April 28th , 2010 On Feltstars: 5k guarantee $60 R/A and
7500 guarantee $22 in R&A

On Playshare:
20k and 10k guarantees

I started my day smoothly with the 20k on playshare, a nice little tourney who attracts usually around 350 players for a buy in of 25 euros with R&A. Everything was going smooth for the first 2 hours and suddenly all changed when a player made a large raise, I looked down at JJ, a hand that I don’t particularly like, so I think twice and I just call the raise, flop comes KQJ with 2 hearts, ok That’s a little better, the raise bet, I decided to raise right away and not let him draw, in case he had only Ace high or 10-10, well bad idea, he shoves all his chips in and he had me covered, I was pot committed and I had a set so I called, the player showed A-10 spades for a flopped straight, ouch…the board didn’t pair and I was out quite early.

Same story in the 10k, after about 2 hours of play , I call a mini raise with A-10 suited, (bad idea) flop comes A-10-5, the raiser bet, I shove , insta-call , he shows 10-10, not my day on playshare …

I then focus on the 5k guarantee on Feltstars, I am average on chips with 35 players and even if they pay only 5 spots, fifth pays $400,00, well worth it with 2k for the winner. I, then, play methodically, and grind my way up to the second place on the leaderboard with 45k .

With 25 players left, I make my first bad decision and my best decision of the day in the same hand. I limp with 77 with 3 players in pot, the flop comes, 7-10-Q, sweet trapping time hehe! BB bets 2k, middle position folds and I smooth call, the turn is an 8 and he bets again 4500
Now I start to regret my post flop call, raising could have been a better idea… I am worried of a str8 and I just call the turn as well, the river brings a 2, I decided to lead, to see where he really was and bet 4k, he shoved immediately 20k, hmm! I believe he had what I thought he had, a Str8, so painfully I fold my set telling the table what I am folding and the player says good fold, showing 8-9 for a turned Str8, ouch!
Players at the table can’t believe I folded a set, but that fold keeps me in 4th place instead of being crippled and I will stay in the top 10 until the final table, good fold after all.

I start the final table with the average stack of 29k, 2 chipleaders at 90k.
With my tight play I reach the money and with 5 players left the battle starts and I find my self heads up with 30k against a 275k chipleader. I grind my way up to 150k ( almost even) when I get AA, I decide to trap him and I just call the blinds, he raises to 20k, I flat call, flop comes K-5-2 with 1 club, he bets 15k, I call , hoping he shoves on the turn, turn is the 10 of clubs and he shoves, I call and he shows 8-6 of clubs for a flush draw, I have him crushed unless…yes the queen of clubs hits the river and bye bye Nadim.

Well I take second for $1250 and if I had to replay that hand I wouldn’t change a thing. Until next time
May the flop be with you