Event QualifierDouble Stack$500.00 + $3522742–
    89420563May 17 16:25ETThe $200K Double DeuceDeepstack$20.00 + $28,4245,209–
    90820780May 17 16:16ETMain Event Race FinalFreeroll776665–
    89420390May 17 16:01ET$200,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$150.00 + $13540453–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $300.00 .
    88006402May 17 16:01ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$100.00 + $9356187–
    88013575May 17 15:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$100.00 + $91,453406–
    90317889May 17 15:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168149–
    88006286May 17 15:06ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$100.00 + $9321216–
    90304005May 17 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $131,288817–
    91701096May 17 14:43ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$175.00 + $1091$535
    Entry to tournament #84235131
    88974881May 17 14:41ETSunday Main Event SatTurbo$100.00 + $9541$535
    Entry to tournament #88974648
    88005983May 17 14:36ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$100.00 + $9376215–
    91698705May 17 14:23ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$175.00 + $1099–
    84244727May 17 14:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #24Deepstack$12.00 + $115,27014,436–
    84235088May 17 14:02ETFTOPS Event #24Deepstack$120.00 + $98,2806,805–

     

    91472536

     

    May 16 18:46ET

     

    $15K Super Turbo KO

     

    Six HandedTurbo

     

    $55.00 + $4

     

    706

     

    206

     

    –

     
     
     
    You collected $10.00 for 1 Knockout.
    89418391May 16 18:01ETSatellite to FTOPS Main Event$100.00 + $96351$535
    Entry to tournament #84235131
    84244414May 16 14:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #22Deepstack$250.00 + $162,365439–
    84234994May 16 14:01ETFTOPS Event #22$2,500.00 + $120795447–
    89536913May 16 12:21ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$500.00 + $358168–
    89536726May 16 12:11ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$300.00 + $221301$2,620
    Entry to tournament #84234994
    91549521May 16 11:57ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$580.00 + $3596–
    89536465May 16 11:41ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $1611898–
    89530036May 16 11:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$500.00 + $35242204–

     

    87996795

     

    May 15 22:46ET

     

    Satellite to FTOPS Main Event

     

    $100.00 + $9

     

    59

     

    23

     

    –

    89535333May 15 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $1611213–
    90319494May 15 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $167226–
    84243918May 15 21:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #21DeepstackSix Handed$20.00 + $23,0732,784–
    84234916May 15 21:01ETFTOPS Event #21DeepstackSix Handed$200.00 + $16983826–
    87743226May 15 21:01ETFriday Night FightDouble StackSix Handed$500.00 + $35294248–
    90294176May 15 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13494414–
    90319570May 15 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23619–
    89535294May 15 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $1612828–
    90590116May 15 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $915856–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    91349802May 15 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6572544–
    90319558May 15 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23010–
    91348017May 15 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4582395–
    87743237May 15 18:31ETSatellite to Friday Night FightSix HandedTurbo$100.00 + $9951$535
    Entry to tournament #87743226
    87002757May 15 18:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #21Six HandedTurbo$50.00 + $517591–
    90580069May 15 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeSix HandedTurbo$200.00 + $16286173–
    90319538May 15 17:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $22210–
    89535325May 15 17:21ETSuper Sat to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$24.00 + $2281$216
    Entry to tournament #89535294
    89425286May 15 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $91556$2,664
     
    You made 6 rebuys/add-ons for $600.00 .
    90317588May 15 15:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $167745–
    89535229May 15 15:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $16167101–
    90303926May 15 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13543191–
    84243736May 15 14:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #20Deepstack$20.00 + $25,9571,414–
    84234841May 15 14:02ETFTOPS Event #20Deepstack$200.00 + $162,2062,005–

     

    91339365

     

    May 14 20:21ET

     

    SupTurbo SupSat to FTOPS ME

     

    Turbo

     

    $24.00 + $1

     

    70

     

    46

     

    –

    89535080May 14 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $165146–
    90318879May 14 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23613–
    91221316May 14 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4563170–
     
    You collected $10.00 for 1 Knockout.
    91219577May 14 18:31ET$4,000 Guarantee (Heads-Up)$24.00 + $21883$383.52
    87738096May 14 18:31ET$1k Thursday Main Event SatTurbo$100.00 + $910251–
    90456440May 14 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $16243223–
    90318867May 14 17:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $22413–

    (05/14) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $703 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/14) Today’s winnings/losses = $393.52

    (05/14) Today’s net profit/loss = -$309.48

     

    (05/15) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3686 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/15) Today’s winnings/losses = $3415

    (05/15) Today’s net profit/loss = -$271

     

    (05/16) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2391 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/16) Today’s winnings/losses = $3165

    (05/16) Today’s net profit/loss = +$774

     

    (05/17) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3586 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/17) Today’s winnings/losses = $6704.80

    (05/17) Today’s net profit/loss = +$3118.80

     

                     This blog entry is dedicated to recap the action this past weekend and end of the FTOPS series.  As far as the rest of the FTOPS series goes, sadly, I didn’t run deep in any of the last five events.  It was a little disappointing not doing too well in FTOPS #22 or the Main Event, being that these two events had the biggest prizepools in the series with first place paying $400k+.  Looks like my shot at winning my first six figure score will have to wait a little bit longer and getting my gold jersey avatar will have to wait till next series.  I’m still very content with my performance through the series cashing in four events total and my largest cash being in the HU event, which is what I least expected.  It has sparked an interest for playing more heads-up tournaments and think I could actually be really good at it if I just studied and practiced it more.

