FTOPS V - Event #5 Report

Of Big Stacks and Big Bets in FTOPS V Event #5

To the short stack, the big stack can seem like an impenetrable fortress. From his vantage point down in the trenches, the chip leader can use his awesome might to make other players quake when he throws his weight around. But patience is not only a virtue; it can get you paid. All it takes is a single, well-timed attack to shift momentum - and chips - away from the leader's foundation. At that point, even the most imposing structures begin to collapse.

When the final table event for FTOPS V Event #5 commenced - a $300K guarantee No-Limit Hold'Em with Rebuys - it looked like it was GB2005's match to lose. He had more than a million chips more than his closest competitor. The railbirds were fascinated by the custom avatar he won during FTOPS II. They'd ask him to show emotion, and he was only too happy to wrinkle his avatar's eyebrows for their amusement.

On the final table's first hand, LaJune raised all in with a pair of 10s. Vanssi called with pocket Queens and was looking like the winner until a third 10 showed on the river.

Four hands later, GBecks and Doobie75 tangled. Both men had the "Afro Man" avatar and an 8 in their hand. But GBecks also held a 3, and a second 3 materialized at the turn. His two pair was enough to send Dooblie75 to the rail.

Next to exit was ontherocksuga. With only four big blinds left, he gambled all-in with K-7 and got called by flopdisasta, who held pocket Queens.

Right before the break, GB2005's big stack started to erode. He made several bets but folded when GBecks raised him. Each time he'd ask GBecks what he had, but never got an answer. Sensing that he had to be more aggressive, GB2005 mixed it up with LaJune (3-3 v. J-K) and darkbet (K-K v. A-K), losing about a million chips in less than two minutes.

However, LaJune wouldn't stay much longer. Right after doubling up with quad 9s, he pushed all-in pre-flop with A-K, but lost when 20KJAY picked up a second Jack on the flop.

At a time when the table was playing tight, 20KJAY turned on the gas. He had four unanswered all-in bets, and was stealing pot after pot. Before long, he was the chip leader and putting distance between himself and everyone else. The former chip leader GB2005 was now the short stack and lost everything when his pocket Jacks got beat by flopdisasta's set of 10s.

Out in fourth place, darkbet must've looked pretty grim when he pushed in over 1.5 million chips with A-K and picked up a second King on the flop, but then got beat by 20KJAY whose filled the flush draw on the turn. flopdisasta joined him on the rail just a few minutes later when 20KJAY's set of 9s bested his pocket Jacks. When the table reached heads-up play, 20KJAY had over six million chips. GBecks had one million. But the aggression that propelled 20KJAY to the top seemed to ebb. GBecks, who was being cheered on by his friend and Full Tilt Pro Jeff Madsen, was on the attack. The turning point came when GBecks bet 2 million on a board of A-J-A-J-9. With more than a million of his chips already committed to the pot, 20KJAY folded his hand and gave the chip lead to GBecks. In the last hand, 20KJAY went all in (1.8 million chips) with K-5 suited. GBecks called with A-7. The flop didn't help either player, but GBecks picked up a second Ace on the turn for the win.

With 1,678 players, 2,277 rebuys, and 807 add-ons, the $300K guaranteed prize pool swelled to $476,200, giving $66,558 to 20KJAY and $102,383 to GBecks.