Faldo Wins 225-Player Rise Poker Tourney

The most important thing is to always be yourself. Always be yourself.

Unless you can be Faldo. ALWAYS be Faldo!

Francesca Lodo can't be Faldo, so sneaking into the NPP Lounge to be near Faldo will have to do. Lucky girl.

At the post - tournament press conference, Faldo had this statement:

"Faldo would like to thank all the little people who have helped Faldo get to this point - a tournament winner!

Faldo would like to thank my coaches, my friends whom Faldo had discussed poker hands and strategy with over the years, and especially my opponents. Because after all, you can pick up knowledge thru both their good plays and bad plays over the course of playing.

So, Faldo would like to thank each and every one of you. Faldo really would.

But Faldo can't. Because Faldo did it all by himself." [Cue the applause track. No! The heavy applause track.]

The tournament boiled down to this hand really. Ten person final table, six people left. Faldo sat comfortably (20 big blinds) in 5th in chips. Everyone was pretty close in chips. Only #6 was really short-stacked. The villian was in 3rd place.

Faldo is in the big blind with (7s 5d), when the button min raises and the small blind (chip leader - 30 big blinds) calls. Faldo calls also.

The flop is [5s 2s 9h] and the small blind checks. Faldo bets about a quarter of the pot. The button re-raises half the pot and the small blind folds.

Now for some history. Since we sat down at this final table, this villian has folded only 3 hands out of 20 and had not raised maybe only 6 hands out of 20. He has won a few and lost a few, but he is obviously playing to win or go home.

Well, he probably is home, but you know what I mean.

Faldo decides that the villian has A3, A4, or a flush draw. If he has A9 or trips, then his aggressive behavior thus far earned him my suicide plunge.

Faldo moves all-in, expecting a fold or a insta-call with a dominating hand.

The villian calls with (Ks 2h)! Faldo's pair of fives holds on and now Faldo has the chip lead and cruises to victory.

But who makes this call with bottom pair and only a backdoor flush draw for their tournament life at the final table with a decent stack?

Oh, did I mention this tourney is for play chips and a seat in a money tournament we all already qualified for by making the final table?

Hey, where is everyone going? Faldo was going to allow another press conference at
Buffalo Wild Wings where everyone could buy Faldo some beers. Come back!

Faldo was knocked out early in the money tourney when his (JJ) got spiked by an (AK).