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#049 – FTOPS #8, Update C – My Enemy, Allen Cunningham
We are at the third break in the PLHE FTOPS event. We are closing in on the money (153 get paid), with 177 left. The average stack is 15,525. David Chiu (4th) and Clonie Gowen (40th) both have a lot of chips, more than double the average. Stuart Paterson and Lynette Chan are still in as well, but they have short stacks.
I am still in it, with 10,628 chips. It wasn’t easy with a short stack and Allen Cunningham to my left. On the other hand, with a bunch of luck (though not as much as people generally think), an online dude can topple the best pro.
In a battle that will live in my memory for a long time, but which Allen Cunningham has in all likelihood already forgotten, we were both way under the tournament average. It was folded to my small blind and I limped. Allen pushed, which I half expected him to do, and I folded. I picked up a bunch of chips, then quickly gave them to Cunningham.
Next time in the small blind, I was dealt A-Ko. A late position player raised the pot. I just called the raise, not wanting to make the pot big enough to commit myself before the flop. Besides, if the raiser had an ace, I WANTED him in the pot. I also thought there was a chance Allen might make a move, since there was a bunch of chips in the pot and the raiser was sandwiched between us.
Allen moved all-in and the raiser folded. I called and Allen showed 3-3. His pair held up, however, and he went from 3,000 chips to 8,000. I went from 10,000 to about 6,000. A couple hands later, I “got back at him.”
It was folded around to me in the cut-off. I raised with Kd-7d. Allen re-raised the pot. I thought he was making a move. Maybe I think that every time I’m in a hand with a pro but I thought I had a better – or at least not too much worse – hand. I re-re-raised all-in, which was only a couple thousand more than Allen’s re-raise, so I didn’t think I could make him fold. I figured I was screwed if he had a big pair, 50-50 if he had a small pair, 40-60 if he had an ace other than ace-king, and a favorite if he was messing with me.
I called with A-Jo. But the flop came diamond-diamond-diamond and I doubled up with the flush.
Allen didn’t say a word the entire time I was at the table – he has still never spoken (or typed) a word to me – but the rail went mad.
What could I say? My downside was that I was probably a 40-60 dog if I was wrong. I was wrong and I hit my 40% shot in an improbable fashion.
This was the best defense I could muster, after I said I keenly deduced that Cunningham had nothing: “I suppose you can guess which of us has made over $7 million at the WSOP and which of us writes about guys who have made $7 million at the WSOP.”
Someone else busted Allen a little while later.
ADDENDUM
I busted on the first hand after the break, 20 short of the money. I raised with 2-2. A big stack at the table raised and I moved all-in. It was just a couple thousand more so he called. He had Ah-Jh.
How’s this for a flop? J-A-A. And then he got another jack on the river. After a beating like that, I’m surprised I didn’t bust out of TOMORROW’S FTOPS event at the same time. Ouch.
