Reporting from the Florida Million

The Florida Million is a truly different event. Games capped at 150 players are being held at six participating cardrooms (Day Ones) throughout Florida with the top 10% winners of each game meeting at Derby Lane in St. Pete for Day Two. Every player making Day Two will be in the money. The current prize pool has already exceeded the guaranteed $500K and is now over $650K. The event has been really well run and well promoted. The site updates after each round of Day Ones and lets us know what the average and big stack sizes are as well as the number of participants. There's also a good blog on the site that explains the rationale behind all of the decisions which seem very well considered.

I played at Mardi Gras, the only room in the Dade/Broward area. I played on March 14th and it was a sellout with people turned away. It was a great format ( 15,000 chips/40 minute levels/$550 buyin), and the atmosphere was charged. Everyone really wanted to win and had their A game (except me that is...wanted to win/had B game). I made some loose calls that I generally wouldn't make and don't know why I did since everyone was playing really well.

The game lasted until around 12:30, a solid intense focused 12 hours for those who made it. I went by later to see some friends and it was down to four tables which were really quiet except for an occasional knockout everyone-out-of-their-seats eruption.

I'd like to give it one more shot. Most of the rooms have been running good satellites. The problem for me is that the skills for winning the satellites are pretty much the opposite of winning the longer format games. The thing I love about this whole event is that you only have to beat 150 players to make a very, very big payout possibility. I frequently cash at the Hard Rock and Dania where there are generally over 225 players so this 150 number sounded appealing.