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FTOPS II – Event 2 – No Limit Hold’ em
The second event in FTOPS II was a No Limit Hold ‘em event that had 3,010 entrants competing for more than $600,000 in prize money – making it the second biggest cash tournament in Full Tilt Poker history. The final table began with two clear chip leaders and the rest of the pack needing some chips to contend.
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| joskins | 2,513,105 |
| Squirrely1 | 2,107,060 |
| SuburbanSpade | 1,104,768 |
| MayorMcShipIT | 822,094 |
| arsenal46 | 642,706 |
| set888s | 583,936 |
| Can You Tell | 561,150 |
| JazzyCFC | 459,165 |
| The Reaper4 | 236,016 |
The first hand at the final table turned out to be one of the biggest hands. With blinds at 20,000-40,000 and a 5,000 ante, everyone folded to the chip leader joskins, who limped in the small blind. MayorMcShipIT checked and the flop came 3s 5d 7h. joskins lead right out for 40,000, MayorMcShipIT raised to 100,000, and joskins called. A harmless 2h fell on the turn, and once again joskins lead out for the minimum, 40,000. MayorMcShipIT must have put joskins on a draw, as he moved in over the top for almost 700,000 chips with a pair of sevens and a nine kicker. joskins play worked to perfection, as he had flopped a straight. Joskins padded his chip lead, and MayorMcShipIT was shipped out on the first hand. MayorMcShipIT got paid more than $8,000 for his final table appearance, after winning a $26 satellite to enter the event.
After The Reaper4 managed to double up his short stack, joskins played another big pot against another medium stack. After a flop of 8s Ac Ts, SuburbanSpade bet 500,000 of his 800,000 chips. Joskins moved him all-in, figuring he was plenty live with Ks Qs. However, Suburban had flopped top set and he managed to dodge both Jacks and spades to rake the 2,400,000 pot, moving him into the chip lead:
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| SuburbanSpade | 2,379,536 |
| joskins | 2,270,431 |
| Squirrely1 | 1,846,044 |
| Can You Tell | 616,150 |
| set888s | 498,936 |
| arsenal46 | 497,706 |
| JazzyCFC | 474,165 |
| The Reaper4 | 447,032 |
When the blinds increased to 25,000-50,000 with a 6,000 ante, it was the shorter stacks in the spotlight. Arsenal46 and set888s made some all-in moves, adding more than 100,000 to their respective stacks each time. The two players clashed with each other, with set888s’ pocket Kings holding up against arsenal46’s suited 9-T. arsenal46 took home almost $11,000, and added another impressive performance to his tournament resume.
The Reaper4 had already managed one double-up, but he would be the next to go. He liked his Q-T after a Ts 8d 5h flop, but the situation looked grim after SuburbanSpade had Tc 5s in the big blind. After starting the final table short stacked, The Reaper4 was happy to pocket $13,846 for seventh.
JazzyCFC had managed to break about even while waiting for a spot to double up. He woke up in the small blind with pocket tens, and moved all-in. Squirrely1 had plenty of chips in the big blind, and make the call with As Jc. JazzyCFC was in great shape until an Ace on the river ended his day. His $18,500 payday acted as a consolation prize.
The river would find another victim a few hands later. Set888s made a minimum raise on the button pre-flop, which Can You Tell called in the big blind with Ts 4d. Can You Tell made bottom two pair on a 4h Jc Th flop, and the money went in. set888s was behind with Kd Tc, but a 9 on the turn and Queen on the river gave set888s a straight. Can You Tell won his seat in the $50+$5 Super Satellite on Sunday afternoon. He ended up with an extra $25,000 in his account.
With four players left, it was anyone’s tournament:
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| Squirrely1 | 2,851,209 |
| SuburbanSpade | 2,524,568 |
| joskins | 1,835,431 |
| set888s | 1,818,792 |
A few rounds passed without a showdown, but SuburbanSpade was bleeding chips quickly, mainly to set888s. With blinds at 30,000-60,000, he was looking for action with his Ah Kh. Set888s obliged, moving in over the top with Qh Kd. A queen on the flop and another on the turn put SuburbanSpade on the rail. A disappointing finish for sure, but with $33,400 in winnings, he can afford to take a few more shots at FTOPS glory.
Karma did catch up with set888s pretty quickly. Joskins made a minimum raise from the small blind with pocket tens, and set888s made a large re-steal attempt with Kh Th. Joskins made the call, and checked on the 8 high flop. Set888s took the bait, and committed himself all-in. No King connected, and joskins moved into the chip lead after the biggest pot of the tournament:
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| joskins | 5,256,862 |
| Squirrely1 | 2,345,209 |
| set888s | 1,427,929 |
With blinds moving to 50,000-100,000, set888s’ stack fluctuated wildly. He doubled up when his pocket tens held against joskins’ A-Q. He was forced to lay down a few times, and found himself back down to 1,300,000. Feeling short stacked, he bluffed all-in on the button with Th 8s. Squirelly1 raised over the top with pocket Queens from the small blind, and set888s was in bad shape. Not surprisingly to those watching the final table, set888s squeezed out a Ten on the flop, and another on the turn to drag the pot.
However, this kind of luck could only last for so long. A few rounds later, karma caught up with set888s for the last time. Set888s he raised on the button with Ah Kh, and joskins re-raised from the big blind with As Qs. Nothing was keeping the money from going in here, and once again, the underdog reaped the rewards. A Queen-high flop doomed set888s, and his rollercoaster ride finally ended with a third-place finish. He had to settle for almost $43,000 – not too bad for a night’s work.
Heads-up play began with Squirrely1 at a deficit of 3.5 million to 5.5 million. A few hands in, Squirrely1 lost 1.5 million chips on a bluff, after joskins came over the top all-in on the flop. Joskins kept applying pressure pre-flop, forcing Squirrely1 to fold. The end looked inevitable, as Squirrely1 appeared card dead and his bluffs were not working.
On the last hand, Squirrely1 limped in pre-flop with just under 2,000,000 in chips. Joskins checked with Tc 6h. Post-flop, joskins led out for 120,000 on a Qc Qs Th board, and Squirrely1 called. A queen on the turn gave joskins a full house, and he led out again for 120,000, which Squirrely1 called. Joskins moved in after an 8d on the river, and Squirrely1 called his last 1.5 million chips with Queens full of 8’s.
Squirrely1 played an incredible final table, but got card dead at the wrong times. He has several high tournament finishes on Full Tilt Poker, but will have to wait another day for his first victory. However, since his second-place finish earned him more than $65,000, he likely still feels like a winner.
Today was joskins day. Using solid, aggressive play and a little bit of luck, joskins earned a first place prize of $107,788. He can be seen around the site with his new FTOPS Champion avatar, and this victory makes him a prime contender for the Best All-Around FTOPS player for FTOPS II. Joskins started the final table as the chip leader, and managed to survive the many suckouts to achieve FTOPS gold.