                     I can rightfully say my dry spell has ended and I am not running bad anymore.  I am starting to win flips and hold in situations where I have my opponent dominated, it’s been long overdue in my opinion.  After my runner-up finish in the $33k rebuy the other day, I’ve ran deep in a few other tournaments this weekend.  Including a final table appearance in the $40k rebuy on Friday taking 6th place.  I remember making one huge mistake once we got to the final table of this tournament which caused me to get knocked out in 6th place, but forgot the details of the hand, I’ll probably look back at my tracker to see what it was for future references.  Today, I final tabled the $33k rebuy again taking 5th place this time and remember going card dead at the final table which caused my 5th place finish.  I also went deep in the $75k but got KO’ed right before the final table bubble in 13th and also remember going card dry in this tournament as well but I know I could’ve picked better spots to gamble and pick up chips, this was the demise of my tournament life.  All I could really do is go back and study the hands that I thought I expressed some of my leaks late in the game and fix them for next time.  I just think I’m a little rusty when it comes to final tables since it’s been a while appearing in them.  Probably could’ve made a lot more money today but a combination of being card dry and minor leaks prevented that from happening.  It just feels good to run decent again and am very grateful for it.

                      Now that the FTOPS series is over, I have exactly a week and a half before I depart for my two month stay in Las Vegas for the WSOP.  I’ll be flying out on May 28th and already booked my room at the Rio for the summer.  Nervous, excited, anxious, you know name it, there’s a lot of overwhelming emotions that run through me as the time approaches but I do feel like I’m prepared for the WSOP.  I’ve been pretty much playing tournaments online non-stop ever since I moved back home from my recent stay in Vegas last summer.  I feel like I’ve learned a lot of new things through my experience and study and even if I still don’t feel like my game is at its peak yet, I feel that I am a much better player than last year and could hold my own in the live tournament field.  It’ll take a few events to adjust to live play but I know I’ll get the hang of it in no time.  Some big differences from last year that I’m doing this year is:

        1)   Last year I took a shot and withdrew almost all of my online bankroll (which wasn’t much at the time) to enter myself into four or five events of the WSOP, hoping I would turn a big profit.  This year I’ve pretty much won all my buy-ins to the events via satellites on FullTilt, so it’ll be a little less stressful knowing I’m not using my online bankroll.

        2)   As opposed to only playing five events last year due to my limited funds, this year I have enough to play all 21 No Limit Hold’em events including the Main Event.  There may be certain events I may opt out of because some of the events overlap or if I’m just simply burned out and need a break, but for now the plan is to play as many events as I can.  This will increase my chances and probability of making some good money!

        3)   I rented an apartment last summer which wasn’t too far from the Rio and was decently priced but this summer I’m gonna try my hand in staying at the Rio, where my tournaments are being held.  I’ll have the convenience of being just an elevator ride away to my tournament, saving me some time and will hopefully help since I’ll always be surrounded by poker and people that play poker.  My only concern is my food situation and where I’ll be storing it, I’m sure I’ll figure something out.  If all goes well I might just be staying there every summer.

        4)   Since last summer was my first time playing in the WSOP and living out in a crazy city like Las Vegas, I was inexperienced and did party more than I was supposed to.  I guess this was normal because it was all new to me, but this time around I’ll be more focused on poker and trying to make some money instead of constantly spending it.  Don’t get me wrong I’ll still go out occasionally but work will be my first priority.

        5)   NO MORE PLAYING IN THE PIT!  Which means no blackjack, roulette, three card poker, craps, etc…  A lot of what ate up my funds last summer was playing all these casino-edged table games, thinking I can make a quick buck.  In all reality, my edge is in poker and even if the money doesn’t come fast or easy, it’s still an edge.  So I’m going to avoid playing in the pit unless I win a large sum of money early on.

           As you can see I’m a lot more prepared and focused this year, now all I have to do is follow through and hopefully come back home with deep pockets and a bracelet.  Starting this week and pretty much all through the WSOP I probably won’t play much online poker but will have funds still in there it’ll just be stagnant for the most part.  I will be setting up a Twitter account before I leave so that I could keep everyone updated on my progress in real-time, since writing in this blog isn’t as easily accessible.  Big updates will still be posted on here from time to time but as far as chip counts and my progress in events will be posted on Twitter.  I’ll share the link with everyone once I get it up and running.  Other than that, I have a lot more errands to do this coming week and a half before I make my move, so I’ll be playing a lot less poker this week.  I’m not too sure if I have any dedicated readers or fans out there but if you see this, please wish me all the luck you can offer and send me your prayers.  WSOP here I come!

