The difference between $230 and $0

I just won ANOTHER MTT; this time it was a 90-man SNG at Full Tilt. The hand below occurred on the bubble (10 players left on two tables).

No Limit Holdem Tournament
$10 + $1 KO Sit & Go
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com


Stacks:

UTG		(19775)
Hero		(16765)
BTN		(22930)
SB		(18791)
BB		(19448)

Blinds: 800/1600 Ante 200

Pre-flop: (3400, 5 players) Hero is CO

1 fold, Hero calls 1600 (definitely limping here), 1 fold, SB calls 800, BB checks

Flop: (6800, 3 players) (well, not much can go wrong on this flop!)
SB checks, BB goes all-in 17648 (top pair I guess), Hero calls 14965, SB folds

Turn: (39663, 2 players) (At this point I had seen my opponent's hand: 22. I could not believe my luck. I was thinking that I was out, unless...)

River: (39663, 2 players)

Final Pot: 35730
BB shows:
Hero shows:

BB wins 2683 ( lost -16565 ) with three of a kind, twos
Hero wins 35730 ( won +19165 ) with a straight, five high
SB lost -1600
-------------------------------------------------------------
FTP $10 90-man SNG, 2nd hour

Stack 10k = exactly average.
Blinds 250/500, antes 50, round costs 1200, M=8.

This is a knockout-tournament: each person that you eliminate earns you $2. However, I did not knock anyone out so far. 25 remain, top 9 gets paid. 12th position.

Q3 as BB, check top pair on flop, bet turn K, he folds, phew. 10.8k.

Round now costs 1400, M=7. 20 left.

Raise with A6o in MP. Short SB pushes, gives me odds of 3:1, I win the race (he had 33). My first knockout bonus! And more importantly, my stack is now 16k, M=11.

18 players left. 9 more to go... I am 7th.

Eliminate another player with 99 vs A6 (I make a full house!). Steal with A9 OTB. Stack now 20k! But round now costs 2250 (with 6 players at the table), so my M is 9.

I am starting to like these Full Tilt turbo tournaments... People seem to feel pressured to make bad decisions even sooner.

I am now in 7th position. Get a free round as BB! Nice, I had 5-3.

Round now costs 2700, M=7.5... 12 players left. 11, hand for hand play starts! 10.

Round now costs 3400... M=5. Stack 17k. Shortest stack has 11k. Darn, now 18k.

AA..Call. BB has 22, flops a 2, pushes, I call, I get a runner-runner straight.... 35k!

AJ as BB. Eliminate same opp with 66, flop AKA...

40k! 3rd position! 8 left now, so I get $21. Nice payouts start at top 4 ($80). Should outlive a few players here...

AQ in 2nd pos., raise to 3BB, all fold. 44k. Round costs 5k now! M=9.

Win HU vs BB, 44.6k. 7 left, payout $28.

QQ in 2nd pos, reraise after UTG raises. He calls, folds to my pot-sized push on flop T88. Stack 61k, oh yeah. But a round now costs nearly 6k, still OK: my M=10!

I am in 2nd position! Top stack is 100k.

Raise AJo in CO. BB calls, folds to my c-bet on low flop. 66k. BB was top stack by the way, he now has 91k.

Limp KT UTG, flop AKx, BB folds to my minbet. 67k after paying the blinds. Another player was eliminated meanwhile, so I get $43. Steal with A4: 73k.

Top stack loses another hand, now he only has 75k!

Limp KJo, no luck this time. 66k after paying BB.

KK as SB... Button pushes 44! 90k! Call a short push with AJ: win again!! 111k! Only four players left!

33 as SB. Fold to raise - he had KK! And gets beaten by 33!

I am chip leader with almost twice the stack of nr.2. Am already assured of $80.
First place is $230.

Raise J9o UTG. Button pushes, I fold. Now he has a similar stack to mine.

Time to take it a bit slower maybe... Although, round now costs 8k, M=10.

Lose a "small" pot, stack now 71k.

Call with QQ. Button pushes again, I call. And win. Payout $100, third place assured.

Shortest stack has 33k, other two stacks are 115k - 110k (me).

93k.

78k.

67k.

Round costs 10k.

64k. Finally, get a free round.

Steal as SB and as button: 80k!

Bottom stack has 40k. Not anymore, he's out. Heads up with 3:1 chip deficit.

Win showdown: I lead! Opponent pushed 77 on Jxx flop, I had a J...

165k.

199k.

221k.

I win.