FTOPS XVI In Full Swing
The Full Tilt Online Poker Series returned last week with its 16th installment. Fifteen tournaments are in the books and over $8.5 million in prize-pool money has been awarded thus far. The biggest individual pieces to date have gone to "betrthanphil", winning Event #9 for $193,803.85, and Matt "BigMich08" Glassey for a win in Event #10 worth $182,500.40.
Other notables who have secured first-place finishes include Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet, Alexander "PostFlopAction" Kostritsyn, Matt "I Pay Ur Rent" Iles, Jeremy "thechemist83" Gaubert, and Tim "BegsClutch" Begley. All the events and winners are listed below, along with who��s hot, who��s not, and who to keep an eye on.
FTOPS XVI Winners
Event #1: BRO20 - $134,250
Event #2: scout315 - $89,032
Event #3: Randomizer2 - $27,913.72
Event #4: -BeatMe79- - $86,000
Event #5: Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet - $123,600
Event #6: 4high20 - $57,960
Event #7: Steve "LuvYouLongTime" Wan - $137,376
Event #8: JackQKA - $89,088
Event #9: betrthanphil - $193,803.85
Event #10: Alexander "PostFlopAction" Kostritsyn - $47,475
Event #11: Tim "BegsClutch" Begley - $57,855
Event #12: Matt "BigMich08" Glassey - $182,500.40
Event #13: hoppi18 - $45,053.36
Event #14: Matt "I Pay Ur Rent" Iles - $80,242.75
Event #15: Jeremy "thechemist83" Gaubert - $46,000
FTOPS XVI Leaderboard
1. Chris "herdgolf86" Tipper - 253
2. Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet - 251
3. lcky4leafclover - 230
4. BRO20 - 221
5. Jens "jklaen" Klaning - 217
6. David "Bussa Buss" Baker - 211
7. 4high20 - 204
8. foster18 - 202
Fast Starts
Chris "herdgolf86" Tipper is atop the official FTOPS XVI leaderboard. His fifth-place finish in Event #15 earned $10,500 and it was his fourth cash of the series. He also took 13th place in Event #4 for $3,600.
Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet captured his first FTOPS title with a win in Event #5 for $123,600. In addition, he has cashed in four out of ten events played to this point.
With a sixth-place finish in Event #15, "POCKET FIVE" took the overall lead in final tables made throughout FTOPS history. Heading into this series, POCKET FIVE was tied with James "TheFatFISH" Obst with six final tables made. POCKET FIVE stands alone at the top now with seven final tables made, still looking for that elusive first victory.
Slow Starts
Speaking of Obst, the two-time gold-jersey winner is off to a rough start this FTOPS. Despite playing all 15 events so far, he has just two cashes. Another FTOPS stud is also struggling out of the gate in this series. Yuval "yuvee04" Bronshtein leads the online poker community with four gold jerseys, but has yet to cash in FTOPS XVI despite playing in every event. Both he and Obst will be looking to turn things around as the second half of the series gets underway.
What and Who to Watch For
As usual, the biggest tournaments on the FTOPS docket are the Two-Day Event and the Main Event. Both have been somewhat tweaked this time around. The Two-Day Event has been reduced to a $2,000 + $100 buy-in with a guaranteed $2 million prize pool. The Main Event has been increased to a $600 + $40 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million.
Throughout its history, the FTOPS always seems to make the cream rise. Many big names perform their best in the FTOPS and we don't foresee that changing. With four final tables and two wins under his belt, Casey "bigdogpckt5s" Jarzebek can be expected to make another big score. Kevin "GetPWN3D" Saul has also made four FTOPS final tables, including one this series. Don't be surprised to see him make another by week's end.
There are plenty of FTOPS events left. Sign up for a Full Tilt Poker account now for great sign-up bonuses, and as always, follow us on Twitter.