     

     

May 14, 2009

  • FTOPS #13, #15, #17 – X, Cashed, X – +$10k day!

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    91146232May 14 03:01ETTurbo HundoTurbo$100.00 + $927091–
    89535182May 14 01:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $16539–
    91132870May 14 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $745543$175.17
    90318625May 13 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $16819–
    84243447May 13 21:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #17Add onSix Handed$30.00 + $32286945–
     
    You made 7 rebuys/add-ons for $210.00 .
    84234110May 13 21:01ETFTOPS Event #17Add onSix Handed$300.00 + $22951421–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $600.00 .
    90294002May 13 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13796227–
    89534751May 13 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $167139–
    90341689May 13 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $92572$10,939.50
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    91095902May 13 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6659238–
    91205414May 13 18:56ETSuper Turbo Sat to FTOPS #17Six HandedTurbo$70.00 + $47835–
    90318722May 13 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23618–
    91094128May 13 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4674317–
    91092292May 13 18:31ET$4,000 Guarantee (Heads-Up)$24.00 + $2196157–
    86245437May 13 18:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #17Six HandedTurbo$50.00 + $5261196–
    90330913May 13 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeSix HandedTurbo$200.00 + $16289262–
    90318712May 13 17:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2304$72
    91205302May 13 17:21ETSuper Turbo Sat to FTOPS #17Six HandedTurbo$24.00 + $15419–
    91082420May 13 17:10ETSuper Sat to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$69.00 + $6199–

     

    89534880

     

    May 13 01:46ET

     

    Satellite to FTOPS Event #22

     

    Turbo

     

    $200.00 + $16

     

    57

     

    48

     

    –

    91133607May 13 00:39ET$69 + $6 Sit & Go$69.00 + $64512–
    91003134May 13 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7455210–
    91072001May 12 23:51ETTier Two $24+$2 Sit & GoTurbo$24.00 + $21810–
    91109688May 12 23:33ETTier Two $24+$2 Sit & Go$24.00 + $2181$75 token
    91120252May 12 23:24ETSatellite to FTOPS Main EventTurbo$69.00 + $62712–
    90300079May 12 23:01ET$30,000 GuaranteeDouble StackSix Handed$100.00 + $9332133–
    89534620May 12 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $168379–
    90318438May 12 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168145–
    84243268May 12 21:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #15Turbo$20.00 + $26,2835,071–
    84234005May 12 21:02ETFTOPS Event #15Turbo$200.00 + $162,494230$500
    89537724May 12 20:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$335.00 + $2297–
    89534660May 12 20:26ETSuper Sat to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$40.00 + $4156–
    90293870May 12 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13710422–
    89534015May 12 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $169646–
    90215334May 12 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $920741–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    90966058May 12 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6617107–
    90318495May 12 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2361$216
    Entry to tournament #90318438
    90964233May 12 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $466778$78.04
     
    You collected $30.00 for 3 Knockouts.
    86026379May 12 18:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #15Turbo$50.00 + $538097–
    90204595May 12 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $16301116–
    89425600May 12 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$100.00 + $917781–
     
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $400.00 .
    90317124May 12 15:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168112–
    89534215May 12 15:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $1610687–
    90303653May 12 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13532372–
    84242970May 12 14:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #13Double StackSix Handed$30.00 + $31,296840–
    84233700May 12 14:01ETFTOPS Event #13Double StackSix Handed$300.00 + $22911350–

    (05/12) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3700 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/12) Today’s winnings/losses = $899.04

    (05/12) Today’s net profit/loss = -$2800.96

     

    (05/13) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2813 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/13) Today’s winnings/losses = $11,186.67

    (05/13) Today’s net profit/loss = +$8373.67

                    

                    Cashed in FTOPS #15 which was the turbo version of the series.  Barely just made it into the money and collected a small prize.  Other than that, the usual run bad juice flowed through the rest of my session on Tuesday.

                     At the start of today, my bankroll was reaching an all-time low and so was my confidence.  I took some pretty bad ones early on and at this point I was not even phased anymore, because I’ve been taking bad ones for a loooong time now.  Now I just accept it right away, keep my cool, and concentrate on my other tournaments.  The bad beats kept coming and coming until one of my last tournaments, which was the $109 cubed $33k guarantee.  In this tournament I flowed along and actually started to run good in the middle-late stages of the tournament.  Surprisingly, I was winning flips and coming from behind in the middle stages when it mattered most.  It felt good to be in this position again and hope it continues from here on out.  In FTOPS #17, I got my chipstack up really nice when it came time for the add-on period but after that it was all down-hill.  I did place runner-up in the $33k for almost $11k.  It came down to heads-up play between me and a very good opponent who goes by the name Grippolio and has been on a tear ever since 2009 has started.  He had a 4-1 chiplead on me when we got down to HU and was shoving me all-in every other hand.  My approach was to wait for a decent enough hand that I could double up with.  I picked up 55 and Grip shoved me in and decided this was a good spot to gamble.  He showed KJo and a Jack peeled on the turn to knock me out.  I wasn’t too bothered of not winning the tournament because Grip pretty much knocked out 5 or 6 players out of the 9 at the final table, which moved me up in the money.  I’ll take a runner-up finish for $11k at a time like this when I haven’t been at a final table in a cash prize tournament in about a month.  Let’s just hope I run a lot better in the last two weeks before I leave for the WSOP.  Maybe a final table appearance in the last few FTOPS events?  Only time can tell…

