For over a year, PokerStars, which was formerly known for tournaments, has successfully filled the high-stakes void left by Full Tilt Poker’s departure from the market. When PokerStars acquired its former competitor and relaunched the brand last month, this raised the question as to whether the high-stakes cash games would shift back to FTP. If this week’s Online Railbird Report is any indication, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Earlier this week, FTP began the Full Tilt Online Poker Series XXI (FTOPS XXI),, comprising 35 events and representing the return of one of online poker’s most prestigious tournament series.

For a look at the FTOPS XXI results thus far, click here.

Where there are good tournaments, there are also great cash games, and this has been the case all week on FTP. While the week’s biggest winner, “1Il|1Il|1il|” (+$453,595 in 223 sessions/14,828 hands), actually came from PokerStars, the next five biggest winners came from FTP. They included Ben “Sauce1234” Sulsky (+$424,914 in 36 sessions/3,430), Ilkka “LokoIsBack” Koskinen (+$323,988 in 15 sessions/3,290 hands), Ben “1Mastermind” Chen (+$316,723 in 42 sessions/3,051 hands), “DealMeInFast” (+$299,501 in 28 sessions/3,716 hands) and “pummelfee123” (+$281,070 in 30 sessions/4,570 hands). With that said, it’s worth noting that Sulsky, who plays under “Sauce123”, lost $210,887 over on PokerStars.

Speaking of losers, no one lost more from Nov. 29 through Dec. 4 than Tom “durrrr” Dwan, a member of FTP’s “The Professionals”. He dropped a painful -$688,178 in 8,886 hands across 63 sessions, though that was a far cry from the -$1,829,404 his fellow Professional Gus Hansen dropped the week before. Not surprisingly, the next three biggest losers also came from FTP-“patpatpanda” (-$405,207 in 60 sessions/9,959 hands), Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene (-$337,375 in 32 sessions/2,912 hands) and Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver (-$302,063 in 31 sessions/2,199 hands).

“1Il|1Il|1il|” Closes November with a $445K Score

On Friday, Nov. 30, the $200/$400 pot-limit Omaha games were going strong over on PokerStars. Once again, “1Il|1Il|1il|” and Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies were fueling the action and were joined by an assortment of other high-stakes pros like “patpatman” and Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky. Not surprisingly, the biggest pots of the day were between Sahamies and “1Il|1Il|1il|”, with the former dropping $430K and the latter winning $445.4K.

In one hand, action was three-handed when “1Il|1Il|1il|” ($173,555) opened for $1,200 on the button, Sahamies ($100,000) three-bet to $4,240 from the small blind, and “patpatman” ($116,870) folded the big. “1Il|1Il|1il|” then pushed back to the tune of $14,560, Sahamies called, and the flop came down , which both players checked. When the turned, Sahamies led out for $27,355, “1Il|1Il|1il|” called, and the completed the board on the river. Sahamies wasted little time in moving all in, “1Il|1Il|1il|” called, and suddenly, a $200,475 pot was on the line. Sahamies revealed for a nine-high flush, but it was no good as “1Il|1Il|1il|” tabled for an ace-high flush.

Ilari Sahamies

In another notable hand, which was actually four handed, Sahamies ($148,641) opened for $1,720 from the cutoff, the button folded, and “1Il|1Il|1il|” ($87,785) three-bet to $5,880 from the small blind. The big got out of the way, Sahamies called, and then “1Il|1Il|1il|” fired out $8,400 on the flop. Sahamies refused to back down and raised to $37,675, and then called an additional $44,230 when “1Il|1Il|1il|” moved all in for $81,905.

Showdown
“1Il|1Il|1il|”:
Sahamies:

“1Il|1Il|1il|” had flopped top two pair while Sahamies had a pair of aces with various draws. The turn gave the Finn a bunch more outs, but the river was not what he needed. Ship the $176,125 pot to “1Il|1Il|1il|”.

Speaking of hands where Sahamies ($70,018) had plenty of outs, action was heads-up when “1Il|1Il|1il|” ($337,137) opened for $880 and then called when Sahamies three-bet to $2,800. The flop saw Sahamies check-call a bet of $4,400, and then check the turn. “1Il|1Il|1il|” took the opportunity to bet $11,200 but was soon met with a check-raise to $48,158 by his opponent. “1Il|1Il|1il|” opted to three-bet, and Sahamies called off his last $14,660 to create a pot worth $140,034. The completed the board on the river, and Sahamies turned over for a pair of sixes and a lot of missed draws. Not surprisingly, “1Il|1Il|1il|” won the pot with .

