FTOPS XI Event #10, $300+22 NLHE: Steve 'gboro780' Gross Wins

February 09, 2009

Mickey Doft Live Reporter

FTOPS XI Event #10, $300+22 NLHE: Steve 'gboro780' Gross Wins 0001

Event #10 of the eleventh Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS XI) was a $300+22 no-limit hold'em tournament guaranteeing $1,500,000. It drew a field of 5,325 to create a total prize pool of $1,597,500, the biggest purse of the series thus far, with first place being $275,600.70. Among the best finishers just missing out on the final table were Rodney "BIGFLOPPER01" Burt in 14th place ($11,102.63), Keith "DaMurdera3" Ferrera in 16th ($7,827.75) and Roy Winston in 17th ($7,827.75). Headlining the final table was online superstar Steve "gboro780" Gross. The chip counts to start the final table were the following:

Jeremy "Jerms13" Lordge – 5,778,983

Steve "gboro780" Gross – 3,950,608

BUSTYOU79 – 3,937,303

Pat "TorontoToro" Pezzin – 2,894,328

ilovemypuppy – 2,550,376

nevermo – 2,281,757

Shoomie – 1,970,903

J4d3dr4g0n – 1,858,984

Drow – 1,401,758

Drow bid adieu at the 30,000/60,000/7,500 level. After raising to 180,000 from middle position, Drow faced being all in after BUSTYOU79 reraised on the button. Drow called quickly with A♦Q♦ and was racing against BUSTYOU79's 9♠9♦. The board ran out 5♣5♥K♠10♠8♠ and Drow headed home in ninth place for $20,767.50. J4d3dr4g0n headed for the exit at 40,000/80,000/10,000. Jeremy "Jerms13" Lordge opened to 195,000 from early position and J4d3dr4g0n went all in on the button for 2,068,984. Lordge called, with his Q♣Q♥ dominating J4d3dr4g0n's 7♣7♥. The board rolled out J♦6♣2♥8♦8♣ and J4d3dr4g0n was out in eighth place for $27,956.25. Pat "TorontoToro" Pezzin departed in the next hand. He raised to 200,000 in the cutoff and Steve "gboro780" Gross re-raised to 527,474 on the button. Pezzin took a moment before shoving for 2,664,328. Gross quickly called and tabled Q♣Q♠ to Pezzin's A♥K♠. The board came 3♣6♦9♥8♠5♥ and Gross won the coin flip to eliminate Pat Pezzin in seventh place for $36,742.50.

At 50,000/100,000/10,000, ilovemypuppy went down to the felt. BUSTYOU79 raised to 300,000 in the cutoff and ilovemypuppy shoved for 1,556,350 on the button. Jeremy "Jerms13" Lordge re-raised all in for 4,720,269 in the small blind and isolated the action. Lordge's J♦J♣ defeated ilovemypuppy's 5♥5♦ when the board rolled out 7♠2♣8♥A♣Q♠. For the sixth-place showing, ilovemypuppy collected $47,126.25. A few hands later Shoomie opened to 245,454 on the button, and nevermo went all in for 2,401,124 in the small blind with A♠5♣. Action folded back to Shoomie, who immediately called with A♥K♥. The board served up J♦Q♣9♦9♣2♥ and nevermo was nevermore, but with fifth-place money of $63,101.25.

Jeremy "Jerms13" Lordge was the next to exit, at 60,000/120,000/15,000. After losing with A♠K♥ to Shoomie's A♥Q♦, Lordge was all in for 1,310,976 with 8d8c and was up against Steve "gboro780" Gross' A♠Q♥. A queen fell on the flop and it was enough to send Lordge to the rail in fourth place for $83,868.75. Shoomie succumbed in the next level, 80,000/160,000/20,000. BUSTYOU79 raised to 480,000 in the small blind and Shoomie shoved for 3,691,415 from the big blind with K♦10♥. BUSTYOU79 called all in with A♠9♠ and won the hand when the board ran out 2♣2♥4♣5♣J♦. Shoomie was down to less than a big blind and was soon eliminated in third for $107,352.

The chip counts to start heads-up play:

Steve "gboro780" Gross – 17,421,922

BUSTYOU79 – 9,203,078

Heads-up play lasted only two hands before Steve "gboro780" Gross took it down. He opened to 440,000 and BUSTYOU79 re-raised to 1,120,000. Gross immediately went all in and BUSTYOU79 called all in for 8,243,078 with K♣Q♣. Gross held 4♥4♠ and was favored by the 7♦5♠6♦ flop. The turn card was the 6♣ and gave a few more outs to BUSTYOU79, but the river was the A♥ and BUSTYOU79 finished in second place for $166,938.75. The winner of FTOPS Event #10 and $275,600.70 was Steve "gboro780" Gross, who added the victory (and custom FTOPS avatar) to his outstanding accomplishments.