     

     

May 11, 2009

  • FTOPS #12 – Cashed

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    89534409May 12 01:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $16667–
    90916362May 12 01:46ETSatellite to MiniFTOPS #22Turbo$20.00 + $23618–
    90876125May 12 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7489363–
    89533696May 11 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$200.00 + $169076–
    90318270May 11 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168165–
    84242904May 11 21:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #12Six Handed$100.00 + $934681,151–
    84233561May 11 21:01ETFTOPS Event #12 (Early Antes)Six Handed$1,000.00 + $601349136$1,800
    90850990May 11 20:31ET$25,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $3371160–
     
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $120.00 .
    90293778May 11 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13827750–
    89533909May 11 19:56ETSuper Sat to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$24.00 + $2297–
    90318341May 11 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23625–
    90840588May 11 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6667204–
    90838840May 11 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4705320–
    90154049May 11 18:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Six HandedTurbo$200.00 + $16534184–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $1505 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    Today’s winnings/losses = $1800

    Today’s net profit/loss = +$295

                  Made it deep in FTOPS #12 which replaced the $1k Monday with the same buy-in.   This was the first tournament I’ve every played with an “early ante” structure where there was an ante in every blind level of the tournament.  My assumption was that with the early antes it would induce more action early on in the tournament and would call for some very aggressive action preflop.  That is exactly how it played out and adapted my approach to accommodate to the aggresiveness.  It seems my early game strategy is almost flawless as I have no problem building a nice stack going into the mid stages.  It’s the mid game I am having trouble with because it seems my stack steadily dwindles down to a re-ship stack of 20BB.  I’m a little confused cause I feel like I have changed my mid game strategy up just recently to be more loose and aggressive, which is what most pros suggest.  So it’s either I’m not doing it effectively or it’s this new strategy altogether that’s making me blow my stack.  I need to figure out the leaks soon before it’s too late.  That is exactly what happen when it got to the later stages of FTOPS #12 and ended up opening 2.5x the BB with 66 in middle position with my 13BB stack planning to go all the way with it.  My aggressive opponent on the button re-popped me and I shoved for the rest of my chips, he shows QJo and you guys know I’m pretty much drawing dead at this point, considering that I never win flips!  Oh well, I’m still happy with my performance and feel like I’m playing considerably well overall in these FTOPS events cashing deep in three of them, but nothings better than a final table at one of these events.  Nothing else really exciting happened the rest of the day except for pretty much bubbling to winning my seat to FTOPS #22, a $2500 buy-in event that kicks off on Saturday, hopefully I can win my seat before then.  Tomorrow is FTOPS #13 which is a 6-max 4x shootout the last shootout tournament of the series, my bread and butter.  Better luck!

     

     

     

May 10, 2009

  • FTOPS #7, #8, #9, #10 – X, X, Cashed, X

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    90169530May 10 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Six HandedTurbo$150.00 + $137621–
    90318074May 10 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $16813$1,260
    90293689May 10 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13899200–
    88960641May 10 19:06ETThe Sunday MulliganDouble Stack$200.00 + $161,096496–
    84242213May 10 18:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #10Deepstack$30.00 + $311,5084,285–
    84233293May 10 18:02ETFTOPS Event #10Deepstack$300.00 + $224,1452,428–
    83120707May 10 17:31ET$200K Stimulus QualifierDouble Stack$30.00 + $33,8781,597–
    86006305May 10 16:31ETApril TLB FreerollDouble StackFreeroll19855–
    88960360May 10 16:25ETThe $200K Double DeuceDeepstack$20.00 + $28,3132,062–
    89936697May 10 16:16ETMain Event Race FinalFreeroll726622–
    84241557May 10 16:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #9Double Stack$50.00 + $52,048362–
    84233259May 10 16:02ETFTOPS Event #9Double Stack$500.00 + $3593357$2,000
    88960246May 10 16:01ET$200,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$150.00 + $13509361–
     
    You made 5 rebuys/add-ons for $750.00 .
    90289497May 10 15:05ETSuper Turbo Sat to FTOPS #9Turbo$66.00 + $387–
    89412970May 10 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $131,184143–
    90809465May 10 14:48ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #9Turbo$70.00 + $586–
    87737329May 10 14:41ETSunday Main Event SatTurbo$100.00 + $96533–
    90807770May 10 14:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #9Turbo$70.00 + $585–
    84241486May 10 14:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #8DeepstackSix Handed$24.00 + $28,2934,627–
    84233169May 10 14:02ETFTOPS Event #8DeepstackSix Handed$240.00 + $163,3343,094–

