Last weekend, Scotland’s Niall firaldoFarrell (pictured) struck gold in the Full Tilt Poker FTOPS Main Event, coming away with the win for $236,000 following a three-way chop. The tournament, a $635 No Limit Hold’em Re-Entry event, drew over 2,500 entrants, four of whom walked off with six-figures. We caught up with Farrell to break down his landmark score that has shot him up to #35 worldwide in the PocketFives Rankings.

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PocketFives: Huge score! How are you feeling about it?

Niall Farrell: I’m still ecstatic. It was a great feeling.

PocketFives: What are you going to do with the money?

Niall Farrell: I’m not sure. Most of it is going back into my bankroll so I can play higher live games. I’m going to buy a ridiculously priced steak in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker too!

PocketFives: Walk us through how the tournament went in general and what you thought about the skill level at the final table.

Niall Farrell: I was in for only one bullet, which was a welcome change. I got short very early, but then doubled up and by the time I was at the mid-stages, I had a pretty good stack. I consciously played super-aggressively during the mid-stages trying to make a real run at the final table. My stack was yo-yoing a good amount and then I got 5-5 in versus K-K for a decent number of chips and rivered a five.

With 60 or so left, the field was very tough. When we got to three tables, there were two really tough tables with timex(pictured), Phil Galfond, and LarsLuzak and one easier table that I was fortunate enough to be at. The really strong players at my table were kind of short, so I was able to accumulate fairly easily going into the final table.

The final table itself was very tough. timex, LarsLuzak, and yrwthmelthrare all top players. Chilax Chuck was the big chip leader and although I believe he doesn’t play full-time, he did a great job of applying ICM pressure on the other stacks, so it was certainly a very tough final table overall.

PocketFives: Why did you decide to chop?

Niall Farrell: Three-handed, the pay jumps were pretty huge. Chilax Chuck had the chip lead and was willing to give up a little equity to get a chop done and I think that was fair. We left $36,000 to play for that he was in the best chip position to win, so all in all it seemed fair. It was nice to lock up $200,000 too.

PocketFives: You’re about to pass $2 million in tracked scoresin your profile.

Niall Farrell: Yeah, that feels really good. Profit is the main number you look at, but having a high cash total certainly helps with that. Hopefully, we’re on the way to moorman1-esque numbers, if somewhat more slowly.

PocketFives: What separates you from other poker players out there?

Niall Farrell: I think every poker player thinks they’re really good at all times. I like to think I’m quite self-aware regarding my abilities. At the start of last year, I began thinking I could make it to the top tier of tournament players. I’m certain I can get there, but it’s going to take time and hard work.

PocketFives: When you say you’re self-aware, is that a trait you’ve had to develop or how do you know you’re self-aware? What tools do you use to analyze your game?

Niall Farrell: I think a good indication that you’re self-aware is your ROI. If you have a strong ROI, it shows you’re not playing lots of games you can’t beat but think you can and things like that.

I watch a lot of training videos and try to apply different concepts I learn. I also go over my play using PokerTracker to try to identify areas where I can improve. I recently signed with CardRunners as a high-stakes MTT instructor and that has really helped me get back in the groove of self-study and improvement.

PocketFives: You had quite a fan base railing your FTOPS Main Event win. How did that feel?

Niall Farrell: That felt great. It’s a very nice feeling to have so many of your peers hoping you do well. I feel like 70% of them were cheering hard knowing the debauchery that’s going to follow the next time we meet up.

PocketFives: You mentioned to us earlier that you were a little jet-lagged. What are you up to travel-wise?

Niall Farrell: I was in Calgary. My girlfriend is doing her PhD there, so I’m there about half the year. I’m going back to Calgary for SCOOP and then on to Las Vegas. I’m back home in Scotland now, although I’m off to Ireland for the Irish Poker Open and then straight on to Monaco for the EPT Grand Final.

PocketFives: What are you looking forward to the most at the WSOPthis year?

Niall Farrell: I always look forward to Vegas, but after three weeks there, I’m usually ready to come home. I’m really looking forward to the $10,000 Six-Max event this year. I’ve never played it and they didn’t have it last year. I’m also looking forward to the food and a free meal at Nobu that’s owed to me.

Getting a house in Vegas is really important. Staying in a hotel for that period of time on the Strip gets unbearable. We stay in a house 20 minutes away from the Strip. It’s a really good value and quiet so you can get away from the madness every night, which is great.

PocketFives: We understand you want to send a shout out to players in Scotland?

Niall Farrell: Yeah, I’d like to send a shout out to the Scotland poker chat. The boys have been crushing it this year.

FTOPS runs quarterly on Full Tilt Poker. If you don’t already have a Full Tilt account, sign up through the links on PocketFives and make a deposit to get one free month of PocketFives MTT Training. You’ll also get $25 free in most locations. Click here for PocketFives’ Full Tilt Poker link.

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