#050 - FTOPS #8 - Update D - Education

They just started the final table of the PLHE FTOPS event. It took 6:08 to get this far, which is fast. (My sense of time is a little skewed, though I will explain why in a moment.) They just started the 8,000-16,000 level. The average chip stack is just over 200,000, so this is not as deep-stacked an event as most of the others.

In fact, 15 minutes ago, David Chiu was the last Full Tilt pro eliminated in sixtheenth place, so the players are literally racing to double-up-or-quit.

I decided to spend some time in poker purgatory while I watched the last two tables, entering the 3 AM EST $3,000 Guarantee $24 + $2 PLHE event. Even though I swore off the smaller buy-in/guarantee events, I wanted to see if I learned anything from my experience tonight. And who can watch poker without playing, huh?

On the second hand, a player in middle position raised to 90 a couple players called so I, in the big blind with Ah-4h called. The flop came Ad-9s-4d.The raiser bet 90 (there was 360 in the pot) and two others called, so I bet 720. The original raiser called. The turn was the eight of spades. I bet the max, 1,900. He called. I had just 210 left and bet it after the river brought the queen of spades.

He had As-7s for the double-runner flush.

I was eliminated 202 out of 203.

But I did learn something: when to quit.

I might conceivably skip tomorrow’s FTOPS event, the half-PLO half PLHE. Some of my friends in poker are doing an event in my town and I’ll miss the beginning of the event if I stop by to say hello and maybe grab some jumbo shrimp before anyone notices them missing.