All three of those pots, though nice, were well behind the day’s largest pot, which was awarded to “patpatman” at Sahamies’ expense. In that hand, action was three-handed when Sahamies ($155,505) opened for $1,640 on the button, “patpatman” ($127,025) called from the small blind, and “1Il|1Il|1il|” ($171,443) three-bet to $6,800 from the big. Two calls ensued, the flop came down , and “1Il|1Il|1il|” bet $12,400 after “patpatman” had checked. Sahamies made the call, and then “patpatman” sprung to life with a check-raise to $34,400. “1Il|1Il|1il|” folded, Sahamies three-bet to $148,635, and “patpatman” called off his remaining $85,825. The and were run out on the turn and river respectively, and “patpatman” tabled for top set. Sahamies simply mucked and watched the $273,325 pushed to his opponent.

Year’s Biggest Winner Makes His Presence Known on Full Tilt to Durrrr’s Detriment

Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky is currently the year’s largest online winner thanks to $3.6 million in profit over on PokerStars, but on Sunday, Dec. 2, Sulsky made his presence known on Full Tilt Poker when he won $258,400 playing under “Sauce1234”. That came courtesy of Tom “durrrr” Dwan, who lost $214,600 at the $200/$400 no-limit hold’em tables. Despite being dismantled by Sulsky, Dwan did manage to win the day’s biggest pot, which actually came from a five-handed $75/$150 PLO table.

It began when Dwan ($69,444.50) opened for $450 under the gun and Chris “Genius28” Lee ($25,16.50) called from the cutoff. “Patpatpanda” ($75,272) then three-bet to $2,150 from the button, both blinds folded, and Dwan four-bet to $7,700. Lee got out of the way, “patpatpanda” five-bet to $24,700, Dwan called, and the flop fell . Dwan wasted little time in leading out for $45,900, and then called off his remaining $969.50 when “patpatpanda” raised.

Showdown
“patpatpanda”:
Dwan:

“Patpatpanda” held aces, but they were no good as Dwan had flopped top two pair. The duo agreed to run it twice, but neither the on the first run nor the on the second delivered “patpatpanda” salvation. With that, Dwan scooped a pot worth $139,636.

More on Dwan’s FTP Slide

Tom “durrrr” Dwan’s return to Full Tilt Poker actually happened back on Nov. 17, which he followed up by playing five days in a row. It was during this time that he chose to take on no-limit hold’em specialist Alex “IReadYrSoul” Millar in $300/$600 heads-up NLHE. That match didn’t result in any big swings-Millar won $15K in an hour and a half over 460 hands-but it did produce a couple of interesting hands.

In the first, Millar ($64,799.50) raised to $1,200 on the button, Dwan ($116,035) defended from the big, and the appeared on the flop. Dwan proceeded to check-raise Millar’s $1,440 bet up to $5,600, Millar three-bet to $12,600, and Dwan four-bet $30K. Millar called, the peeled off on the turn, and Dwan quickly put out a big bet, which saw Millar call off his remaining $33,599.50.

Showdown
Millar:
Dwan:

Dwan had flopped two pair, but Millar had taken the lead by making a bigger two pair on the turn. The river failed to help Dwan, and he watched the $129,599 pushed to the man from the U.K.

Here’s a look at the other notable hand from that match:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

More recently, FTP once again produced the biggest winners and losers this past Monday, most of which came from the $200/$400 no-limit 2-7 Triple Draw tables. It was there that Dwan dropped -$478K, most of which went to the day’s three biggest winners-“DealMeInfast” (+$275.7K), Ben “Sauce1234” Sulsky (+$219.4K) and Ben “1Mastermind” Chen (+$203K).

Biggest Winners/Losers

Week’s biggest winners (11/29-12/4): “1Il|1Il|1il|” (+$453,595), Ben “Sauce1234” Sulsky* (+$424,914), Ilkka “LokoIsBack” Koskinen* (+$323,988), Ben “1Mastermind” Chen* (+$316,723), “DealMeInFast”* (+$299,501), “pummelfee123”* (+$281,070), Alex “Kanu7” Millar (+$241,727)

Week’s biggest losers: Tom “durrrr” Dwan* (-$688,178), “patpatpanda”* (-$405,207), Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene* (-$337,375), Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver* (-$302,063), “NyPogadi11” (-$253,897), “kagome kagome”* (-$221,595), Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky (-$210,887), Ilari “Ilari FIN” Sahamies (-$208,148), “patpatman” (-$179,869)

Biggest Year-to-date winners: Ben “Sauce123” Sulsky (+$3,630,292), Jens “Jeans89” Kyllönen (+$2,464,966), Ben “Ben86” Tollerene (+$2,217,507), “EireAbu” (+$2,176,527), Alex “Kanu7” Millar (+$1,601,077), Niklas “ragen70” Heinecker (+$1,558,324), “bernard-bb” (+$1,507,058), Phil “MrSweets28” Galfond (+$1,417,998), “longerpig” (+$1,392,569)

*Indicates Full Tilt Poker

Data, hands and re-player obtained from HighStakesDB.com

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now!

