I didn't go crazy playing the latest FTOPS, preferring instead to devote more of my time to Foxwoods, cash games, and golf.  Foxwoods was a bust, with an early big stack going to waste in the 5k and a heartbreaker in the 10k when Matt Stout flushed the river to beat my top pair about 10 players out of the money.  I feel a sudden urge to elaborate on my bust hand.

At blinds 1.5k/3k, Matt Stout opened under the gun + 1 to 8k with approximately 350k-400k to start the hand.  I held AKs in the cutoff, and raised to 20.2k with about 125k to start the hand.  I can raise small here to give the illusion of fold equity because I don't think Matt, or most solid internet-bred players, will call a 3bet out of position that shallow stacked.  To my surprise, the BB cold called.  This was a middle aged man who seemed to let his ego play his cards most of the time.  While I couldn't discount AA or KK, I think TT, JJ, and QQ make up 90% of his range here.  Getting the tantalizing price of over 4.5 to 1, Matt now made the call.  The flop fell Kd 7c 4c.  Obviously, I'm never folding my hand at this point, and looking to get it in on the flop if possible.  After two checks to me, I bet 27.4k, leaving myself about 80k.  I really like my bet sizing here because my bet looks like a standard continuation bet in this spot, on a board that is good for me to bluff, and is small enough to induce the BB's pocket pairs to call as well as create the illusion of fold equity if Matt should decide to make a play.  The BB folded, and Matt raised to 100k, committing to my all in.  I instantly declared "all in" and Matt muttered an obscenity as he put in the few additional chips.  He tabled Tc 8c, for a club flush draw and a three-straight of sorts.  The turn brought the 6h, the absolute worst non-club in the deck, adding 6 straight outs.  The Jc hit the river, and that was it.  Matt said "good game", and now I was the one muttering obscenities.  While I don't fault Matt's play at any point in the hand, since he was getting a great price preflop and had reason to believe he had fold equity on the flop, this hand illustrates the problem with playing these hands in shallow stack situations.  You're rarely going to flop the best hand, and instead are forced to rely on big high-variance semi-bluffs to get value.  Obviously, ten high doesn't play well all in on the flop, flush draw or not.

I headed back to Vegas and proceeded to brick some of the FTOPS events, before making a run in the $2,500 buy in event.  I got lucky early on to double up, and proceeded to play some of the best poker I've ever played online after that.  I accumulated chips for the rest of day 1, and played patient poker for the most part on day 2.  I didn't force the action and got very comfortable playing a 20-40bb stack.  I finally got some chips by eliminating the 10^th place player, and got to the final table 3^rd in chips, though I was way behind the 1^st and 2^nd place stacks.  At the final table, things couldn't have gone much worse.  Just about every short stack was doubling in coin flip situations at best, with several 25-30% double ups.  After a mid-stack's KK lost to AQo's runnered four flush to beat KK's set, I was forced to call the former mid-stack's 12bb reshove with my 66 and lost to AK.  I misplayed one small pot, and eventually had to push A3s from the cutoff, and ran into the BB's AK.  I took 8^th place for $55k, but was very disappointed in missing out on the $540k 1^st prize.

I'm heading to NY tomorrow to see my girlfriend, friends, and family, and couldn't be more excited.  Thanksgiving tip: Cut up your turkey and mix it in a big mush with your mashed potatoes, stuffing, maybe a little corn, and gravy.  It's quite good and good for you.  Enjoy the holiday.