Friday night I decided to enter a $10 + $2 buy-in tournament on Fulltilt.com because it was the Double A (double the prize money in the pool). It ended up getting nearly a 1000 people in the tournament, paying at a 153rd place. It was late in the tournament and the bubble was drawing near. I was short stacked (although not short stack of the table), with just under 6k and the blinds were 300/600 with $75 antes.

I’m in late position and I have

Two people fold. One person limps (with a stack of $6,050). Another person folds. I raise 3x the big blind. Everyone, including the blinds, fold. The limper calls which makes the pot $5,175.

The flop is:

Giving me a back door flush and straight draw.

The limper bets $1,200.

I call.

The turn comes:

I’m boned! The limper bets out AGAIN for another $1,200.

I can see the bubble. If I go all-in now, I risk going out in 154th place and being rightly pissed.

I take as long as I can to possible make my decision and then with a deep breath, I raise the remainder of my chip stack, $2,711. The only way I can win this pot, is to bluff at it… and if I fold, I’ll probably finish in the money, but pretty much give up any chance I have at finishing much better than just in the money.

This begins the longest 20 seconds of the tournament as I’m staring at the screening, fingers tightly crossed, hoping against hope that the limper will fold. He’s taking forever making a decision. I have to think that he’s as aware of the bubble as I am. He’s only got me covered by about $150… so he’s down in two antes.

I wait.

In the last two seconds, he folds.

I can’t believe it! I jump out of seat, scaring the hell out of my dog (who was in the room at the time).

I take down a nice size pot of 10k and last until about 113th in the tournament (for a slightly bigger payout), where I’m taking down in a much less dramatic fashion, going all-in on the short stack with an 8 9 suited.

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