Thanks to all ...

[Greg (FossilMan)]

for your kind words and thoughts.

I got very lucky at many times throughout the tourney. Especially one all-in hand where I was still far from the final table, forced all-in by posting almost all my chips in the SB, heads-up against QQ while holding 43o. 44A flop. ;-) And there were many other hands I won with a lot of luck, so I don't want to complain.

But I certainly didn't get lucky heads-up. I think I had him all-in 4 times (3? 5?). I wasn't the favorite every one of those times, but with slightly different river cards I win the match on any of about 5 hands. Very tough. Very disappointing. I've said before, every time you don't win the tournament, you are disappointed. Even with a $40K towel to cry on.

But, I'm also very happy, and glad to see I've got so many friends here on 2+2. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Hope Harrah's doesn't cancal the WSOP. Would be a real shame to have to wait until next year to win it. ;-)

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[La Brujita]

I watched from the moment it was posted and I just want to say I am proud of the way you played.

You really played textbook aggressive poker and I learned a good bit just watching for two hours or so.

[pokeraz]

I learned quite a bit myself. You moved in with a lot more hands than I ever do. I am going to try make an adjustment. I find it hard to move in for my whole stack with 10 9. But I guess that's what sets me apart from the better players. I do know after watching you for the last 50 or so people, I have much to learn.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

If the chances of them all folding are great enough, you can move in with anything. However, if you wait until you have something to play, that is preferable. Pick hands that either figure to be the best even if called, or hands that won't leave you ridiculously far behind if called. T9 is way better than Q2, even though Q2 is a significant favorite over T9.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[kingstalker]

Hi Greg,
I was watching you play for most of the tourney and noticed you rarely limped in from early or middle postions, I was wondering if you play small pocket pairs (2-2 through 6-6) or ever play suited connctors from a early postion.

[shaniac]

Greg, good job. You and I were both shortstacks on the bubble break. I went out 117th after throwing my last 3200 in with J6o against a big stack who had 3K in the BB and A9o, hit my 6 on the flop for a 4-1 shot at survival but he made an A on the turn.

As a curio, I usually pick out one or a few players to track my progress against and it seemed our chip counts followed parallel patterns for a while. I wonder what you thought of the blind structure. I found that my 20+K stack, which served me well at the 600/1200 level suddenly became a big problem when I didn't double up before the 1k/2K level and I, the formerly nice-size-stack, was one hand away from ruin.

That hand came when the SB, who had been making this move repeatedly, moved allin on my BB. I had warned him, half-jokingly in chat, that the next time he did it, it would be 'gg for you.' Sure enough he made the move again. I called with KQo without too much thought and he turned up 8d7d. The flop of 873 left me in tough shape, the 3 on the turn giving me 6 outs and the brick on the river leaving me with around 5K, 1500 of which went to the SB after the break.

I suppose it's heartening to think that you took the same stack to great triumph, since next time it might be me.

Again, good job and congrautalions. 40K is not bad for an afternoon's work.

Shane

[Greg (FossilMan)]

I am willing to limp with a lot of hands if the stack size to blind ratio isn't too severe. However, I didn't bother with it ever in this tourney, because it was very rare for a pot to go unraised, even if there already were limpers in it. So, why limp with 66 if you know it will get raised most of the time, and for an amount you can't call.

If there were more limping, I'd join in, and did the couple of times I was in late position after a limper or two.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[M.B.E.]

Greg, I'm dying to know what you had on hand #289657295. You were shortstacked, posting big blind of 2000 and ante 100, which left you with only 1772. Two late-position limpers and small blind completed. You checked. Flop came A-Q-J rainbow. Checked to the button (IvanBoesky) who bet 2000, bringing the pot size to 10900. The small blind folded. You let a few seconds of your time bank tick before you folded, saving your 1772 for the next hand (when you'd have to post a 1000 SB).

Since you activated your time bank, I assume you briefly considered calling. So what did you have, and what are the minimum hands you would have called with in that position? Pocket deuces? a gutshot? a backdoor flush draw? (IvanBoesky turned out to have Q9.)

[Greg (FossilMan)]

I had 97o.

Terribly hand, but folding there left me on fumes, and barely any fumes, at that. I was getting something like 8:1 on the call there, so it's not like I needed many outs to justify calling, but with that flop, I could've been drawing dead, or at best to a runner-runner-Broadway-on-board tie. I knew I had to fold, but I didn't want to, which is why I let the time run out.

It's funny, because when I folded my T4o utg the hand before, I had already decided that there was no way I was folding the BB hand. Then, all those limpers, 5 I think, and I decided not to raise, just so I could bet something, even a pitiful something, if the flop gave me ANY hope. No hope flop, and I fold.

Then, in the SB, and not having enough to cover the big blind, I knew for a fact I was not going to fold no matter what. I mean, if somebody had raised all-in, (somehow) showed me their AA, I wouldn't have folded. Player raises, everybody folds, I call, BB folds, and it's my 43o vs. QQ.

44A on the flop, no Q comes, I'm back in business almost.

That was one of at least 6-8 very lucky hands for me. I think I played well throughout the tourney, but even so you need a LOT of luck to do well.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[PrayingMantis]

Greg,

Regarding going in, you say:

[ QUOTE ]
Pick hands that either figure to be the best even if called, or hands that won't leave you ridiculously far behind if called. T9 is way better than Q2, even though Q2 is a significant favorite over T9.


[/ QUOTE ]

Could you please elaborate? I think I've lost you on that one.

Thanks and Congrats on the great tourney,

PrayingMantis