In the second half of today's two-parter, we show off why chasing every single draw is absolutely the key to solid freeroll poker.

We arrive at the final table of the late PO freeroll. While I am sitting on just under 20bb's, it's not as uncomfortable as you might think considering that I'm actually one of the top stacks. Still, 20bbs is 20bbs, and there's simply not much room for fancy play.

The Big Blind in this hand, NuGHuFFer712, is also sitting on 20bbs, slightly more than I, after recently lucking his way from bottom stack at this final table by getting his chips in behind on a flush draw. Which brings us to this hand:

We're down to 6, and I'm on the button. I look down at Q♥T♥. Not a powerhouse, but certainly two broadway cards is fine to open from the button. I pop it my standard 2.25x. I make these smallish raises when the antes get big for a few reasons. First is pot control. Nobody is fat-stacked, so keeping pots manageable is good for everyone who isn't holding AA or KK, which is usually everybody. I'm also comfortable playing most of the PO freerollers post-flop. Also, if I'm re-raised, I have no trouble getting away from a small pot. Additionally, sometimes I actually have a hand, so my smaller raises induce a lot of idiotic bluffs.

The small blind, Ch1pG0tt1870, makes a very loose call. I can't remember exactly how many chips he had (and of course Carbon's HH's don't bother to clarify), but I do recall thinking that with his stack, he's either way too loose or setting up a trap. Given that I'd watched him play for a while, I was fairly confident in ruling out the trap. If he'd had a hand to play, it should have been for all of his chips.

The big blind, our hero in this story, also makes the call. Now, with my small raise, he could have almost anything, and since I've only seen him play loose and aggressive, I'm perfectly fine letting him come into a raised pot from out of position. If he fires off a donk bet, it only serves to narrow his range. Yes, there will be times when I am trapped, but with our stacks, that worry is less relevant, as if I hit the flop, I'm not likely to fold. If we were much shorter, I could hit a flop AND have him show me an overpair, and good ol' mathematics would still justify a call. But generally, at 20bbs, most of the hands he'd have that have me beaten pre-flop should generate a 3bet of some kind. But no, he just calls, which is exactly what I want.

With the pot now at 8400, or 7bbs, we see a flop:

2♦6♠Q♠

For my Q♥T♥, this is a decent flop. Top pair but a shady kicker. Ch1pG0tt1870 doesn't have enough chips to do anything other than shove, so when he checks that flop, it only confirms what I've already known - he's loose. And he missed. He makes his best play thus far in the hand by folding.

But NuGHuFFer712 does NOT fold, instead he fires out a perfect 3/4-pot-sized donk bet. Now, given our stacks, I can safely assume that if he's got me beat at this point, he's likely to have waited to see my C-bet then check-raise his pile. This donk bet, conversely, confirms that I am ahead in the hand. It's very likely he has a weaker Queen, a strong 6, or some variation on a draw or combo draw. He makes the pot look delicious, so I ship my pile in, putting him to the test. Does he want to put his tournament on this hand?

He tanks for a bit...we have, after all, been playing for over 2 hours, we're down to just 8, and he has to know at this stage that his hand is trailing. But that doesn't deter him...the answer to my question is "Yes," and he calls himself down to just a big blind or so with:

T♠7♠

No pair, no straight possibilities, just a naked ten-high flush draw. Pre-flop, I was favored about 70/30...after the flop, once the chips get in the middle, I've lost a little ground, sitting at about 63/37. The turn, teaser tho she was, drops a helpful Q♣.

In these all-in situations online, unlike in a live tourney, there is no pause for dramatic effect. We don't cut away to a Milwaukee's Best Light commercial, hanging on the anticipation of the final card. No, with me now leading a comfortable 82/18, and knowing he has but 8 outs remaining in the deck, the end comes swiftly: 3♠

NuGHuFFer712 would go on to win the tourney, undoubtedly confirming his own brilliance. Ch1pG0tt1870 got 2nd which is another win for us all. These are the players upon which we depend, and these are the finishes which we must accept occasionally for them to continue to play the way they do.

KUDOS to today's Horribad PokerOwned freerollers. You've demonstrated yet again that poker is, after all, a game of luck.