As MiniFTOPs comes to a close, the prize pools are getting bigger and bigger. MiniFTOPS XVIII Event 22 was no different as it attracted over 3,000 players that formed a purse in excess of $300,000 thanks to rebuys and add-ons. Stacks were deep and the tables short-handed which really brought out the skill element of poker. Players could 5-bet-bluff and triple barrel with air as they maneuvered their way to the final table.
Roy Winston, a physician turned poker professional hosted MiniFTOPS Event #22. Winston has seen the most success on the World Poker Tour. In 2007, Dr. Winston took down WPT Borgata, winning over $1.5 million. He also made a deep run in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, outlasting most of the field until he exited in 26th position. Winston couldn’t get it going in the $30+$3 Event 22 and finished in 1999th.
MiniFTOPS Event 22 was a tournament that Bovada Red Pros would like to forget. Out of the 14 members of Team Full Tilt who registered, only one, Eunjong Byun, made the money. Byun is a former Starcraft Pro who retired in 2008 after amassing $300,000 in winnings. On December 14, Byun won nearly $60,000 with a third place finish in Full Tilt Poker’s $1k Monday tournament. Look out for this South Korean pro as he is getting better and better each tournament he plays.
It took nearly 12 hours, but when the dust settled, one man was left standing: croll103. James ‘croll103’ Carroll is an absolute tournament beast with almost $2 million in career winnings across Full Tilt, PokerStars, and Cereus. This $63,000 score is second to his $80,000 victory in a PokerStars WCOOP Event. Carroll has been absolutely crushing the online tournament scene in 2010 Q4 and we wish him the best as we head into 2011. Congrats Jason!
The runner-up, BluffMag, is rumored to be Eddy Kleid, co-owner of Bluff Magazine. He is a solid tournament player and this $40,000 score is his biggest to date on Full Tilt Poker.
Third place finisher Bryan ‘bparis’ Paris is another well-known online professional who has racked up over $2.5 million in cashes on Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. Earlier this year, he won The Sunday Brawl on Full Tilt Poker. USCPhildo finished in fourth position and this big cash helps as him approach the $3 million mark in online tournament winnings.
MiniFTOPS will end with a bang on Sunday, December 19th with the $1,000,000 Main Event. Good luck!
FullTilt MiniFTOPS XVIII Event #22 ($33 Rebuy/Add-on)
3,146 Entrants; $321,630 prize pool
1.) croll103 – $63,225
2.) BluffMag – $39,946
3.) bparis – $27,403
4.) USCphildo – $20,906
5.) clickitbackftw – $14,795
6.) MattVegasPwn – $9,971