Quite possibly the biggest day of my poker playing career tomorrow!

First off I want to thank everyone at Cardschat for any help I have ever been given. This forum has been a blessing in terms of my development as a poker player with the abundance of information and excellent advice I have taken in over the years.

I started playing poker roughly 4 years ago but at that time I had no idea what I was doing. I played mostly play chips and freerolls on FTP, PokerStars and Cake. Eventually I cashed a few freerolls and built a small bankroll but I had no idea about bankroll management and I lost what I had earned. About two and a half years ago my lucrative business (my real job) came crashing down and I lost pretty much everything.

Unsure of what to do I started playing poker in my spare time again. I played freerolls and built a bankroll over $100 and then began to play low limt SnG and micro stakes poker. I eventually turned nothing into almost $3,000 before going busto again.

At that point in time I was completely discouraged and never played another hand until November 2010. I cashed a few freerolls and built a bankroll of $50 and then in January I deposited $100 on Full Tilt. The very first time I have actually invested money from my pocket into an online poker game.

Since then I've had a lot of ups and downs - that is until this past week.
I've been playing .10/.25 6 max and doing pretty well and then it dawned on me that I should start taking some shots with the profits I am making daily and using them to buy into tournaments. Today I final tabled one small tournament - and although I didn't cash due to the payout structure it brought my confidence up. At the same time I was playing the $5.5k Guaranteed on Full Tilt and was sitting with almost $300k in chips before busting out while making a horrible decision after going card dead for almost 2 hours. I finished that tourney in 22nd place good for a $40.14 cash.

I have also been using my FTP points as a means to satellite into larger buyin tournaments that my bankroll can't afford. Tonight must have been my night as I used 650 FTP in a satellite to win 2500 FTP and then I used that to win entry into FTOPS Event #1.

Initially I registered for the tournament but I was really tired from playing for almost 8 hours straight today so I unregistered. But then when I went upstairs my daughter asked me "Daddy aren't you gonna play in that tournament that gets you into the big tournament tomorrow?" So I grabbed my laptop and went upstairs and played for almost another 5 hours and won the ticket that I've been wanting for so long.

I've never played a buyin of this magnitude before but I've been on a heater for almost 4 days now. Am I supposed to use this ticket for this $216 buyin (which is basically 2/3 of my bankroll at this point) or am I supposed to hold onto it until my bankroll supports such buyins?

My gut tells me to use the ticket and play the tightest "smart" poker of my life tomorrow and hope for the best.

I wish you good luck on whatever you decide

it really depends on what situation is economically. this would be my suggestion if you could pull out 216 dollars out of your next paycheck and it wouldn't take away from any necessities in your household and you really want to play then take a shot. if thats the type of money that you need though then i would say don't play. whatever you do good luck

The thing is the satellite won me a $200+16 tournament ticket. I can't exchange it for cash and I can't break it down into smaller tickets either. But to answer your question whatever money I have in my account doesn't affect my day to day living. A big win in a huge tournament like this it could be life changing money though.

yea i see what your saying i misread your first post. If you feel your playing your best poker than go ahead and play it however if you think your tilted in the slightest or not ready for a tournament of this caliber than wait and read up a bit on these high tournaments. I'm sure if you asked for advice on here on how to play these huge tournaments someone would help. i would but i'm not a big tourney player.

If anyone has any insight in how to play in one of these huge tournaments I would appreciate any advice given. I'm gonna get some sleep though since it appears that I am going to take my shot tomorrow. I have at least 4 tournaments that I am registered in for tomorrow and that could grow depending on my mood and how I do at the ring games in the morning. I truly want to make this a "Super Sunday" and hopefully one that I'll never forget.

in my opinion that 216$ is good for your bankroll...you can play much more tourney with a low buyin with that money..so think that...if you play the ftops event and you have a bad luck tourney and don't win money?!if i was you i'll take that money for my bankroll

I would advise a few things. Not playing advice per-se but more mental approach and outlook.

1) Don't let the size of the buy-in get in your head. Yes there will be a lot of winning players in this tourney, but the cards fall the same for everyone. Which brings me to 2.

2) If you are feeling confident about your game and the skills that got you to this point, don't lose that feeling. Don't second guess yourself.

3) Just because you will feel like a fish out of water, does not mean that anyone else will know this. They don't know who you are or where you came from. They do not know how much or how little skill you may have. They are not psychic and will not be able to 'see through you' and your plays. They're just poker players like me and you. No more no less.

4) Do not play scared. You won your way into this tournament on your own merits and you can win this tournament on your own merits. Whenever I'm in a big money tourney I always think to myself: "Somebody's gotta win this thing, might as well be me."

5) Focus man. If this is the big one, nothing else matters. Don't let another tourney split your concentration.

