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#400 – Triple Play – Shootouts, Contest Update, FTOPS VIII
Among the new features in Full Tilt’s latest update is the Shootout Tournament. And I responded, as is my nature, by winning the very first tournament (at least the first I was aware of) in the new format.
I’m not bragging; that’s just my way.
I won the first Midnight Madness. I won the first big MTT KO tournament. I final-tabled the first Turbo Fiddy. Once other players catch on to the new format, I take my usual place among the early bustouts, but I’m proud of my record of having a temporary five-minute advantage over the field.
SHOOTOUTS
So it went with the first shootout. The shootout format, unlike regular MTT events, does not continue replacing busted players and re-forming tables. Each table is its own single-table “mini-tournament,” playing until one player remains. All the “winners” are then placed at new, full tables to repeat the process. One aspect of this feature is that it allows large-field heads-up tournaments.
I noticed the new feature last Saturday morning and immediately signed up for a 64-player heads-up shootout, a satellite into FTOP Event #8 ($500 + $35 NLHE Heads-Up Shootout, $250,000 Guarantee, hosted by Paul Wasicka on Saturday, May 11, at 14:00 ET). The satellite cost just $9 + $0.90, so I had to finish first to win the prize. (Second got $41. Everybody else got nothing.) But I wanted to try out the new format and work on my NLHE heads-up game.
I ended up winning my six matches and entry into the Heads-Up FTOPS Event next Saturday.
On the positive side, the shootout format – I also played a few full-table shootouts – requires players to adapt to changing table sizes and develop different tournament-survival strategies. It also makes possible MTT heads-up tournaments, which players have been asking me about for as long as I’ve written this Blog.
On the negative side, these tournaments do not feature continuous action. When one winner emerges from a table, that player has to wait for all the other tables to finish before the table can be re-formed. I’m usually playing more than one tournament at a time, though, so it’s not a problem for me.
Also, to make the tables uniform, entrants are warned that if the number of entries make it impossible to have same-size tables, the last entries will be unregistered. (For example, if 75 players enter a double-shootout, seating all the players would cause some tables to have 9 players and some to have 8. So the last 3 players would be unregistered.)
“YOU’RE UNCLE TILTY” CONTEST UPDATE
This brings me back to my contest, with its deadline of Sunday night. We’re clearly in an environment of new ideas. The World Series is changing its presentation of the final table. Full Tilt now has shootouts, heads-up tournaments, and it’s first turbo FTOPS event, to name just a few recent Tilt changes. It’s time you put in your two cents on what Full Tilt should do different. It’s not only a chance to get your opinion heard, but the two winners will receive entries into the $200 + $16 Turbo FTOPS on May 13.
For all the information you need, check out my original post announcing the contest.
FTOPS VIII
The next series of FTOPS begins tomorrow, Wednesday, May 7. The 24 events include the usual mix of NLHE and PLO events, varying features like buy-in size, table size, shootouts (full table and heads-up), knockouts, and now turbos.
Here are some of the events I’m particularly interested in:
#3 – $300,000 Guarantee $500 + $35 NLHE Shootout, hosted by David Pham on Thursday, May 8, at 21:00 ET.
#5 – $100,000 Guarantee $200 + $16 Stud EOB, hosted by Jeff Madsen on Friday, May 9, at 21:00 ET. Nice to see SEOB in the rotation this time.
#8 – $300,000 Guarantee $500 + $35 NLHE Heads-Up Shootout, hosted by Paul Wasicka on Sunday, May 11, at 14:00 ET. I talked about this in the early part of this post.
#9 – $1,500,000 Guarantee $300 + $22 NLHE, hosted by Gus Hansen on Sunday, May 11, at 18:00. That’s a juicy guarantee, making some big money to chase.
#10 – $200,000 Guarantee $200 + $16 PLOEOB, hosted by Mike Matusow on Monday, May 12, at 14:00 ET. First, it’s interesting to see PLOEOB back for another FTOPS (though Omaha EOB didn’t make it this time. Second, that’s a pretty early starting time for Mike, unless he’s up from the night before.
#11 – $1,500,000 Guarantee $1,000 + $60 NLHE, hosted by Nick Schulman on Monday, May 12, at 21:00 ET. This takes the place of the Monday $1k buy-in tournament, but with a much bigger prize pool promised.
#13 – $300,000 Guarantee $500 + $35 HORSE, hosted by David Singer on Tuesday, May 13, at 21:00 ET. I’ll admit it. This is the one I really, really want to win.
#14 – $200,000 Guarantee $200 + $16 NLHE Turbo, hosted by Mandy B at the same time. I’ll admit it. This is the other one I really, really want to win.
#17 – $200,000 Guarantee $200 + $16 NLHE 6-handed Shootout, hosted by Markus Golser on Thursday, May 15, at 14:00 ET.
#18 – $150,000 Guarantee $300 + $22 Razz, hosted by Berry Johnston on Thursday, May 15, at 21:00 ET. I’ll admit it. I’m not picky about which FTOPS event I win, assuming I win one.
#20 – $200,000 Guarantee $200 + $16 LHE 6-handed, hosted by Mike Schneider on Friday, May 16, at 21:00 ET. I automatically want to be in just about any limit event, though I think I was the first eliminated the last time Full Tilt had a 6-handed LHE FTOPS event.
#21 – $1,500,000 Guarantee $2,500 + $120 NLHE, hosted by Phil Ivey on Saturday, May 17, at 14:00 ET. Huge buy-in, huge prize pool, tough field.
Main Event – $2,000,000 Guarantee $500 + $35 NLHE, hosted by Jennifer Harman on Sunday, May 18, at 18:00 ET. The only FTOPS Main Event I’ve ever missed in the last year-plus was my crummy attempt to win my way into the NBC Heads-Up Championship. Count me in this time.
In the last FTOPS, Erick Lindgren and Thomas Wahlroos got that monkey off our back about the red pros being unable to pull their weight in these big online events. Now it’s my time to personally shed the goat horns and score some big cash. I’ve already won satellite entries into five events and I’ve got my eyes on a bunch of others. As Bullwinkle always said, “This time, for sure!”
