Getting a signature win in poker is something that every player strives for. Every week, thousands of poker players flock to sites like Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, competing in some of the largest prize pool tournaments that are available online for their chance to strike it rich. On PocketFives.com, we seek to profile the accomplishments of some of the game’s top tournament pros along with a bevy of up-and-comers. In the eighth event of the recently-completed Full Tilt Online Poker Series, Ryan ryanbluf Karp emerged victorious, winning $121,184, the largest cash of his young poker career. PocketFives.com sat down with its 88th ranked player to discuss his most recent victory.

Winning any multi-table tournament in today’s poker age is an accomplishment to celebrate. Winning a $256 no limit six-max knockout tournament with 3,007 entrants is something to be extremely proud of. Karp told PocketFives.com, “The goal of everyone who plays online is to win a Sunday major or an FTOPS event, collecting a six-figure payday. It’s a huge weight off your shoulders. I was in shock and it didn’t sink in until I woke up the next day. I called my girlfriend and she started crying.”

Other cashes online for Karp besides his $121,000 FTOPS payday include a second place finish in the $150 buy-in $40,000 Guaranteed on Full Tilt Poker for $16,582 in May. He was also the runner up in the Nightly Hundred Grand on PokerStars for $13,850 in April. The Washington, D.C. native commented, “Like any online layer, Sunday tournaments are my favorite to play. There is a huge amount of cash on the line and a huge amount of easy money. If you get started in any of these tournaments at a soft table, you can get a big chip stack early. Then, it will be really easy to bully other stacks later.”

Karp was inspired to start playing poker after he started watching the World Series of Poker on television with his friends: “We started playing home games, which were $20 sit and go tournaments. I discovered online poker right after that. I started on Pacific Poker playing $1 sit and gos with 36 people. I became completely addicted. I discovered PokerStars after that and started playing $5 sit and gos.” The rest, as they say, is history. Karp has shot up to #88 in the PocketFives Worldwide Rankings.

He is not a professional poker player by trade. Rather, he’s a medical sales rep that travels to and from hospitals out of his home office. Cracking the PocketFives.com Rankings carries an extra ounce of importance, especially when he’s competing against some of the highest-volume poker players on the planet: “I’m still pretty new compared to other players. I have been really serious about online poker for only about a year and a half. When I discovered PocketFives, I saw the Rankings. I work a full-time job, so didn’t think I could make it. It’s a big accomplishment.”

His ultimate goal, at least for now, is to become a full-time online poker player. However, when faced with parting with guaranteed income, it’s not an easy task: “It’s my goal to become a full-time poker player. As soon as I have enough money in the bank to live comfortably for one year, I will leave my job and give poker a shot.” He just moved to the nation’s Capitol for his job and added that he’s close to having one year’s worth of income in the bank.

Growing pains are a part of poker. Karp talks about what challenges he’s faced while climbing up the poker ladder: “I had a lot of trouble with bankroll management before I was backed. I had some big wins, but was always drawn to the high-stakes cash games that I was under-rolled for. I definitely blew my bankroll a few times and went completely broke. Finding backers that have faith in my tournament game has given me another chance. Being backed takes the day to day pressure off of you when you’re running badly. If it was my own money, it’d add stress. Being backed allows you to just play your game. If I was deep in the FTOPS and it was my own money on the line, I would have played scared and would not have made moves that I did.”

He’s planning on heading to the Borgata in September as part of the casino’s World Poker Tour stop. It’s about a 200 mile drive from Washington, D.C. to Atlantic City. Congratulations to Ryan ryanbluf Karp for winning Event #8 of FTOPS IX.