Know Your Enemy

As you can see, I came up just short in the FTOPS #17 Satellite Challenge and the $400 first prize. While I will get $200 for finishing 2nd, 2nd place sucks. As I played SNG satellite after SNG satellite after SNG satellite after SNG satellite after SNG satellite, it stopped being about the $400 bonus and started being about just crushing the souls of The Fiend and Miguel Santiago.

When I went to bed last night, I had a comfortable lead of 5; I think it was 40 to 35, not positive though. But when I woke up this morning both of them were within 1. I expected them to fade eventually since both of them had to have stayed up all night. but somehow neither did.

With the challenge closing at 2 PM, time was short, but because FTOPS #17 was starting soon the SNG satellites filled much more quickly. So I was 9 tabling SNGs for four straight hours this morning and afternoon trying to keep up with these two sickos. My laptop screen is too small for that many tables, and my computer lagging wasn't helping matters either. Since there were so many tables I couldnt get any reads and had to tighten up, and my performance suffered. With a late charge, The Fiend was able to overtake me at the last second and claim victory.

I finished up about $1,000 over the 48 hours of grinding (and that's not counting the $200 bonus), but I couldnt be more pissed off. I really thought the win was in the bag, and I'm not one to take losing well. The Fiend is a high volume SNG grinder with nearly 60k lifetime profit in SNGs, so losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of. However, for the next FTOPS, my goal is to beat him in one of these satellite challenges. He puts in absurd volume in the satellites for all the no limit events, but I think if I pick a specific event I can out-grind him.

But until that day, 56-55 will keep stinging, and will be great motivation for next time. I'm reminded of a story I heard about Coach K at Duke. When he got there, Duke was at the bottom of the ACC, and in one of his first few years there, Duke's season ended with a 101-60 loss to Virginia in the ACC tournament. After the game on the plane ride home, one of his assistants said "Here's to forgetting tonight." Coach K responded by saying "Here's to never forgetting tonight." And until the first game of the next season, 101-60 was constantly on the scoreboard at Cameron to motivate his players. Duke reached the final four that season and never looked back.

56-55. Never forget.

Thanks for reading,

George