Full Tilt Online Poker Series
Encyclopedia
The Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) is an online poker tournament series sponsored by Full Tilt Poker
. It was established in August 2006
and is held approximately every three months.
The FTOPS consists of multiple tournaments in a variety of different poker games, each of which is hosted by a different Full Tilt professional. FTOPS I consisted of eight Texas Hold 'em
and Omaha Hold 'em
tournaments, but the series has since expanded to include Stud
, Razz
, and mixed games, as well as knockout bounty, shootout, cashout, short-handed, and heads up tournaments. With the FTOPS XIII in August 2009, Full Tilt added a charity event to the series to benefit Ante Up for Africa, hosted by Don Cheadle
. The main event was a $500 buy in No Limit Holdem tournament for FTOPS I to XV and is now $600 from FTOPS XVI onwards. The $2,100 Two-Day Event has for a long time been the highest buy-in tournament in the series, but as of FTOPS XIX, the $10,300 Two-Day Heads-Up Event has surpassed it.
The series features a number of ongoing challenges that reward players for certain feats, such as winning 30 hands without showdown. Players who make the final table are awarded an FTOPS jacket, and event winners are awarded an FTOPS gold jersey and an FTOPS gold jersey avatar to represent them at Full Tilt’s tables. At the FTOPS XV in February 2010, any player who makes the money in 17 of the 27 events will receive a $1 million bonus.
Full Tilt also sponsors the MiniFTOPS, which takes place one month later and features the same events at one-tenth of the original buy-ins.
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
. It was established in August 2006
and is held approximately every three months.
The FTOPS consists of multiple tournaments in a variety of different poker games, each of which is hosted by a different Full Tilt professional. FTOPS I consisted of eight Texas Hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
and Omaha Hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
tournaments, but the series has since expanded to include Stud
Stud poker
Stud poker is any of a number of poker variants in which each player receives a mix of face-down and face-up cards dealt in multiple betting rounds. Stud games are also typically non-positional games, meaning that the player who bets first on each round may change from round to round...
, Razz
Razz (poker)
Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low . The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace usually plays low...
, and mixed games, as well as knockout bounty, shootout, cashout, short-handed, and heads up tournaments. With the FTOPS XIII in August 2009, Full Tilt added a charity event to the series to benefit Ante Up for Africa, hosted by Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
. The main event was a $500 buy in No Limit Holdem tournament for FTOPS I to XV and is now $600 from FTOPS XVI onwards. The $2,100 Two-Day Event has for a long time been the highest buy-in tournament in the series, but as of FTOPS XIX, the $10,300 Two-Day Heads-Up Event has surpassed it.
The series features a number of ongoing challenges that reward players for certain feats, such as winning 30 hands without showdown. Players who make the final table are awarded an FTOPS jacket, and event winners are awarded an FTOPS gold jersey and an FTOPS gold jersey avatar to represent them at Full Tilt’s tables. At the FTOPS XV in February 2010, any player who makes the money in 17 of the 27 events will receive a $1 million bonus.
Full Tilt also sponsors the MiniFTOPS, which takes place one month later and features the same events at one-tenth of the original buy-ins.
FTOPS Main Event winners
| Series | Date | Entrants | Winner | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTOPS I | August 2006 | 1,468 | Crownnginger | $161,480 |
| FTOPS II | November 2006 | 2,449 | Spiked | $224,653 |
| FTOPS III | February 2007 | 3,217 | Traheho (Alec Torelli) | $288,001 |
| FTOPS IV | May 2007 | 3,798 | John_McClane17 | $336,217 |
| FTOPS V | August 2007 | 4,578 | CrazyZachary (Zachary Clark) | $395,905 |
| FTOPS VI | November 2007 | 4,371 | fkscreennames (Daryl Jace) | $385,937 |
| FTOPS VII | February 2008 | 5,291 | Reverse (Allen Goldstein) | $456,401 |
| FTOPS VIII | May 2008 | 4,750 | cheesemonster (Keith Lehr) | $410,780 |
| FTOPS IX | August 2008 | 4,880 | dubbeemin (Brian Mintz) | $432,400 |
| FTOPS X | November 2008 | 5,225 | Julian Verse (Va Shon Watkins) | $450,708 |
| FTOPS XI | February 2009 | 5,287 | csimmsux (Adam Geyer) | $456,056 |
| FTOPS XII | May 2009 | 4,581 | Pocketownage420 | $432,400 |
| FTOPS XIII | August 2009 | 5,306 | Poligraph (Matthew Waxman) | $453,663 |
| FTOPS XIV | November 2009 | 5,471 | zhivago2 (Heinz Kamutzki) | $418,839 |
| FTOPS XV | February 2010 | 5,645 | JackQKA | $237,644 (7-way deal) |
| FTOPS XVI | May 2010 | 4,534 | Kirbynator | $327,057.40 (3-way deal) |
| FTOPS XVII | August 2010 | 4,805 | TyboVegas | $423,057.41 (2-way deal) |
| FTOPS XVIII | November 2010 | 5,023 | JHoWn | $411,932.13 (3-way deal) |
| FTOPS XIX | February 2011 | 14,479 | GIAMPP | $877,949.74 (3-way deal) |
| FTOPS XX | May 2011 | 4,666 | ArielBahia (Ariel Celestino) | $346,696 (4-way deal) |