     

    90585087

     

    May 09 18:46ET

     

    $15K Super Turbo KO

     

    Six HandedTurbo

     

    $55.00 + $4

     

    769

     

    367

     

    –

     

     
    You collected $10.00 for 1 Knockout.
    89815747May 09 17:01ETTurbo $20K Guar (Heads-Up)Turbo$200.00 + $1625639–
    84241340May 09 16:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #7Add on$10.00 + $16,7041,894–You made 13 rebuys/add-ons for $130.00 .
    84233142May 09 16:01ETFTOPS Event #7Add on$100.00 + $91,807398–You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .

    (05/09) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $605 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/09) Today’s winnings/losses = $10

    (05/09) Today’s net profit/loss = -$595

     

    (05/10) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $2217 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    (05/10) Today’s winnings/losses = $3260

    (05/10) Today’s net profit/loss = +$1043

     

                      What a weekend of poker it was with a total of four events going down in two days.  FTOPS #7 was not a good turnout for me as I couldn’t get nowhere close to the money.  I went a little crazy on rebuys for the miniFTOPS #7 but it was cheap enough for me to splash around and try to build a nice stack, obviously all that money didn’t help much.  Sunday was a huge day with FTOPS #8 being a 6-max KO tournament with first place boasting at $146k, FTOPS #9 a heads-up shootout tournament with first being $87k, and FTOPS #10 a regular super stack tournament with first place paying a whopping $259k.  Not to mention their miniFTOPS counterparts which payed anywhere from 16k-56k for first place.  I got busted out early in FTOPS #8 when my rivered nut-flush was drawing dead to my opponents turned boat.  Kind of sucks because I generally do well in 6-max KO tournaments.  Ironically, not being much of a heads-up player I actually ran deep in FTOPS #9 and made the money.  I surprised myself in how well I played and how well I adapted to each and everyone of my opponents style.  I think I knocked out 4 or 5 people before I busted.  I made one fatal error in one hand to the opponent who busted me who was playing really loose-aggro.  I’m on the button with 77 and do my standard min. raise open, my opponent 3-bet me as he has been doing quite frequently out of position.  I flat here because it was still early in the tournament. blinds were still low, I had position, and had confidence I could play post-flop vs. my opponent effectively.  The flop comes QQQ giving me a boat Q’s over 7′s.  Off the bat, I feel like my hand is pretty strong but when my opponent leads out and I raise his bet just shy under 3x his bet and he over-bet shoves instantly, I go into the tank.  It’s quite possible he could have any pocket pair from 22-AA given the action preflop and on the flop, as aggro as he is he would play any boat this strong.  Only problem is there are more pairs in his range that beat my pair 88-AA, a total of seven combinations of pairs that are higher than my 77, and only five combinations that are lower.  Not to mention any over cards like AJ+ and KQ, this shouldn’t really matter because I’m ahead of these hands but truthfully I didn’t want to worry about fading any of these cards on the turn and river because I know how I’ve been running and I’m almost confident one or two overs would hit to knock me out of the tournament.  My final deciding factor in folding this full house is that it was still early in our match, blinds were still low, and I could fold and still have 40BB to play with.  I had confidence I had a small edge over my opponent and could take him down later on in the match.  Unfortunately, he ran a lot better than me and chopped my stack down to 20BB as the blinds went up.  It came down to a race when I re-shoved all-in w/ 22 vs his AJ and he caught four to the straight, GG!  I’m content with my run esp. because I don’t consider myself much of a heads-up player but wish I could’ve made it at least to the final 8, better luck next time.  Makes me wonder if I would’ve advanced to the next round had I made that call with 77, I chatted with him after I got busted and he admitted to me he had AJs which I do believe is part of his range, but I’m not bothered too much by my analysis and logic even if it was an incorrect fold.  FTOPS #10 was nothing to talk about, only other thing interesting that happen was I almost won another seat to the WSOP ME, of course, in the $200 buy-in shootout.  Like always, I end up busting due to a lost race when my 44 couldn’t hold up against A5.  I always seem to have no problem in these shootouts, not too sure why but I’m thinking I just have a knack for them.  Tomorrow is FTOPS #12 which will be my first tourney I’ve ever played with an ante from the very beginning of the tournament, first place prize is gonna be around $250k-$300k, does it have my name on it? We’ll see…

     

     

                   

May 8, 2009

  • FTOPS # 4 – X

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    87743002May 08 21:01ETFriday Night FightDouble Stack$500.00 + $35335182–
     
