Just took home 1st in the Party 06:00 30+3. 160 players started, so 1st was good for $1296. It's my first MTT win, and also (just barely) my biggest prize in one of these. My game's been immeasurably improved by the discussions on this board, so thanks everyone.
I caught a couple lucky breaks this time...had KK vs QQ to double me up to 10K when average was 2.5, and QQ vs JJ to get me from 12 to 23 when avg was 10. I didn't win any hands where I was worse than a coinflip when the money went in, though. I had two big hands at the final table. First:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t1000 (9 handed)
converter
saw flop|
<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>
Button (t11144)
SB (t19930)
BB (t21893)
UTG (t14892)
<font color="#C00000">UTG+1 (t15003)</font>
MP1 (t11620)
<font color="#C00000">Hero (t20427)</font>
MP3 (t31171)
CO (t13920)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">
1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">UTG+1 raises to t15003 (All-In)</font>, <font color="#666666">
1 fold</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t20427 (All-In)</font>, <font color="#666666">
5 folds</font>.
Flop: (t36930) 5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>
Turn: (t36930) 2[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>
River: (t36930) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>
Final Pot: t36930
Results:
UTG+1 has 6h 6c (two pair, tens and sixes).
Hero has Qd Ah (two pair, queens and tens).
Outcome: Hero wins t36930.
If I'd lost that I'd have been left with 5K at 500/1000 blinds, instead I had 37 and a small chiplead. UTG+1 had just been moved to my table, but I'd seen him make this overbet push before. (He sucked out on QQ with A5.) I expected to see a low-ish pair or any ace, and figured that winning this pot would put me in great shape to make a run at the top few spots. (Money was fairly flat: 10th got $100, from there it jumped $50-70 per spot up to $500 for 3rd, then $750 for second.) I'm happy with my play on this hand, and not just because I won it.
We took awhile to get to 6, then came big hand #2:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t1500 (6 handed)
converter
saw flop|
<font color="#C00000">saw showdown</font>
<font color="#C00000">SB (t38223)</font>
BB (t13643)
UTG (t7443)
MP (t8240)
<font color="#C00000">Hero (t45880)</font>
Button (t46571)
Preflop: Hero is CO with T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img].
<font color="#666666">
2 folds</font>, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t4100</font>, <font color="#666666">
1 fold</font>, SB calls t3350, BB calls t2600.
Flop: (t12300) K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">SB bets t12000</font>, BB folds, <font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to t24000</font>, SB calls t12000.
Turn: (t60300) 2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
SB checks, <font color="#CC3333">Hero bets t17780 (All-In)</font>, SB calls t10123 (All-In).
River: (t88203) 6[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players, 2 all-in)</font>
Final Pot: t88203
Results:
SB has Js Qs (one pair, sixes).
Hero has Td Tc (full house, tens full of sixes).
Outcome: Hero wins t88203.
I'm about 60% on the flop, 70% on the turn, and 100% on the river [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] That gave me over half the chips in play. The rest only took 20 hands and only 3 heads-up. I ended up knocking out 6 people at the final table.
My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious.