Finally a win in the Full Tilt Nightly PLO

Ever since the FTOPS FT from last week I have had the tournament bug. Although tournaments can be an absolute grind, the feeling when you get deep in a tournament or make a final table and are in the hunt is probably the best in poker. So last night when the family crapped out after a long Thanksgiving day I decided to fire up some tournaments and see what happened. Six hours later at the late late hour of 3:30 a.m (click to enlarge)...

I have played this tournament probably 100+ times and this was my 10th final table. I had finished 2nd a few times and 3rd several times but this was my first win. The quality of the play throughout this tournament tends to be pretty bad and last night was no exception. In fact, the difference in quality of play at the FT was so striking compared to the FTOPS event that it was hard to believe.

I came to the FT as the chip leader with about 135k in chips and blinds at 2k/4k. I was opening probably 2 hands every orbit and was really running the table over. It was obv a lot of fun and I felt like barring an unlucky situation I would be in control. It did take quite some time to bust the shortstacks but once that happened I was easily able to ramp up the aggression as the other players seemed to be trying to move up the pay ladder. Finally, when we were 3 handed I had approx. 520k of the 660ish chips in play. I polished off the 3rd place finisher and then when we are HU I slowly chipped away at him before busting him with a rivered str8. Good feeling to finally win this thing.

The live front has been good as well. I finished 3rd in a $250 tournament with 24 people the other night that included Steve Dannenman and and a local 8 time gold medal winning swimmer (hint hint--think Baltimore obv). Unfortunately for me, they were slinging cash around after they busted the tournament in one of the sickest cash games I have ever witnessed. They were playing $1/$2 NLHE and NL Omaha H/L and stacks were flying in the middle. By the end of the night there was $10k++ on the tables. Couple the amount of dough with statements I heard like "I think I have a low" and "I really have no idea what I have" and I was positively drooling with the thought of getting in there. Sadly they wrapped up just as we were finishing up the tournament.

I have also been worried about something happening in my regular Thursday night game and it finally happened the other night. You see I beat those cash games basically every week for a few hundred dollars. Particularly if we play mostly Omaha Hi/Low they basically have no shot other than to cooler me. So I actually asked one of my better friends in the game a few weeks ago if those guys were going to resent me and not want to play with me anymore. He didn't think so but had heard some of them say that they didn't feel like they could be me especially in Omaha. So the other night I dragged a massive pot with nut high/nut low and one of the better players said "I am done playing with you...That's it". He only had like $150 left and reloaded. A bit later I flopped the nut flush and 2nd nut low and got into the pot with him. Normally I would milk this pot and relieve him of said $150. This time I played the hand super fast basically telegraphing my hand. A long discussion ensued where I implored him to fold. Finally he asked if I would show and I replied "If that is what it takes to get you to fold then yes I will show". He finally reluctantly folded a lower flush and the same low. I showed and he was happy I talked him off the ledge. I don't think much will come of it but it is kind of a weird thing. I mean these are my friends and while there are "No friends at the poker tables" I don't want to fleece them. So occasionally I have to do what I did or perhaps fold some hands even if I know I am likely best.