Two of the world’s largest online poker organizations, partypoker and Full Tilt, have organized premier online poker tour festivals at the same time.
Partypoker versus Full Tilt.
The boxing gloves are off.
I know, it’s not fair, partypoker has a four-time World Boxing Champion in their corner, in Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch, but this is exactly the situation both poker rooms find themselves in after it was decided to launch online poker festivals at the same time.
A planning oversight?
Or does the pair just want a fight?
Let’s take a look at the minutiae.
Full Tilt FTOPS XXIX
Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) XXIX will open its cyber doors Sun, Feb 21 and run through Sun, Mar 13.
MiniFTOPS has been scrapped. The new 46-event structure will widen the scope of buy-in to include bankrolls of all shapes and sizes. There will be at least two FTOPS events every day. Buy-ins will range between $25 and $500.
As expected there will be a FTOPS Leaderboard. Players can win prizes up to $5,000. There are also a series of freerolls including special Flip freerolls for unlucky satellite qualifiers.
Highlights include:
• Main Event: Sun Mar 13 No-Limit Hold’em (2 x RET) $500 buy-in $250,000 GTD.
• Event #1: Sun Feb 21 No-Limit Hold’em $100 buy-in $100,000 GTD.
• Event #16: Sun, Feb 28 No-Limit Hold’em $250 buy-in $125,0000 GTD.
• Event #31: Sun, Mar 6 No-Limit Hold’em $250 buy-in Mega Stack $150,000 GTD
Partypoker Power Series
Partypoker has given their Pokerfest a make over. The name has gone. It’s now known as the Powerfest, moving in line with their weekly Power Series events.
Starting Feb 21, and running through Mar 20, partypoker will host 98 tournaments. They will guarantee $5 million in prize money. Similar to FTOPS there will be tournaments for bankrolls of all sizes, however, partypoker are taking a slightly different approach with their scheduling.
The tournament series spans four weeks. Each week will represent a different weight category.
• Week 1: Feb 21-28 – Featherweight
There will be $350,000 in guarantees with an $11 buy-in $50,000 GTD Main Event as the highlight. Buy-ins will range between $5.50 & $11.
• Week 2: Feb 28-Mar 6 – Middleweight
There will be $650,000 in guarantees with an $55 buy-in $100,000 GTD Main Event as the highlight. Buy-ins will range between $22 & $55.
• Week 3: Mar 6-13 – Heavyweight
There will be $1,805,000 in guarantees with an $215 buy-in $500,000 GTD Main Event as the highlight. Buy-ins will range between $109-$215
• Week 4: Mar 13-20 – High Roller
There will be $2,200,000 in guarantees with an $1,050 buy-in $500,000 GTD Main Event as the highlight. Buy-ins will range between $530-$5,300.
Winners of all 98 events will compete in a Tournament of Champions event. The winner will receive a $5,000 Las Vegas package including five nights accommodation for two people, a single entry into the WPT500 at Aria, a grand spending money, dinner with Mike Sexton, a copy of his new book, a pair of boxing gloves signed by Carl Froch, and a Tournament of Champions winners belt.
Two pretty tasty events, but my money is on partypoker’s Powerfest to deliver the knockout blow.
What about you?
