FTOPS V Event #12 – “Grndhg25” Wins No-Limit Hold’em $600,000 Guarantee

Not that the other events weren’t, but now the Full Tilt Online Poker Series V gets serious.  With a $2,500 buy-in and almost $400,000 up for grabs for first place, the 648 players had their eyes squarely set on the prize.  This tournament was different than the other events in more than just the buy-in and prize pool, though.  With 5,000 starting chip stacks and 30 minute levels, it gave players the opportunity to really play some poker.  Because of the deep stacks, it was scheduled to be a two-day event.   

570 players were knocked out during the eight hour first day.  As the money started at 63^rd place, it was a slow grind for the first couple hours as everybody tried to avoid being the bubble boy.  Whereas only 15 players were eliminated in two hours, it took just three hours to get rid of the next 54.   

With the big money jumps after each elimination, play was tentative at first at the final table.  That was, until Mattman14 picked up K-K and Batera found A-A.  A King flopped, giving Mattman14 the suckout and sending Batera down to just a single small blind.  Somehow, he survived an extra spot, as soggy dogg flopped top pair on the next hand, but Grndhg25 had flopped a straight to send him packing.  The extra $8,000 was enough for Batera, as he went out in 8^th place on the next hand. 

Big hands pre-flop were the story on the next two eliminations.  Fridhem ran his A-K into Viktor’s Q-Q and lost the race when a Queen flopped, and then naskoxx saw his A-Q dominated by Grndhg25’s A-K.   

Five-handed, Grndhg25 had 1.9 million chips, more than twice that of Viktor, his next closest opponent.  Grndhg25 kept the ball rolling, eliminating Mattman14 when his K-10 met a 10 on the flop, besting Mattman’s 6-6.  SkinnyRick was also swatted away by Grndhg25 when his A-4 was cornered by A-K.  It was Grndhg25’s tournament to lose. 

Bashpup was the next to go, and in brutal fashion.  He was short-stacked, so he had to move all-in pre-flop with Q-Q.  Viktor called him with 8-8 and caught an 8 on the flop to knock out bashpup in 3^rd place. 

Grndhg25 had a 2-to-1 chip lead going into heads-up play and fittingly, took the title with a dominating hand.  Viktor looked to be in good shape when he held 7-8 on a board of 8-A-8, but Grndhg25 did him one better with Q-8.  Viktor couldn’t muster a 7 or a chop and Grndhg25 had the FTOPS crown and almost $400,000.

Final Table Standings

1. Grndhg25 -- $396,900
2. Viktor -- $247,050
3. bashpup -- $182,250
4. SkinnyRick -- $141,750
5. Mattman14 -- $105,300
6. naskoxx -- $76,950
7. fridhem -- $50,220
8. Batera -- $38,880
9. soggy dogg -- $30,780