My eighth successive cash

This has never happened to me before! I started playing this 90-man game, fully expecting that this would mean the end of my winning sequence. By the way, it seems that $100 tournaments are hard to come by at Full Tilt, I guess not that many people are interested in playing at this level. Probably you can get them during U.S. evenings... Anyway, the highest tournament regularly on offer is $69 (45-man SNG). I thought about joining it but in the end decided to play this $24 game instead.

Again, there were many bad players around. Still, I needed an unnatural amount of luck to make it to the final table, where my run came to an abrupt end...

FTP $24+2, Knockout, 2nd hour

Stack 7430, avg = 9000 (30 out of 90 left). Blinds 250/500, ante 50: round costs 1200. M=7.5 since I just won a pot :-)

The pot went: I raised A6 in CO on a pure steal, BB calls, check-folds flop KKT. Am now 12th out of 30 remaining.

Blinds: down to 8k. AT OTB. Call short push (1230). SHould have isolated here. BB calls, we check it down, we split the pot! Shorty had AJ! Board contained AKKK...

Again 9k!

But down to 7.5k after next blinds, that are now 400/800, antes 700 (in a round). Round costs 1900, M=5 because I just won another pot :-)

I completed as SB, missed the flop, but nobody bet. I had T9, the turn was a 9, the flop had been Qxx. I had to believe I was good here, so I pushed my remaining 7k into the 3k pot. Both opps folded.

We just had a triple showdown, 9-7 beat 77 and QJ... Only 17 players remain! I am in 12th position. We are down to 2 tables.

Had to pay the blinds again, down to 8k again. Not getting a chance to steal OTB with A2.

Rounds now cost 2500... M=3! Desperate.
Push A4 on next hand, get called by AK... Flop a 4, we share the pot!! Other cards on table were TT77.....

Now I have 9k again. Although we shared the pot, I improved because of the very high antes.

Push JJ in 2nd pos. Called by K8!! And I win!!!! WHAT a moron... Now I have 20k suddenly, M=8.

AQs as BB! Lose a race to 5-5, down to 12k. Actually flopped an Ace, he rivered a 5...

Push J7 in CO, BB folds after LONG thought, phew! That immediately brings me back to 15k. But a round now costs 3k, so my M is 5.

Still 15 players left, it is going slowly. Next break in 36 minutes.

13 left. I have 11k now. Round costs 3800, M=3..

KJ OTB. Push after limper. OOPS!! after two limpers... but both fold!!!! very lucky here.

Push again on next hand with AKs. All fold. Suddenly up to 21.5k. Should really make the money here... 88 > KQ, 11 players left!

T9s as BB. Fold to push, obviously. Am in 7th position.

Push A7 as SB, BB folds. 22k. Fold 54s in next hand after limp and minraise.

Round now costs 4500... Blinds are 1k/2k!

Down to 17700 after blinds. I push again as SB, this time with K7 (is this a bad move? I had pushed against him in the previous round as well); BB calls with A6 (??? this IS a bad move, I would say) and I RIVER a 7 after being behind the whole time. Very, very lucky.

Now my stack is 38k and I am in 2nd position overall. Round now costs 5k, so my M=7. Only 10 players left. Definitely not going to take undue risks now.

Showdown! AK vs QQ, short stack LOSES, I am IN THE MONEY!!!

FINAL TABLE

Let's see how deep I can make it. Payout already $45 (net $21). Just $4 more and I am above $1000 at Full Tilt.

A8s as BB. Fold to UTG raise.

Round now costs 8k!! My M is just slightly above 3, but I am still in 3rd position.

Push KTo, AK calls... and wins. But another player lost in the previous hand, so I finish 8th, $54. Bankroll at FTP now $1004. Very nice... Unlucky about this last hand, but of course very very lucky on earlier occasions.