I wish you the best of luck tomorrow (well, today I guess...). Ride your rush, momentum is big in poker, keep that feeling going.

gl there's only 992 people registered for ftops #1 tomorrow.

hell yea man. not too big of a field yet enough to make a deep run and represent CC.....TID man

That 2,500ftp satty is the same as the one that's run every week to the $750K. I'd be surprised if you can actually get the $215 T$'s when you unreg. (but looking at the lobby it looks you can ??).... typically you get a gazillioin FTPs if you unreg.... so in other words > play it!

How to play it? 'Tight is Right' isn't necessarily 'right', lol. You need to make adjustments based on the table you're on... then as it goes a bit deeper as stacks begin to range in size of 20bb's.. 40bb's.. & some still deep, you need to adjust to the stacks on the table (& the players who are on those stacks).

It's a Sunday.. there's a TON of satellite entrants in this. So, even though it's a bigger buyin of $215 there will be ALOT of donks in it (but also ALOT of the MTT regs. too obviously).

Cross fingers.. run good... don't be timid. GL!

I'd be really surprised if there were less than 6,000 entrants in FTOP#1 tomorrow.

i'd play it! I won a sunday million $215 ticket from a freeroll. Granted I never cashed but I personally believe if you win a ticket into a ticket you should never be playing with your current bankroll then you have to play it for the chance of a big day pay off.

You built a bankroll to $3k from $100...clearly you have something! Not sure how you went bust, major bad bankroll management I guess!

Goodluck dude, keep us posted

Shame about your real life business, hope everything is good now.

wow you have had an interesting poker career, im really happy you won the ticket, best wishes with whatever you decide.

Good luck. I think, as stated and for the same reasons - PLAY IT. And the advice about not thinking about the buy in is spot on. Its a tourney, and just play it. Keep concentrated, but if you are in a position where you have to put your tourney at risk, and you will be a number of times if you want to cash, use your time clock and think things through. Try to notice who plays how and adjust accordingly. PO and KAAHK both gave good tips, the best tip IMO is the one about not playing timid. Try to see who you can push around and who not. At the beginning there may be some maniacs, if you are lucky enough to have one (or more) at your table, hope for good cards and abuse them relentlessly. They will go all in with any holdings often, and if you get lucky enough to hold a premium and you can get HU with one of them, do it. If you go busto as a fave against an idiot, well, thats poker. You cant let chances go by and make the FT. But you probably are aware of this anyway.

Other than that, play as good as you can, and be focused on who you are playing with. This will be your best tool, in that you must adjust often depending on who you are in a hand with.

Good luck man ive never played a high buy in tournament before but as THEKAAHK said dont play scared, of course theres good players at this level but there is also gonna be A LOT of bad players at this level too, just play your A game and have FUN, the buyin is basically costing you nothing and is a great chance to get some more experience and possible a nice cash, but really just play the game you love.

good luck if you do decide to play! and whats your username il be rooting for ya!

In a big headline tournament like this, a lot of the players will have satellited in and won`t necessarily be any more experienced than you, so don`t be intimidated by them.

This is a deepstack tournament. If you are not accustomed to playing those, a key adjustment you must make is to avoid playing middling hands from early or middle position. When stacks are deep, there may be a full three streets of post-flop play, and this tends to maximise positional advantage. Therefore, avoid putting yourself into a situation where you must make difficult decisions out of position.

Conversely, there is much to be said for playing relatively loose when you are in the button, cut-off, or hijack seat. Now you will have the opportunity to use your position to take pots away from players to your right.

Remember that in any tournament, but especially in a deepstack, the game is not won in the first hour and there is little to be gained from taking large early risks.

Thanks to all that have responded with kind words and advice. I'm definitely gonna play in FTOPS #1 today. I also have the $5.5k Guarantee and the $14k Guarantee that I'm registered for in addition to the FTP 1st Deposit Freeroll and the OFC Buyin Event this afternoon.

Looks like I've got a pretty big slate of tournaments today. I look to continue the good play and card rush I've been experiencing over the past few days.

Yeah, ride your rush...i wish you all the best. And if you don´t cash, you can do it again. But i am sure, you will succeed !

My username is Nick Rockwell.

Like KAAHK said, just another poker game. They're looking at the same cards you are. Have fun with it, and no pressure. Whatever happens, your skills got you there and you'll be there again.

Good luck!

bd

Came on today looking for posts on BR management and your thread was the first in the result. Just want to say good luck in the tournament, and whether you win or lose I think your daughter is entitled to at least a day out with the dad.

GL. You think it will be softer and harder with it being Super Bowl sunday?

Good Luck!!

That's a big game, I wish you luck! Represent for CC

good luck broham. do us proud

Everyone is rooting for ya. TID!!

Busted out of the $14 with QQ vs AJ we got it on preflop and he flopped a boat...

2 entries in today's $5.5k Guaranteed and I got 7.5k in chips on one table and 4.5k in chips on the other.

In other news I'm up $50 on the ring games after about 2 hours of play....I really like my chances today.

OFC Buyin starting now, GL to all members representing CC!

Good luck. Giver, and play smart.

Good luck dude this would be a really great story if you do well today TID!

If you are running hot play in the tourney

and good luck to you

Good luck brother!

Well here WE GO!