Get into FTOPS on a budget
Like the brick and mortar casinos, when they have their large series of tournaments, the online poker sites like Full Tilt Poker run satellites pretty much around the clock for players who want a cheaper way to get into the bigger events.Now that FTOPS V is almost upon us (the first event, $216 No-Limit Hold'em, will be on Aug. 8), FTP is offering a number of ways to get into the big series on a budget.
For the smaller, $200 +$16 events, players can win their way in on a $24 + $2 satellite. FTP is running these frequently, with each satellite dedicated to each event. So if you want to win your way into Event #10, the $216 Stud event, you can play the $26 Event #10 Stud satellite. You don't have to win a NLHE satellite to get into the bigger Stud event, for example. Each satellite is guaranteeing at least one seat, there is the possibility of some overlays in the wee hours if you look.
There is a two-tiered satellite structure for some of the larger events. Take Event #4, $500 + $35 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-max, for example. Players can enter a $6 + $0.50 satellite to win a seat into the $50 + $5 satellite that guarantees at least one seat. There is also a two-tiered structure for the smaller buy-in tournaments, too, for those really on a budget.
The really big events, like Event #7 $1,000 + $60 NLHE 6-max, have more expensive two-tiered satellite structures. In these, $26 gets you into the first round and a seat into a $216 second satellite awarding the $1,060 seats.
As usual, there are myriad sit-in-goes for the events too. You can find these under the SNG tab or under the satellite listings for each event on each event's tournament information screen.
FTP is also offering the FTOPS V Satellite Challenge, a close cousin to the King of the Hill contest for World Series of Poker entries. For every other satellite entry players win into an event they've already qualifier for, FTP will credit the players' accounts with cash equal to the tournament entry. The person who wins more satellites for any given event than anyone else will receive a credit in their account equivalent to two more buy-ins. Second-place finishers in the challenges will receive the equivalent of one more buy in. The challenges apply to every event except for Event #12 $2,500 + $120 NLHE, so players have 13 chances to win a challenge. You can track the leaderboard here .
FTP has also announced which of their pros will host each event. Here is the list of events and pros:
| Event #1 $200 + $16 NLHE | Phil Gordon |
| Event #2 $200 + $16 HORSE | David Singer |
| Event #3 $200 + $16 PLHE | Allen Cunningham |
| Event #4 $500 + $35 PLO 6-max | Robert Mizrachi |
| Event #5 $100 + $9 NLHE w/ R | Roland de Wolfe |
| Event #6 $300 + $22 NLHE | Clonie Gowen |
| Event #7 $1,000 + $60 NLHE 6-max | Erica Schoenberg |
| Event #8 $200 + $16 O H/L | Stuart Patterson |
| Event #9 $300 + $22 NLHE 6-max w/ R | John D'Agostino |
| Event #10 $200 + $16 7 Stud | David Oppenheim |
| Event #11 $200 + $16 LHE 6-max | Greg Mueller |
| Event #12 $2,500 + $120 NLHE | Phil Ivey |
| Event #13 $100 + $9 PLO w/ R | Max Pescatori |
| Main Event $500 + $35 NLHE | Paul Wasicka |
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