Thanks to the FTR tournament specialists

[Pyroxene]

I took 5th in the 2200+ person $3 MTT last night (and should have placed better as I was chip leader with about 1/2 of the total chips with 7 people left.) All the tips and guidance in this forum helped a lot.

Though, while all the technical guidance was great, it was a piece of non-technical guidance that made me smile the most:

Mid way through the tournament, I had TPTK on the flop and I lead out with it. I guy went All-In over the top of me and he had me covered. He had been loose and semi-bluffed a lot. I called and, sure enough, he was on a flush draw with a T8s (called a 4xBB PF raise with that). He missed the flush and I doubled up.

The very next hand I opened with a 3xBB raise from MP with AJs and I get called by the button who was a tight player. The flop gives me 2 more to my flush but no other help, a King falls. I check and he bets the pot. I decide to rep Aces or Trips to see if I can push him off so I quickly check-raise. He calls. The turn gives me my flush and I push the rest of my chips and he calls. He had TPTK with an AK and I took it with the flush.

He starting calling me every name in the book, on and on. At that point I used the line (I think from Fnord), "shhhhh, I'm counting your chips." Several at the table broke out with "LOL" and it put a smile on my face.

Thanks for all the help.

[Corey]

Where was this at? Pokerstars?

good job what was your pay out

[Pyroxene]

Where was this at? Pokerstars?

good job what was your pay out

Yes, PokerStars. The pay out was about $330 for a $3+0.

[Corey]

good job, I played in a $3 mtt the other night 3rd hand get to the chip leader at 7k. Nice double up. Just couldnt substain my stack.

Did you get to a quick start, or just progress as the blinds did?

[Pyroxene]

Did you get to a quick start, or just progress as the blinds did?

I play pretty tightly at the start of tournaments. I was running at about the average stack size until around the second break. I made a couple of good plays near the second break and was sitting in the 40-50 place out of 300+ people left. After the second break people started going into blind stealing mode and I caught AA in two hands in about 30 minutes. That let me call some large All-In blind stealers twice and that drove me into the top 10. Some steals and some good hands took me to 1-5 place all the way to the final table. I was sitting with 1.6 million (about half the total) at the final table and I botched a hand. With 7 people left, I raised with KQ and got called by the second stack. The flop gave me a Q on an otherwise junk flop. I bet it and he called. I pushed too hard on the turn bet and he went over the top of me. At that point I had to call due to pot odds. He had AQ, so I doubled him up and dropped to about 1 million myself. I botched one more that involved trips and dropped to 3rd place. 20 hands later I raised heavy from LP with A5s and got re-raised by the SB who was in second at the time. The reraised bothered me, but he was extremely aggressive and had been caught trying to push people off several times. I called and the flop came 885. I felt this was a pretty good flop for me so I bet it. He called, turn was nothing, I bet hard, really pot committing myself. He reraised to All-In. I had little left in my stack. I called and he flipped over pocket Aces. No one to blame but myself, poorly played on my part really.