FTOPS Event #20, $200+16 NLHE 6-max: 'wesh cousin' Visits Victory Circle

Mickey Doft Live Reporter

Feb 14, 2009 2 min read

FTOPS Event #20, $200+16 NLHE 6-max: 'wesh cousin' Visits Victory Circle 0001

Event #20 of the eleventh Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS XI) was a $200+16 NL Hold'em 6-max guaranteeing $400,000. After 2,360 players registered, the prize pool was set at $472,000 with first place awarding $92,984. Just missing the final table were Karls_Hungus in ninth ($6,112.40) and Huck Seed in 11th ($4,484). The chip counts at the start of the final table were the following:

doezz - 3,163,147

wesh cousin - 2,159,514

Jack "Doctor_Fun" Powell - 2,118,310

JBlaze20 - 1,822,555

Rafal (Ralph) "lilfishy897" Michalowski - 1,275,157

bankrollme87 - 1,261,317

JBlaze20 was the first to depart the final at the 25,000/50,000/6,000 level. After JBlaze20 min-raised from under the gun, Jack "Doctor_Fun" Powell re-raised all in for 965,256 in the cutoff holding A?Q?. JBlaze20 called with 9?9?, but saw the board come 10?Q?2?K?2? and was out in sixth place for $14,868. Busting on the final hand of the level was bankrollme87, courtesy of Jack Powell. In the small blind Powell shoved and bankrollme87 called all in for 440,460 with A?4?. Powell tabled K?6? and won the hand as the board rolled out 5?K?7?10?2?. For the fifth-place showing, bankrollme87 added $22,184 to his.

Former chip leader doezz went out at 30,000/60,000/7,500. Ralph "lilfishy897" Michalowski raised to 160,500 in the cutoff and doezz called from the button. In the big blind wesh cousin called as well and the flop came 5?3?Q?. It was checked to Michalowski, who bet 328,500, but doezz raised to 1,530,000. Wesh cousin got out of the way and Michalowski re-raised all in with the bigger stack. doezz called all in and showed 5?5? against Michalowski's A?8?. The 10? on the turn made Michalowski's flush and a safe J? landed on the river. Doezz took fourth for $31,152. Jack "Doctor_Fun" Powell departed shortly thereafter. Ralph Michalowski opened to 161,500 on the button and Powell shoved from the small blind for 1,280,191 with 4?4?. Michalowski called and tabled A?A?. The 7?4?A? made sets for both players. The turn and river came 9?5? and Jack Powell was out in third for $40,828.

The chip counts to start heads-up play:

Ralph "lilfishy897" Michalowski - 10,930,137

wesh cousin - 869,863

Surprisingly, when the tournament ended less than one level later it was wesh cousin who took it down. Wesh cousin doubled up several times, including A-Q vs. A-9 and A-6 vs. K-Q, to take the chip lead. On the final hand Michalowski opened to 240,000 and wesh cousin shoved with a slightly bigger stack. Michalowski called all in for 4,769,548 with 10?10?, leading wesh cousin's A?8?. However, the board ran out 7?3?7?5?A? as wesh cousin rivered the ace for the win. Michalowski's runner-up effort was worth $58,981.12, while wesh cousin took down $92,984 for winning FTOPS Event #20.