    You collected $100.00 for 1 Knockout.
    90293476May 08 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13535422–
    90467424May 08 19:36ETSatellite to 150 Seat Guarantee$69.00 + $62818–
    87743055May 08 18:31ETSatellite to Friday Night FightTurbo$100.00 + $913568–
    84239817May 08 14:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #4 (1r+1a)Add on$20.00 + $24278216$143.63
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $40.00 .
    84232790May 08 14:01ETFTOPS Event #4 (1r+1a)Add on$200.00 + $161,246375–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $400.00 .
    90375017May 08 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7380197–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $1439 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    Today’s winnings/losses = $243.63

    Today’s net profit/loss = -$1195.37

                    Today was a bust as well and just couldn’t get anything going.  I’m starting to forget what the smell of victory smells like.  I am playing less volume and paying very close attention to every detail of my opponents and my play.  FTOPS #4 was the one rebuy/one add-on event and again I pulled a table with gboro780 on my immediate right.  It seems he’s running bad as well because he never really gets his stack above starting stack size in both tournaments I’ve played with him so far, glad I’m not the only one!  My luck has been running good early on in tournaments and tripled my stack by the time the add-on period came.  Playing well also helped my chipstack grow, you can see how if luck is just a little bit on my side and I play well I’m pretty much unstoppable.  I was a pretty overwhelming chipleader at my table after the break but as usual lost a decent sized flip and my top-top ran into a flopped set and it was like I never even tripled up in the first hour.  I appreciate the poker Gods giving me a boost in the beginning but it’s no use when they leave me dry in the middle stages of a tournament when the average pot size can take a big percentage of my stack, and that’s basically how I’ve been running for a long time now.  To be honest, I am really sick of it and am losing a lot of my confidence.  I try not to blame it all on luck but I have been studying a ton, fixing some of my leaks, and trying new things.  But none of that applies when I can’t win my fair share of flips and maybe suck out once in a blue moon.  It’s gotten to the point where I’m not surprised when I lose when I’m way ahead but I’m super ecstatic and surprised when I actually win a hand coming from behind, rare situations.  Enough venting for me, I aplologize, I know no one wants to hear bitching and complaining but you would too if you were in my shoes.  Regardless, I’m gonna play my best and keep trying to improve my game, as I have been doing, the rest of this series.  FTOPS #7 is the $100 rebuy event that starts at 1PM PST tomorrow, which is the same event I had my biggest score of $60.6k for taking 3rd a few months back, so we’ll see if I can replicate or advance my performance.

     

     

  • FTOPS #3 – X

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    90375017May 08 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7380197–
    89430215May 07 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $168137–
    84239707May 07 21:06ETMiniFTOPS Event #3Double Stack$50.00 + $5729335–
    84232553May 07 21:01ETFTOPS Event #3Double Stack$500.00 + $35524–
    89408840May 07 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13685637–
    89588205May 07 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $9161108–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    90338108May 07 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $659114$346.62
    90336348May 07 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4699453–
    87737957May 07 18:31ET$1k Thursday Main Event SatTurbo$100.00 + $99931–
    85763064May 07 18:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #3Turbo$100.00 + $9220195–
    89578093May 07 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $1632177–
    89430272May 07 17:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2361$216
    Entry to tournament #89430215
    87639143May 07 17:31ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$300.00 + $224025–
    87642105May 07 17:31ETSatellite to MiniFTOPS #22$30.00 + $33314–
    89571416May 07 17:01ET$30,000 KO GuaranteeDouble Stack$120.00 + $9376349–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $1883 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    Today’s winnings/losses = $562.62

    Today’s net profit/loss = -$1320.38

                     I pulled a tough table for the 3x shootout FTOPS Event #3 with three good pros to my left and one to my right.  It was even tougher for the rest of the players if they were considering myself as a pro as well.  I really couldn’t get much going in this tournament and was 4th or 5th to bust out of my table.  Today was a combination of running really bad and me playing really bad, not a good mixture.  Went pretty deep in the 40k but caught a dry run approaching the final table and couldn’t hang on any longer.  Tomorrow’s event, FTOPS #4, is a one rebuy/one add-on tournament and it starts at 11AM so I need to get some early sleep.  Wish me more luck!

     

     

May 7, 2009

  • FTOPS #1 – Cashed

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    84239296May 06 21:07ETMiniFTOPS Event #1DeepstackSix Handed$20.00 + $214,05912,645–
    84232335May 06 21:02ETFTOPS Event #1DeepstackSix Handed$200.00 + $16444571$1,240
    87885491May 06 21:01ET$100,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $957597–
     
    You made 6 rebuys/add-ons for $600.00 .
    89408789May 06 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $131,041272–
    89430140May 06 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2361$216
    Entry to tournament #89430074
    90211802May 06 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $677417$267.03
    90336216May 06 18:58ET$69 + $6 Sit & Go$69.00 + $64513–
    90210007May 06 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4686415–You collected $10.00 for 1 Knockout.
    89457717May 06 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeSix HandedTurbo$200.00 + $16298173–

    Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $1323 (not including FTOPS + miniFTOPS)