Check out the original source here! Originally from PokerNews.com

November 07 2012, Chad Holloway

After being offline since June 2011, Full Tilt Poker relaunched on Tuesday with real-money gaming while making available $184 million in balances to non-U.S. based players. More than a year and a half after Black Friday, the return of FTP under the guidance of PokerStars marked a rare bright day in the online poker industry, a sentiment largely shared by players and industry insiders alike.

With that said, there were numerous hurdles in the early hours of launch. A quick look at the TwoPlusTwo forums reveals that some players are having troubles with their passwords, syncing their accounts, making deposits, and having the software freeze. Despite these early frustrations, the forums are also full of posts praising FTP’s return.

PokerNews has taken the opportunity to scour social media outlets and have compiled some of the more notable reactions and comments we feel represents the general feeling of glee towards FTP’s relaunch. We also asked a number of pros whether they’d opt to take the pay and cash out or continue to play on FTP.

Twitter

TwoPlusTwo

randie: “Omg.. After playing on IPoker lately the FTP software is looking lightning fast and silky smooth.. It’s like heaven : )”

Disorienter: “Feels like the population so far is 90% regs that found their money, now we await the commercials to do their trick and lure back the value”

ico2525: “For Americans searching this thread looking for answers: Called 1-866-874-8900, the number for the DoJ Southern District of NY’s Victim and Witness Services. Recorded greeting tells you that if you’re calling about FTP / Stars, wait for an anouncement about remissions. Gaw dayum the gov’t is slow.”

Pay or Get Paid?

Phil Galfond: “My understanding is that as a US player, my balance won’t be waiting for me when FTP launches. If it were waiting, I’d absolutely play with it, for the same reasons I play every day on Pokerstars. I trust the people behind it and the safety of my money, and the software and games will be great. Why wouldn’t I play?”

Andy Moseley: “Had never played on there seriously! If I did, I would leave the money on if the games were good. To not play on it out of principle and cost myself EV is something I wouldn’t do.”

Timothy Adams

Timothy Adams: “I had quite a lot on FTP and plan on keeping the majority of my money on the site. PokerStars has had basically an unblemished record in my eyes, and I feel quite secure with them in control of the new FTP.”

Ignat “0Human0 Liviu: “I have a bankroll on Full Tilt , and I actually can’t wait to play again there. Of course I trust the site now that PokerStars is behind all.”

Terrence Chan: “I no longer play the big high-limit games like I did to accumulate my Full Tilt balance, so I’m planning to cash out the majority of it. I’ll probably play medium stakes and tournaments on there, so I’ll keep some money, but the rest I’ll likely put in my investments. And have a little bit of a spending spree.”

Kyle Julius: “I didn’t have too much money on there that I recall, but it would be hard to resist playing, that’s for sure.”

Jason Wheeler

Jason Wheeler: “Yes, I do have a Full Tilt balance and what I am doing is the following: Cashing out 30 percent of it and playing with 70 percent of it. Had any company but PokerStars bought FTP, I probably would have cashed out 80-90 to 100 percent of the balance, but now that Stars owns Tilt and is allowing inter-site account transfers via your paired accounts, I feel secure about leaving money on the site and excited about being able to play a bigger MTT schedule. Some people may not like goliath getting bigger in the industry, but having a company as reputable as Stars taking over tilt is one of the best things that could have happened to the industry as a whole in terms of bringing regulated legalized online poker to the U.S. With that said, I have a lot of friends who have money tied up via the DOJ process and I really feel for them but feel confident they will be made 100 percent when it is all said and done. Then we can all finally move on from one of the ugliest chapters in online poker history. That’s my two cents.”

Ben “milkybarkid” Grundy: “I don’t have much of a balance on there, but I’ll definitely play on Full Tilt when it relaunches.”

Andrew Seidman: “I’ll probably withdraw at least half of it to return to my comfortable old lifestyle. The other half I will probably keep online somewhere, though whether I play with it on FTP/Stars or move it to another site is a totally different question. One of the biggest things Black Friday took from me – and other poker players – was my sense of stability and freedom, so it will be nice to recover some of that. I am, also, looking forward to playing some tournaments again on FTP, though I’m not sure exactly when I’ll dive back into that. I’m not really worried about the quality of the site or its integrity currently; I’m sure it will look, feel, and play, like the FTP of old.”

Ben Yu

Ben Yu: “I do plan to reinstate my Full Tilt Poker account and redeposit by transferring over PokerStars funds. I am excited to get back on the grind – I know a lot of professionals complained about how lackluster FTOPS was every time it rolled onto the schedule – but I always enjoyed it as an opportunity to play large field/big first place money tournaments in every game. I can’t wait for the 1st FTOPS to roll around. I’m not sure why people would still have reservations about playing on FTP at this point, if it is simply related to the Black Friday scandals. I have no problem playing on FTP with the full force of the PokerStars name/management team behind it.”

While residents of the United States are unable to play for real money on FTP, they can still sit down at the play money only tables at FullTiltPoker.net.

Don’t forget to follow PokerNews on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Follow Chad Holloway on

No comments yet. Be the first to post one!