Full Tilt Series of Poker

I haven't been excited for somethin like this in a long time, although my game hasnt had the results lately, Im really looking forward to these tourneys. Right now I've signed up for Event 1, Event 2, Event 4, Event 6, and The Main Event. So overall I'm investing $1400 into these tourneys. Hopefully I end up on the plus side.

My game was lacking until Last Night, when I drove 30 mins to play a 5 man game. I rarely get the chance to play much live, and this kinda game was the perfect game to get my confidence back as I have a lot of success playing there (not because they stink, but because I usually get a good read on all of them.

Starting stack 5k, 25/50, blinds up 30 mins

First few levels I was a complete card rack, hitting trips and top and btotom pair with The Almighty KRABLAR. Both times I think I got paid off as well as I could.

I gave away a chance at more chips by talking too much shit during level 2 when I picked up AJ in the SB and the Button limped for 100 and I popped it to 400 and got called. Flop was a very harmless J-7-3 Rainbow. I led out for 500, and got re-raised to 1400 total. I wasnt worried about having the worst hand, but I knew that I couldnt just call. Yet, if I shove all in, he's surely not gonna call unless I'm crushed, which would only be with 66 and 33, as every other hand that beats me is very unlikely, as he would never ever ever call with JJ on the button) So the big question is, how oculd I make the most money out of the hand?
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Flat-Call- If I flatcall, it puts me in a really bad spot if any K, Q, T, or 9 comes (I'm not worried about J-8 or lower), or if a 6 comes (A-6 only hand I'm worried about), or a 3 (A-3). That is to say I would auto fold, but it would make my decision tougher. So on the turn, there are potentially 16 scarecards, and that isnt even COUNTING the fact that he might have 8-8 or any pair and was using his position. So I don't think flatcalling was an option.

Raise to 2300-3000 total - I originally thought I should've done this. However with the stacks the way they are, I thought that he would be too committed. and would feel compelled to call the raise. Of course, I want to get him to call, but I still get put in the tough spot. I still think this owuld've gotten the most monetary value.

Raise All-In - The answer I ended up doing. Raising all in here lessens the value against a good player capable of folding. One question that I haven't discussed, was whether I believed that the button can fold KJ, QJ, JT, J9, etc etc. I've played with this person many a times and discussed a lot of strategy, and I see him calling with KJ and QJ, and folding everything else. I know a lot of you are thinking, if he's only going to call with KJ and QJ, why not sucker him in with a lesser bet, to get hands like JT and J9 to call? The reason was that I was out of position with a vulnerable hand, and I needed to protect it, while also trying to force the button to make a bad decision and call me.

However, he folded QJ, but it was because most of the thought process I just typed, was being said out loud by myself. Foolish, but I saved his ass. If I keep my mouth shut and move in, I think I'm gettin paid. Oh well.

With 30 min blinds, the game moved really quickly. It became a turbo tourney, and I've played a lot of them, so I felt extreeeeemely comfortable. I told myself that when everyone's stacks are under 10 M, that I'm gonna be extremely aggressive, and the plan worked. After button got knocked out with QQ vs KQ, I was ready to turn it up 4 handed.

The most important thing about changing gears, is by the time they figure out that you've changed, it'll be too late, and that's exactly what happened. I started out slow, raising a pot maybe every round, then by the end was raising almost 75% of the pots. The cards didn't matter, I didnt get any pair under 9s once, and AK once. not to mention at 200-400 with 25k total chips, the blinds were starting to add up. I picked up pot after pot (and getting nice walks from the SB), and by the time someone took a stand, it was so diminishing to my stack that I had to call (with 9-10), and I busted A-9. Life is easy sometimes.

In a turbo structure, you can't let the game come to you, which was what the other 3 players did. I think that is the main reason why live players can't succeed online, because they sit, and sit, and sit, and by the time they get what they are waiting for, they are so low in chips, that they get busted by an active player iwth a mediocre hand. I mean I can't count how many times I've heard this:

"Man my aces got cracked by 10-8 suited."
"What happened?"
"Well the blinds were 75-150 and I pushed for 750 and the BB called with 10-8! can you believe that?"
"What was his stack?"
"I dunno, close to 7k? Doesn't really matter tho it was a sick beat"

The rest of the tourney became pretty automatic, as it was nearing 6 am and we had to leave. However, one person seemed to get the aggressive part, and maybe he just caught a sick run of cards, but hey, he got the point I was trying to make all night. Sitting around in 4 handed turbo tournaments gets you crushed.

With that being said, I'm gonna get a good night's sleep, and hopefully I can have a good performance tomorrow. I also got my chat back last night on FTP, so I can give away my hands more ala Jamie Gold.