    Today’s winnings/losses = $1723.03

    Today’s net profit/loss = +$400.03

                 What a way to kick off the FTOPS series, making it deeper would’ve kicked it off just right, but cashing in the first event isn’t too bad either.  The money prize I could careless about but it’s the fact that I made it that deep in the first event and it was through a field of 4,445 players, which is the biggest I’ve played in a while.  It started off really bad for me losing more than a quarter of my chips really quick.  Another bothersome fact was out of 4,445 players I pull the table with gboro780, who is the #1 ranked online MTT player in the world as of now.  Luckily, he wasn’t able to get much going and got KO’ed pretty fast.  I was patient and went on a sick rush going into the middle stages of the tournament which built my stack very quickly.  Soon enough, I became one of the top 30 chip leaders in the tournament with about 1500 players to go.  For most of my tables that I was moved to I was the chip leader and one of the most experienced players at the table, judging by past results.  I’m most proud of how I stole blinds and 3-bet air with perfect timing.  I was using my nice chip stack to gain more chips.  My flow was going good until a shortstack went all-in in early position and another player iso-raised in a later position, I pick up KK in the SB and ship my whole stack in covering them both.  The iso-raiser ended up showing down AA and scooped the pot.  This didn’t bust me and I still had about 50BB but it would’ve been nice to scoop that pot and be one of the top ten stacks.  This was definately a turning point for me in the tournament but I kept my cool and rebuilt my stack to survive a couple more levels.  Then my dry run came and it was downhill from there.  I ended up busting with a questionable 15BB shove with 76o in a SB vs. BB situation.  I went with my gut feeling that he was going to fold but ended up tanking for a bit to call with AJo to hold.  I’m happy with my performance overall and definately boosts my confidence and moral for the rest of this series.  I want to thank all the people who railed and sweat me as I played this tournament, I got a lot of support from fans and friends, which always motivates me to do better.  Thanks guys!  Catch me tomorrow as I play FTOPS Event #3 which is a 4x shootout tournament, which has been my forte as of late, so hopefully I can score a win or at least a final table.

     

     

May 6, 2009

  • Cinco De Main Event!

    IDStart TimeNameBuy-inEntrantsPositionWonNotes
    90152332May 06 01:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Six HandedTurbo$150.00 + $1316–
    90121073May 06 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7363221–
    90152182May 05 22:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Six HandedTurbo$150.00 + $132423–
    85107999May 05 21:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #1Six Handed$50.00 + $54311$216
    Entry to tournament #84232335
    89429834May 05 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $16811$12,000
    Entry to tournament #82609867
    89410024May 05 21:30ETThe Fifty-FiftyDouble Stack$50.00 + $5707–
    87737361May 05 21:01ETTuesday Main Event QualifierDouble Stack$300.00 + $2213778–
    90093637May 05 20:31ET$25,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $383–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    90090155May 05 20:01ET$35,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,399–
    89408714May 05 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13626274–
    89429907May 05 19:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $23629–
    90152001May 05 19:46ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #12Six HandedTurbo$150.00 + $132819–
    89345402May 05 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add onSix Handed$100.00 + $9195125–
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $200.00 .
    90082909May 05 19:01ETBracelet Race$24.00 + $28918–
    90082907May 05 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $6630101–
    90081132May 05 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4680363–
    87737370May 05 18:31ETTuesday Main Event SatTurbo$50.00 + $5541$322
    Entry to tournament #87737361
    87737418May 05 18:11ETTuesday Main Event SatTurbo$69.00 + $62723–
    89335085May 05 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeTurbo$200.00 + $16276259–
    89328138May 05 17:01ET$30,000 KO GuaranteeDouble Stack$120.00 + $9347134–
    90064604May 05 16:31ET$19,500 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $326678–
     
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $120.00 .
    90062851May 05 16:16ETBracelet Race$69.00 + $62411–
    90061124May 05 16:01ET$22,500 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $632250–
    88973917May 05 16:01ET$40,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$100.00 + $913693–
     
    You made 5 rebuys/add-ons for $500.00 .
    89427748May 05 15:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $165418–
    89412476May 05 15:01ET$50,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13406168–

     

    90006875

     

    May 05 03:16ET

     

    Satellite to FTOPS Main Event

     

    Turbo

     

    $69.00 + $6

     

    9

     

    6

     

    –

    90006018May 05 03:01ETTurbo HundoTurbo$100.00 + $923174–
    90005734May 05 02:56ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #10Add onTurbo$10.00 + $1179–
     
    You made 4 rebuys/add-ons for $40.00 .
    89993282May 05 00:16ET$30K Super Turbo GuaranteeTurbo$110.00 + $7434302–
    89429718May 04 21:31ETMain Event Shootout$200.00 + $16812$2,100
    87886433May 04 21:01ET$1K MondayDeepstack$1,000.00 + $60372292–
    89967893May 04 20:31ET$25,000 Guarantee (Rebuy)Add on$30.00 + $334635$157.14
     
    You made 2 rebuys/add-ons for $60.00 .
    89964365May 04 20:01ET$35,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,573873–
    89408637May 04 20:01ET$75,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$150.00 + $13679118–
    90086888May 04 19:38ETSatellite to $1K MondayTurbo$265.00 + $1698–
    89233646May 04 19:31ET$33,000 Guarantee (1r+1a)Add on$100.00 + $920754–
     
