FTOPS Returns, and MATH Recap

I can't believe it since it seems like it was just yesterday, but apparently it is already FTOPS time again on full tilt. I know that because, starting with a trickle of satellites over the weekend, and then now a full-blown slate of mtt satellites on Monday night, the full tilt tournament lobby is now jam packed with those blue-font offerings that advertsie satellites to what will now be the most events full tilt has ever packed into one FTOPS, as well as host to the largest-ever FTOPS Main Event with a $2 million guarantee as well as the first-ever two-day FTOPS event.

One thing full tilt has brought back from last time around is the Avatar Race, which is a bigass megasatellite that awards entries into a number of the FTOPS tournaments all in one fell swoop. A couple of FTOPS's ago, the Avatar Race was a $75 buyin and awarded a package including entries into the FTOPS ME as well as two other FTOPS tournaments. In the last FTOPS this past May, the Avatar Races were held three nights a week, sported a $200 buyin and awarded entries into five of the FTOPS tournaments, again including the Main Event. Well, this time around full tilt has really outdone itself. Of the 15 total FTOPS events running in mid-August this year, the Avatar Races starting this week will award seats to a whopping 14 of the 15 tournaments, plus a satellite entry into the one large buyin, two-day event in the middle of the FTOPS. The buyin of course is up once again for these Avatar Race megasatellites -- now $300 -- and the first one runs on Tuesday night at 9pm ET. Clearly this is the class of all the ways to get in to the FTOPS tournaments, and after a very profitable FTOPS IV for me this past May, I would absolutely love to get back into all of those events when August rolls around in a few weeks.

In that regard, last night I entered the first Avatar Race satellite that I saw when I logged on, which was the $75 buyin mtt satellite that ended up with 24 runners. The top 4 finishers won $300 seats to Tuesday night's Avatar Race, and 5th place won $240. Long story short, I made it to 5th place, watched the short stack double-up twice on allin calls with hands like 55 and KTs (soooted donk), watched my own favorite hand get donked for half my stack, and then tiled out the rest of the way. I took the $240 cash and immediately bought in for the other $60 to the Avatar Race. Basically whenever I go out on the seat bubble in an mtt sat and receive cash that would enable me to buy in to the underlying tournament at a significant discount, I almost always buy right in. So look for me tonight at 9pm ET in the first FTOPS V Avatar Race on full tilt.

And hey, with all this discussion of the FTOPS coming back, I won't even need to mention the cash game stacking I took at much higher than my normal limits while I was on tilt after this tournament, after getting allin ahead before the flop with pocket Queens. You can guess the results, although I'll tell you it wasn't an overcard that did me in. It was the dreaded river four-flush. Loveit. Assholes!

So last night's Mondays at the Hoy tournament had 24 runners, including one first-timer by the name of emptyman. Well, his game proved to be far short of empty, as he entered the final table in 5th place of 9 remaining players, and eventually went on to win the tournament outright. It really is funny the amount of success brand new MATH players have had in this tournament. I personally remember at least four times where someone won their first-ever entrance into the MATH, and now emptyman is the latest in a long line of players with this on their resume.

I did not stay up past the first few eliminations from the final table, so I can't tell you how it happened. What I can say is this: Bayne was the second one out. Again. That's my boy. I will also say that I no longer feel super tilty and donkish heading into these post-BBT blonkaments. My game is definitely on right now, and I am already looking forward to my next big blonkament score. Who knows, will this week's Mookie on Wednesday night be the day for me?

No. Surely not.

Nonetheless, congratulations are in order to emptyman who won this week's MATH title outright, including $288 cash money for his efforts (empty, if you have a blog please leave it in the comments and I will link you up here). Coming in 2nd place and winning $172.80 on the week was perpetual MATH casher Columbo, who is really coming into his own with what must be his 4th or 5th MATH cash of the year in addition to hosting the WPBT tournaments that include the HORSE donkfest this coming Sunday night at 9pm ET. And rounding out this week's cashers, coming up with his second MATH cash of the year, is none other than jeciimd who overcame a couple of setup hands early on to hold on for the the third place finish and $115.20 that goes along with it.

And here is the updated 2007 MATH moneyboard including this week's exciting action:

1. Bayne_s $1175
2. Columbo $974
3. Hoyazo $849
4. VinNay $775
5. cmitch $774
6. Iggy $745
7. NewinNov $677
8. Lucko21 $665
9. Astin $616
10. Tripjax $561
11. Julius Goat $507
12. mtnrider81 $492
13. Chad $485
14. scots_chris $474
15. Fuel55 $458
16. RecessRampage $434
17. Otis $429
18. Miami Don $402
19. Jordan $382
20. Blinders $379
21. Pirate Wes $372
22. lightning36 $371
23. PokerBrian322 $365
24. IslandBum1 $357
25. ChapelncHill $353
26. Zeem $330
27. Mike_Maloney $326
28 oossuuu754 $312
29. leftylu $295
30. Waffles $294
31. Emptyman $288
31. Wigginx $288
33. ScottMc $282
34. Fishy McDonk $277
35. Manik79 $252
36. Wippy1313 $248
37. Byron $234
38. wwonka69 $216
39. Omega_man_99 $210
40. Pushmonkey72 $208
41. Buddydank $197
42. jeciimd $195
43. bartonfa $180
44. 23Skidoo $176
45. Santa Clauss $170
46. Iakaris $162
46. Smokkee $162
48. cemfredmd $156
48. NumbBono $156
50. lester000 $147
51. LJ $146
52. Heffmike $145
53. brdweb $143
54. DDionysus $137
55. Patchmaster $135
56. InstantTragedy $129
57. Ganton516 $114
58. Fluxer $110
59. Irongirl $109
60. Gracie $94
60. Scurvydog $94
62. Shag0103 $84
63. crazdgamer $82
64. PhinCity $80
65. maf212 $78
66. Alceste $71
66. dbirider $71
68. Easycure $67
69. Rake Feeder $53

So again, emptyman enters the 2007 moneyboard in 31st place with this week's victory, while jeciimd climbs from the bottom of the list up to 42nd place with his 3rd place cash. And the biggest story is Columbo, who used I think his 5th Hoy cash of the year to leapfrog yours truly into 2nd place overall on the 2007 moneyboard. Bayne still leads the board at this point thanks to some impressive performances during the BBT days, but now Columbo is pressing hard on Bayne's heels as he strives to become the second player to cross the $1000 mark in winnings from the MATH during 2007.

I was going to write more about the resteal after my post from yesterday, but in the interest of time I will get this post up today and leave the further resteal comments for tomorrow. Come check me out tonight in the Avatar Race at 9pm ET as well as the 50-50 which I plan to make my triumphant return to tonight after last week's back to back final tables.