FTOPS review and Stars Super Sunday

The first installment of FTOPS for 2010 ran for the last 2 weeks ending this past Sunday. I played 5 events and had exactly zero...point...zero cashes. Was truly ugly. I did bust a red named pro on Full Tilt in the Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better event for a full tournament entry refund. In addition, I won 4 seats each to the two Omaha events and multiple to several other events but overall it was really gross and a bit of a drain on the online bankroll.

This past weekend Poker Stars ran a special $4M guarantee for their Sunday Million. Basically 35k players ponied up $215 for their shot at a $1.15M first place!! It was really insane. I got to about 12k and busted when I ran AKcc into AA in a blind vs. blind confrontation.

Tax season is in full swing limiting my play. I'm really quite fried of online tournaments anyway so just playing cash games. PLO8 is still where it is just really easy for me to make money but I am playing a lot of NLHE too since there are infinitely more players playing NLHE and it is much easier to mass table NLHE than PLO8 where the decisions are so much more nuanced and difficult. Currently playing 12-16 tables of .50/1.00 NLHE and trying to implement a MUCH MUCH more aggressive image. My "coach" is a huge winner at 2/4, 3/6 and 5/10 online games and his first reaction when looking at my stats was that I was WAY too tight and predictable. This is odd because when I play live people often comment that I am tough to read and play a pretty loose aggressive game. But the difference between live play and online is enormous.

Here is the schedule for the Borgata Spring Open which starts right around the end of tax season. The events I will likely play are bolded. This will be cool to have this to look forward to.

Borgata Spring Open 2010
Sat 10-Apr 11am Event 1A $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL 2 day

Sun 11-Apr 11am Event 1B $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL

Mon 12-Apr 11am Event 2 $400+ $50 NL H 1 day
Mon 12-Apr 12pm Event 1 Day 2 Deep Stack NL

Tue 13-Apr 11am Event 3 $7200 + $300 High Roller 3 day
Tue 13-Apr 12pm Event 4 $350 + $50 NL H

Wed 14-Apr 11am Event 5 $200 + $30 50K G. NL H 1 day
Wed 14-Apr 2pm Event 6 $350 + $50 PLO H

Thu 15-Apr 11am Event 7 $400 + $50 NL H 1 day
Thu 15-Apr 2pm Event 8 $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Fri 16-Apr 11am Event 9 $630 + $70 NL H
Fri 16-Apr 2pm Event 10 $350 + $50 Omaha/Stud 8b

Sat 17-Apr 11am Event 11 $1000 + $90 NL H
Sat 17-Apr 5pm Event 12 $500 + $50 SUPER SURVIVOR

Sun 18-Apr 11am Event 13 $215+ $35 Ladies
Sun 18-Apr 12pm Event 14 $260 + $40 Seniors

Mon 19-Apr 11am Event 15 $500 + 60 NL H Deep Stack

Tue 20-Apr 11am Event 16 $350 + $50 NL H NL H

Wed 21-Apr 11am Event 17 $170 + $30 1 R Guar? NL H

Thu 22-Apr 11am Event 18 $400 + $50 NL H 1 day
Thu 22-Apr 11am Event 19 $350 + $50 HOSE

Fri 23-Apr 11am Event 20 $1,500 + $150 NL H

Sat 24-Apr 11am Event 21 $1000 + $90 6 Max NL H 1 day

Sat 24-Apr 11:15 Super Sat Day

Sun 25-Apr 11am Event 22A $3300 + $200 BSpringOC Day 1

Sun 25-Apr 11:15 Super Sat Day 2

Mon 26-Apr 11am Event 22B $3300 + $200 BSpringOC Day 1

Tue 27-Apr 11am Event 22 $3300 + $200 BSpringOC Day 2
Tue 27-Apr 11:30am Event 23 $400 + $50 NL H 1 day

Wed 28-Apr 11am Event 22 $3300 + $200 BSpringOC Day3
Wed 28-Apr 11:30am Event 24 $350 + $50 NL H 1 day

Thu 29-Apr 11am Event 22 $3300 + 200 BSpringOC Day 4
Thu 29-Apr 11:30am Event 25 $300 + $50 NL H 1 day

Fri 30-Apr 11am Event 21 $3300 + 200 BSpringOC Day 5
Fri 30-Apr 11:30am Event 26 $250 + $30 NL H 1 day

Will be my first Main Event I have ever played and biggest buy-in I will have played. That will change this summer, however, as I have decided to play the WSOP ME for the first time. As it is a 10k buy-in I will likely play a lot of satellites both on-line and out in Vegas to get in. In addition, I may sell off part if my action again to help defray the costs.

Here we go again...

Final table of the nightly $10 rebuy PLO8. I know I shouldn't be complaining after the Borgata but does this have to happen EVERY time on-line....


***** Hand History for Game 39104303067 ***** (Poker Stars)
Tourney Hand PL Omaha Hi/Lo - Tuesday, February 02, 02:35:33 ET 2010
Table 283010991 2 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Seat 3: areastm_19 ( $320325.00 USD )
Seat 5: bwslim69 ( $198517.00 USD )
Seat 9: gde246 ( $574658.00 USD )
areastm_19 posts small blind [$4000.00 USD].
bwslim69 posts big blind [$8000.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to bwslim69 [ K 9 J 3 ]
gde246 folds
areastm_19 calls [$4000.00 USD]
bwslim69 checks
** Dealing Flop ** [ J, 8, J ]
areastm_19 bets [$8000.00 USD]
bwslim69 calls [$8000.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3 ]
areastm_19 checks
bwslim69 bets [$24000.00 USD]
areastm_19 raises [$80000.00 USD]
bwslim69 raises [$136000.00 USD]
areastm_19 raises [$224325.00 USD]
bwslim69 calls [$22517.00 USD]
areastm_19 wins $121808.00 USD
** Dealing River ** [ 5 ]
areastm_19 shows [6, A 8 J ] Jacks full of Eights
bwslim69 shows [K, 9 J 3] Jacks full of Threes
areastm_19 wins $198517.00 USD from main pot


$800 difference between 1st and 3rd.