FTOPS IX Main Event: 'dubbeemin' Seals Victory
Full Tilt's FTOPS Main Event saw 4,880 people enter the $500+35 buy-in, $2,500,000 guaranteed finale, all chasing a first-place payday of $432,400. Several notables made it close to the final table, among them Daniel "B_O_K_E" Bokesch in 23rd place ($9,250), 2008 WSOP ME "November Nine" member Kelly Kim in 16th place ($12,375), and Franklin "fsoyars" Hardy in 15th place ($17,500). Just missing out on the final table were Lee "acumen53" Childs in 11th place ($23,750) and Faraz "The-Toilet0" Jaka in 10th place ($23,750). The chip counts for the final nine were:
sckilla – 5,646,087
valleyho – 4,177,484
dubbeemin – 3,574,154
TiltinShoes – 3,472,702
TheTotalPkg – 1,936,292
aaaFRANCESCOzzz – 1,641,169
tvcsa – 1,426,134
hemlock1313 – 1,273,018
Pokerguru19 – 1,252,960
With the blinds at 60,000/120,000 and a 15,000 ante, TiltinShoes would be the first to fall. Dubbeemin raised to 280,000 under the gun and TiltinShoes reraised to 600,000 from middle position. Dubbeemin then reraised to 1.3 million, leading TiltinShoes to move all in for just over 3.2 million total. A snap-call from dubbeemin revealed their hands:
dubbeemin: A♥A♣
TiltinShoes: A♠K♣
The board ran out 3♠2♦Q♠3♣5♠ and TiltinShoes earned $32,500 for ninth place. Next to go was aaaFRANCESCOzzz. Pokerguru19 made it 360,000 from middle position and aaaFRANCESCOzzz moved all in from the big blind for 1,336,169 with A♦5♦. Pokerguru19 called and showed two black jacks and led in the hand. The flop was 2♥A♣2♠ and the tables were turned; however, the J♥ hit the turn and the river did not bring another ace, eliminating aaaFRANCESCOzzz in eighth place for $43,750. Tvcsa exited next when he made it 280,000 from the cutoff and Pokerguru19 called from the big blind. The flop came out K♣9♥K♥ and Pokerguru19 check-raised tvcsa's bet of 300,000 to 720,000. Tvcsa moved all in for a bit more and Pokerguru19 called showing K♠10♦, well ahead of tvcsa's A♦A♠. The turn and river were the 2♦ and 10♠, ending tvcsa's tournament run at seventh place with a payday of $57,500.
The next bustout came at the 80,000/160,000/20,000 level. Valleyho raised from middle position to 399,995 and hemlock1313 moved all in for 1,326,036 with J♣J♠, but ran into valleyho's Q♠Q♦. The board delivered K♠K♦K♥10♥8♠ and hemlock1313 exited with $75,000 for the sixth-place showing. Sckilla followed in fifth place when valleyho raised from the cutoff to 399,955 and sckilla moved all in from the big blind for 1,244,532 total with 3♣3♠. Valleyho called with A♣9♦ and took the lead for good with an ace on the flop, sending Sckilla off with $100,000 for fifth. With blinds at 120,000/240,000 and an ante of 30,000, Pokerguru19 was felted to finish in fourth. From the small blind, valleyho moved all in for over six million and Pokerguru19 called all in for 1.5 million with A♣J♥, but was up against valleyho's Q♣Q♥. The board ran out 6♠6♣8♠7♣J♦ and Pokerguru19 received $132,500 for his run.
With three players remaining, the chip counts were:
dubbeemin – 13,219,393
valleyho – 8,438,068
TheTotalPkg – 2,742,539
TheTotalPkg gained some griund before exiting in third. At the 140,000/280,000/35,000 level, dubbeemin raised to 620,000 from the button and TheTotalPkg called from the small blind, bringing out a flop of 7♦6♣2♦. TheTotalPkg led out for 1,625,000 and was raised all in by dubbeemin. After a pause TheTotalPkg called, showing Q♦J♦ but needing to hit against dubbeemin's A♣7♠. The turn and river did not oblige, coming out 6♠ and 4♥, and TheTotalPkg earned $170,000 for third.
Heads-up play began with dubbeemin holding 18,710,031 in chips to valleyho's 5,689,969. It ended quickly, when they saw a flop of 9♣7♣6♦ and the chips went in. The hands were:
valleyho: K♣10♣
dubbeemin: Q♣J♣
Both had overcards and but valleyho had the higher flush draw and kicker. The turn was the A♦, but the J♦ river paired dubbeemin for the victory. Valleyho earned $262,500 for finishing as runner-up, while dubbeemin pocketed $432,400 for his FTOPS IX Main Event triumph.
The final results:
1. dubbeemin - $432,400
2. valleyho - $262,500
3. TheTotalPkg - $170,000
4. Pokerguru19 - $132,500
5. sckilla - $100,000
6. hemlock1313 - $75,000
7. tvcsa - $57,500
8. aaaFRANCESCOzzz - $43,750
9. TiltinShoes - $32,500