    You made 1 rebuy/add-on for $100.00 .
    89957620May 04 19:06ETSuper Sat to FTOPS Event #22Turbo$69.00 + $6101$535
    Entry to tournament #89530036
    89957026May 04 19:01ET$40,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$69.00 + $661045$126.27
    89957028May 04 19:01ETBracelet Race$24.00 + $28848–
    89429764May 04 18:51ETSat to Main Event ShootoutSix HandedTurbo$24.00 + $2366–
    89955143May 04 18:46ET$15K Super Turbo KOSix HandedTurbo$55.00 + $4712491–
    90078182May 04 18:35ETSatellite to $1K MondayTurbo$265.00 + $1697–
    87886445May 04 18:31ETSatellite to $1K MondayTurbo$100.00 + $921054–
    86257404May 04 18:16ETSatellite to FTOPS Event #20Turbo$69.00 + $61917–
    90076163May 04 18:11ETSatellite to $1K MondayTurbo$265.00 + $1697–
    89949731May 04 18:01ET$25,000 GuaranteeDouble Stack$24.00 + $21,114423–
    89223754May 04 18:01ETTurbo $40K GuaranteeSix HandedTurbo$200.00 + $1624232–

    (05/04) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3649

    (05/04) Today’s winnings/losses = $2918.41

    (05/04) Today’s net profit/loss = -$730.59

     

    (05/05) Total spent on buy-ins (incl. rebuys)  = $3797

    (05/05) Today’s winnings/losses = $12,538

    (05/05) Today’s net profit/loss = +$8741

               

                    It’s been a struggle to output good results so far this week.  On Monday, I bubbled another satellite to the WSOP ME.  It was a little disturbing because I had a 4-1 chiplead over my opponent heads-up and with two lost all-in races we were just about even money.  He ran way better than I did HU, but have to give credit on playing his short-stack very well.  I was able to get $2100 for placing runner-up which did make-up for a huge amount of my lossses on the day, but nothing beats winning another $12k prize package.

                     Back at it again, I battled through my first table in the shooutout satellite today, May 5th.  Advanced to the next round which was the final table, it all seemed so familiar.  I kept my composure and didn’t want to get my hopes high as I did the day before.  Luckily, my whole table were all soft and very passive players.   I was the first to double my stack when I rivered a 4 card flush with my AQ vs AK all-in on a flop 8s-9s-10s and I had the Q of spades drawing to a Jack, Queen, or spade.  After that I stole blinds effectively as my opponents just seemed to have the ‘sit out next hand’ box checked, or at least it felt like they did.  Played my big stack and short-handed game very well and dominated my opponent heads-up to capture my third, that’s right THIRD, WSOP ME $12k prize package.  This leaves me with three $12k prize packages and four $2k prize packages for the WSOP for a grand total of $44k in WSOP equity.  As I said before, I plan to use all the money for buy-ins into all the NLHE events at the WSOP.  I calculated how much it’s going to cost me assuming I do end up playing all the events and it’s about $55k, which means I need one more $12k prize package to win and I am all set for my shot at the big time.  There’s no doubt in my mind I can obtain another one in due time.  I’m also starting to notice that I’m getting really good at these shootout structures, so hopefully I can pull a nice win in the FTOPS shootout events.

                    I’ve come to the realization that I am a satellite king and just massacre any satellite I play.  The only problem is, lately, I’m having trouble winning regular cash prize tournaments.  In the past three months I can only remember one decent score which was the $12k win in the $40k Turbo a few weeks ago, but that’s it! In three months!  Back at the end of 2008 I was final tabling big buy-ins weekly.  Yes, I do have a good amount of money in WSOP equity.  Yes, I do have a good portion of my bankroll invested away in some investments.  The WSOP money I don’t count as mine because I could potentially still lose that and the money I have invested is money I can’t touch till a later time, so it’s useless for now.  It’s pretty sad to look at when my T$ (tournament credits) balance is almost the same amount as my actual bankroll.  I’m definately getting a little frustrated and worried that I can’t take losing $2k-$3k in actual money like I have been doing playing all the big guarantees daily.  Something definately needs to happen in FTOPS to boost my bankroll and my moral or else I may have to either take out some high buy-in tournaments off my daily schedule or just step down in buy-in limits overall.  I know all this isn’t happening because of variance, although it sure does seem like it, but I am doing everything I can to better my play.  That includes watching training vids, going back and looking at my losing hands of the day to see what I could of done different, reading a lot, railing final tables with pros playing, and trying to not be distracted as much while I play.  I’m also trying new strategies and techniques that I have been learning, but I haven’t figured out how to apply them effectively and with accurate timing.  Hopefully the hard work pays off!  FTOPS Event #1 starting tomorrow.  Tune in and wish me luck, I’ll keep everyone updated on my progress here.