Lucrative FTOPS VI hitting the home stretch

Full Tilt Poker claimed that FTOPS VI was going to be even bigger and better than the previous installments. Ten events into the tournament, Full Tilt is living up to its bold promise.

It all began last Wednesday when 3,676 players anted up for the first round of the 16-event tournament, which has guaranteed $9 million in prize money. When the dust settled late Wednesday night, almost 18,000 poker enthusiasts had taken part in the first 10 events. Event #11 was set to kick-off on Thursday night, beginning a string of six events in four days that will culminate with Sunday's $2 million Main Event, a $500+$35 buy-in, No Limit Texas Hold'em game that begins at 6 p.m. ET. Each event is hosted by a member of Team Full Tilt.

The most lucrative of the first 10 events came on Monday when "uuhhhicall" took home $250,416 after capturing the top spot in Event #8, a No-Limit Hold'em game with a $1,000+$60 buy-in. The event, hosted by Jared "TheWacoKidd" Hamby, drew 1,332 players thanks to its guaranteed $1 million payout. Second and third place were also ringing in six-figure winnings as runner-up "TopTizzlePizzle" earned $155,178, followed by "luckychewy," who made a nifty $107,226.

The Full Tilt Poker pros competing in the tournament have yet to see a Top 10 finish in any of the events. In fact, the only member of Team Full Tilt to finish in the Top 20 of an event was John "Miami" Cernuto, who placed 13th in Tuesday's Event #9 and picked up $1,703.68. The event's winner, "boogey77," cleared $58,564.

Following Thursday night's H.O.R.S.E. event, which brings $250,000 in guaranteed prize money, and Friday night's No Limit Hold'em event worth $200,000 in guaranteed money, there will be two events per day on Saturday and Sunday. John "JJ" Juanda hosts Saturday's first event (#13), a two-day No Limit Hold'em game with a $2,500+$120 buy-in that will guarantee $1.5 million in prize money. Ninety minutes after the start of Event #13, the 14th event will get underway as Eddy Scharf hosts a $100+$9 buy-in game of Omaha that guarantees $300,000.

On Sunday, Event #15 begins at 2 p.m. ET when Erik Seidel plays host to a $150+$13 buy-in game of No Limit Hold'em Knockout with at least $100,000 at stake. The FTOPS VI $2 million No Limit Hold'em Main Event will be hosted by Lee Watkinson, the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha champion at the 2006 WSOP.

FTOPS has also added a "Bouncebackability" Freeroll tournament. Starting with FTOPS VI, the last player eliminated before the money in any FTOPS event will win an entry to this exclusive freeroll where a buy-in to the FTOPS VII Main Event will be up for grabs. The "Bouncebackability" Freeroll takes place on Sunday, Nov. 252 at 4:30 ET.

Gary Trask

Gary serves as Casino City's Editor in Chief and has more than 20 years of experience as a writer and editor. He also manages new business ventures for Casino City.

A member of the inaugural Poker Hall of Fame Media Committee and a current member of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame voting panel, Gary enjoys playing poker and blackjack, but spends most of his time sitting in the comfy confines of the sportsbook when in Las Vegas.

The Boston native is also a former PR pro in the golf-casino-resort industry and a fanatical golfer, allowing his two favorite hobbies - gambling and golf - to collide quite naturally.

Contact Gary at gary@casinocity.com and follow him on Twitter at @CasinoCityGT.

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