Six figure wins at FTOPS 7

With the current edition of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series of tournaments in full swing, there was big money for the winners this weekend as Event 7 was finalised.

With a guaranteed prize pool of a million dollars and buy-ins of $300 + $22, the event attracted a large online entry field of 4 475 players from all over the planet, generating a final prize pool of $1 342 500. This translated to a winner's prize of $237 072 and a money bubble that took in the top 585 contestants.

A significant contingent of pros was in the hunt for the big money, but it was a largely unknown player using the online nickname Braien who finally truimphed and took home the top prize. Among the opponents were Max Pescatori, Amanda Baker, Annette Obrestad and Thayer Rasmussen.

By the time the final table of nine was reached, most of the pros were out of it - several not even making the money bubble. The action started at a cracking pace, with the first elimination taking place a mere five minutes into the game, when JaEs SiK headed for the rail and a $17 989 ninth place cashout. Within the next four minutes, rocxf was bundled out by JLimbs in eight place, collecting $24 165 for his trouble.

Perhaps made cautious by two such rapid exits, play eased for the next 30 minutes or so, when CRACKENaces took the exit door in seventh place and a take-home packet of $30 877 after tangling with crpaint. Shortly after that JLimbs fell victim to crpaint as well, departing with $41 080 in sixth position.

Player cmimike was next to go in fifth place for $55 445 after a confrontation with eventual winner Braien, and not long after that chicagocards1 was ousted at fourth by digididopp, collecting $73 837 on his way out.

With a hour's play behind them, the final three faced off and it was digididopp who went next, just missing the six figure payouts but still pocketing a useful $93 975 paycheck for his third place finish.

Heads up, Braien was way behind in the chip stack stakes, with crpaint holding a 3 to 1 lead. That all changed over the next quarter hour as Braien made an impressive fight of it to steadily narrow his opponent's lead to the point where the position was reversed by the final hand, with Braien holding three times the chips of his opponent. With some shrewd, big-betting calls Braien finally despatched crpaint to collect the winner's prize of $237 072, leaving crpaint with second place and $143 515.

FTOPS continues this week.