In a thread on Two Plus Two on Monday, Shyam Markus, formerly FTPDoug, announced that Full Tilt will be bringing back its Full Tilt Online Poker Series, or FTOPS, starting Sunday, December 2. The first FTOPS since Full Tilt crumbled in 2011 will run for two weeks and end on Sunday, December 16.PocketFives has learned from Markus that the series' schedule, including guarantees, game types, and buy-ins, will be announced on November 9. Markus told PocketFives in an exclusive statement, "Nothing else has been announced yet. The current plan is to announce the full details on November 9, mostly to give us a couple of days to make sure everything is going okay." Full Tilt will re-launch three days prior on November 6, which is now less than one month away.
Markus updated the poker community on a variety of topics besides FTOPS, including the state of the FTP Store, which appears to be a ways off from a phoenix-like rise from the ashes. "We haven't even gotten to the planning stages of the future store," he told players.
Players who no longer have access to the e-mail linked to their Full Tilt account or who have trouble accessing their account in general will need to verify their identities. Markus spelled out, "You'll have to contact support and will need to provide them as much detail about your account as possible. Things like your former e-mail address, the address listed in the account, and username. Then, you'll need to prove you are that person with a photo ID and verify your current location with a recent utility bill or bank statement."
Before we turn the page from October to November, Markus revealed that major to-be-determined items like rakeback, VIP systems, player balances, re-launch promotions, and new features will likely be unveiled. The site's tech team is also attempting to get ahead of what could be a major flood of traffic: "We're doing our best to make sure we're ready for any kind of server or cashier load. That's definitely one part of the reason this re-launch process is taking the full 90 days."Markus confirmed that Full Tilt will have a deposit and withdrawal option for Moneybookers/Skrill and that more sponsored pros will be announced very soon. Markus elaborated on the stable of players, "In addition to the Gus announcement, we'll be announcing a couple more pros before re-launch. From there, it's anyone's guess!" Gus Hansen was recently announced as Full Tilt's first sponsored pro. Hansen, a member of the Denmark poker community, was also a face of the old Full Tilt.
PocketFivers have been discussing the forthcoming re-launch of Full Tilt with great anticipation in a thread on our Poker Sites forum. Make sure to chime in with any questions you have!
