Win #5

I'm starting to like this back to back thing.

Where to start... ok... I found the time to play in PokerSavvy.com's 1K freeroll for bloggers at poker.com... but, I missed the start by a couple of minutes. (here's the reply to your comment drewspop!)

A little bit pissed off because I couldn't get to play against all those poker blog veterans, I decided to head over to Stars to continue to grind out my first deposit bonus.

I two tabled 1/2, winning $6.50 on one, and had my first ever mini-tilt on the other and losing $33.75 there. The only redeeming value on that second 36% seeing the flop table was, with an amazing 88% VPIP winning luckbox that everyone took shots at, those FPPs come in fast and furious. Amazing player up over $100, I hit my 100th FPP.

As this was happening, a $2.20 MTT was about to start and with Stars' generous 20% payout structure, I thought let's give this a try and see how the competition is in these micro buy-in MTTs.

Though there were less early all-iners, the play that I saw was just as random as any freeroll. Which is actually pretty bad because of the schooling fish theory. I just sat tight past the second level not playing one hand when I get KK.

[insert standard 2 outer not-a-bad-beat knock out story]

I guess variance is not with me today at Stars.

I still had some time available so I headed over to my newest favorite European filled site, i4poker... where I won yesterday.

A €35 Added freeroll was starting up and in the blink of an eye, I found myself...

58th with 60 left. M at 4. Top 18 payout.

Now let me tell you a secret that has gotten me ITM frequently in freerolls playing short stacked.

Standard practice when your M is approaching or is at the red zone is to loosen up and try doubling up. Against good competition, that's the right move since good players know to let the blinds take care of the smaller stacks.

In freerolls, I go the other way, tightening right up and controlling the time used for each hand. This is for the obvious reason of watching all the other short stacks loosening up and getting knocked out before you and the NOT AS obvious reasons of:

1. making sure the table stays full so the blinds get back to you slower as well as letting you see more hands per orbit looking for monsters,
2. manipulating when the blinds reach you. You would want to be in the blinds as the last two hands before a level up.
   
3. catching the reshuffling of tables. Since when you move to a new table, the blinds may have just passed your position giving you a 'free' orbit.

All this effort is simply to give you as many hands as possible to catch a monster before you bust out. Using this short stack strategy in freerolls, I've been able to see upwards of 40+ 'extra' hands amongst which there is always a couple of premium chances.

So from 58th and staying as one of the three shortest stacks, I reached 31st out of 33 left. M is now down to 2.5 when in the BB, two big stacks just call to let my K4o see a K84 flop.

Boom, I triple up and now I'm up to a more comfortable 20th. I love it when they then go 'nh' after serving up their chips.

I make final table third in chips. And I got lucky heads up rivering my flush and I win my 5th MTT.

With 27 €0.50 rebuys, the prize pool went up to €48 and my first place takes €11.

1/546. And it only took 1:45!




btw: If you were wondering, my all-in preflop KK at the Stars' MTT gets called by QQ that flopped a set.