Top 5 Performers in FTOPS History
On August 14, 2006, Full Tilt Poker introduced the Full Tilt Online Poker Series with its first installment, FTOPS I. Three-and-a-half years and 263 tournaments later, FTOPS XV has arrived. That got us wondering, "who are the top performers in FTOPS history?" We broke down results and final table appearances and came up with these five names.
5. Ozenc “the aviator1” Demir (five final tables, one win)
While Ozenc Demir does not have a live tournament record, his performance online is exemplary with over $1 million in online tournament winnings. His five final tables are tied for the most in FTOPS history, and he is the only one to do so in five different games.
FTOPS VIII – Event #13: 1st place - $70,381.65
FTOPS X – Event #7: 7th place - $15,000
FTOPS XI – Event #11: 7th place - $6,816
FTOPS XIII – Event #19: 5th place - $10,939.20
FTOPS XIII – Event #21: 8th place - $2,461.50
4. James “TheFatFISH” Obst (five final tables, two wins)
James Obst is one of the most successful players on the virtual felt and has amassed over $2.5 million in online tournament winnings all before his 21st birthday. Rumored to have started winning big at age 16, Obst is considered by many to be the best tournament player in his native Australia. Obst always seems to excel when these big tournament series come into play, and his FTOPS results speak for themselves.
FTOPS IV – Event #9: 1st place - $75,482
FTOPS V – Event #3: 7th place - $8,030.40
FTOPS IX – Event #21: 1st place - $40,149.89
FTOPS XII – Event #5: 7th place - $2,235.20
FTOPS XII – Main Event: 5th place - $127,211.35
3. Steven “UFman2” Burkholder (five final tables, two wins)
While Steven Burkholder and James Obst both have five final table appearances and two wins each, Burkholder gets the nod over Obst for #3 on the list because of the size of the fields he defeated. His six-figure paydays came by way of defeating fields of 1,091 and 2,803. Burkholder also pocketed $146,748 for a second-place finish in a $1,500 pot-limit Omaha event at the 2009 WSOP.
FTOPS XI – Event #17: 1st place - $245,696.40
FTOPS XII – Event #14: 4th place - $20,400
FTOPS XIII – Event #24: 4th place - $48,227.70
FTOPS XIV – Event #5: 4th place - $7,548
FTOPS XIV – Event #20: 1st place - $102,240.40
2. Yuval “yuvee04” Bronshtein (four final tables, three wins)
In addition to having numerous live scores, Yuval Bronshtein is an online poker wiz. On August 12, 2008, he cemented his place in FTOPS history by winning two events on the same day. He bested fields of 655 and 2,472 to accomplish a feat that is unlikely to be matched, no matter how many FTOPS there are.
FTOPS VI – Event #6: 1st place - $17,006.60
FTOPS IX – Event #14: 1st place - $70,412.50
FTOPS IX – Event #15: 1st place - $101,975
FTOPS XIV – Event #5: 7th place - $2,442
1. Adam “csimmsux” Geyer (three final tables, three wins)
If you find yourself at an FTOPS final table with Adam Geyer, you might as well be playing for second place. Geyer is a perfect three-for-three at the final table, banking two separate $400k+ scores in the process. Most recently, in Feb 2009, Geyer bested a field of 5,287 to win the FTOPS XI Main Event. Perhaps more impressive was his victory in the $2,500 NL Hold’em 2-Day event in FTOPS VII, topping a formidable field of 849.
FTOPS V – Event #13: 1st place - $72,662
FTOPS VII – Event #17: 1st place - $488,175
FTOPS XI – Main Event: 1st place - $456,056.62
Honorable Mention: John “POCKET FIVE” Racener (five final tables), Jared “Smokinokun” Okun (four final tables, one win), Casey “bigdogpckt5s” Jarzabek (three final tables, two wins), Va Shon “Julian Verse” Watkins (three final tables, two wins), Chris “The Universe112” Leveroni (three final tables, two wins), Casey “CaseyTheKid” Griswold (three final tables, two wins), Aaron Bartley (four final tables), James “bob2bob” Page (four final tables), “eisenhower1” (four final tables).
FTOPS XV starts on Feb. 10, so sign up for a Full Tilt Poker account today and start making your own FTOPS history.
