#891 – Hard Labor for Michael Craig

These next several days will be among the busiest in the history of The Full Tilt Poker Blog by Michael Craig. So you know what to expect and when, these are the activities you can expect to read about: [By the way, my Relay For Life Charity Tournament on Full Tilt is not until November 22 at 18:00 ET but I'm still looking to write some gushy column about the forums that are going out their way to help promote the cause. Let me know what you and your chums are doing, mrchaotic@aol.com.]

Read on below for the full blog to find out what’s coming in the next several days in the following areas:

*FTOPS XIV

*The Main Event Final Table

*Looking For Ivey

*Blogger-Showdown Payoff

*Vegas travel features including the conclusion of Adrift in Vegas.

FTOPS XIV

The fourteenth edition of FTOPS began on Thursday. Clearly, the Series has survived to become an “institution” on Full Tilt. Even though it doesn’t have decades of tradition – though, in “Internet years,” three years is ancient – it has survived a lot to get to XIV. There’s been the fallout after the adoption of the UIGEA, a couple generations of failed payment processors taking the Big Dirt Nap at inopportune times, competition from other sites’ big events, and competition from Full Tilt’s other big events like Mini-FTOPS and WSOP satellites.

But here we are, the fourteenth series and, though there are new wrinkles, there are a number of traditions:

*Event #1 was a Wednesday night $200 + $16 NLHE with a $1 million guarantee.

*A $500 + $35 NLHE Shoot-out (Event #3).

*A pair of $100 + $9 (unlimited rebuy) events, one of NLHE (Event #7, SA, Nov. 7) and one for PLO (Event #23, SA, Nov. 14).

*A $200 + $16 NLHE 1+1 Rebuy (Event #4, FR, Nov. 6).

*A $500 + $35 PLO-6 (Event #6, SA Nov. 7) and a $240 + $16 PLO-KO (Event #16, WE, Nov. 11).

*A $200 + $16 PLO-8 (Event #11, MO, Nov. 9).

*On the first Sunday, a KO tournament (Event #8, Nov. and a $300 + $22 NLHE to replace the Brawl and $750K Guarantee.

*The usual compliment of high-roller NLHE events, $500 + $35 NLHE-HU (Event #9, SU, Nov. 8), $1,000 + $60 NLHE-6 instead of the Monday $1K (Event #12, MO, Nov. 9), $300 + $22 (unlimited rebuys) NLHE-6 (Event #17, WE, Nov. 11), the two-day $2,500 + $120 NLHE (Event #22, SA Nov. 14).

*A couple of $200 + $16 limit events, Stud EOB (Event #5, FR, Nov. 6) and LHE-6 (Event #19, TH Nov. 12) and a $300 + $22 Razz (Event #21, FR, Nov. 13).

*The $500 + $35 HORSE and $200 + $16 NLHE-turbo running the same evening.

*A 14:00 ET $200 + $16 NLHE (Event #20, FR, Nov. 13).

*A closing Sunday with $120 + $9 NLHE-KO and $500 + $35 NLHE with a $2.5 million guarantee.

There are, however, a few new wrinkles:

*A $200 + $16  7MIX. (Event #2)

*A $200 +$16 NLHE  utilizing the new “cashout” tournament feature (Event #18, TH, Nov. 12).

Over the next few days, my participation will be limited, because I’ll be traveling to and from Vegas for the WSOP Main Event Final Table – and, of course, reporting from the Final Table. Here is what you can look forward to:

*Friday: $200 + $16 NLHE 1+1 Rebuy; $200 + $16 SEOB.

*Saturday: $500 + $35 PLO-6; $100 + $9 NLHE (unlimited) Rebuy.

*Sunday: $240 + $16 NLHE-6-KO; $500 + $35 NLHE-HU; $300 + $22 NLHE.

*Monday: $200 + $16 PLO8; $1,000 + $60 NLHE-6.

WSOP MAIN EVENT FINAL TABLE

On Friday, I’ll be traveling to Las Vegas for the Final Table. They start play just after noon PST this Saturday, Nov. 7. There will be a media conference with the heads-up players on Sunday, which I may or may not attend. I’m hoping to play the Sunday FTOPS events, plus I have to pay off my losing prop bet with AlCantHang by playing the Binion’s 2AM tournament (see below) and I may do it after play ends on Saturday night or late on Sunday night. The last two players face off at 10 AM PST on Monday. ESPN broadcasts the best of it all on Tuesday night.

I intend to post a Final Table preview between now and Saturday, though it’s not yet written. I will be as close to the action as I can get – probably about 100 feet away, typically in the worst seat in the house – and I’ll be posting all day into the night on Saturday, telling you about some of the decisive moments, doing everything I can to give you the “feel” of the Final table, and producing, where possible, information you can’t get anywhere else.

On Sunday, I might post more about what happened on Saturday, or information from the media conference … or I might not.

On Monday, because play doesn’t start until 10 PM, it’ll be the same drill as Sunday. Who knows what you’ll get. But I’ll be back for the heads-up action and providing a wrap-up when it’s over.

On Tuesday, I’ll be returning home so if I have some material that I’ve saved, I’ll start posting that after I return (and recover).

LOOKING FOR IVEY

A have loads of additional material on Phil Ivey, some of it written and waiting for me to post as Part III on Sunday, as scheduled. But it’s at least five posts worth of information so you can expect frequent Ivey information throughout the weekend. And remember, my goal is to give you information that has appeared nowhere else (or nowhere but in this blog) or that you are unlikely to know. I’ve spent five years running the same poker treadmill and Phil and I have a lot to share.

BLOGGER SHOWDOWN PAYOFF

I lost my bet last Sunday against AlCantHang by not outlasting him in the FTOPS Warm-up. I have to pay up by playing the Binion’s 2 AM tournament, which I’ll probably do 2 AM Sunday (after final-table play ends at heads-up) or 2 AM Monday (because heads-up won’t start for another 20 hours). I will share the grisly details, either right away or (more likely) after I finish posting all the Ivey stuff and Final Table stuff.

VEGAS TRAVEL FEATURES

I have written but not yet posted the conclusion to my tale from my previous trip to Vegas (”Adrift in Vegas”). I should be able to post that sometime over the next few days. I’ll be accumulating other blog-worthy experiences – like the Binion’s Eighth Circle Tournament – and I’ll post them when time permits.

Whew … sounds like I’ll be earning that $147.50 per week they’re paying me over these next few days. I hope you’ll watch for it, read it, and enjoy it.

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