Blair blur5f6Hinkle (pictured) has been rock solid throughout the course of his poker career. Three years ago, he booked a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet after blasting through the field of a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $507,000. In 2010, it was off to the races again, this time in a $1,060 buy-in event during the WSOP Circuit stop at Council Bluffs for $88,000. Now, he’s returned to prominence after chopping the Full Tilt Online Poker Series (FTOPS) Main Event for a colossal $1.1 million.

Hinkle admitted that was all a bit overwhelming. He told PocketFives.com, “I went out and celebrated the win, which was a lot of fun. It hasn’t set in completely because it’s a lot of money. If I would have won $150,000 or whatever, I probably would have been more excited. It’s by far the biggest win I’ve ever had. It’s so much money that I can’t figure out how to feel.” The $640 Multi-Entry tournament drew over 14,000 entries.

It wasn’t in Hinkle’s immediate interest to chop the $8 million prize pool tournament. He explained, “I didn’t want to chop. I was playing better and thought there was a good chance I would win if I didn’t chop, so I thought I would throw out a big number compared to the ICM numbers. I threw it out and my two opponents instantly agreed, so we chopped. I didn’t think my offer would be accepted.”

As a result of the chop, GIAMPPbanked $878,000 and officially took first place, while Norway’s SirMad finished in third for $805,000. Hinkle observed, “I really didn’t expect them to do it. I was really confident in the way I was playing and wanted the chop process to be quick.” The million-dollar winner admitted that it was his first time using Full Tilt’s chop feature. When the deal was struck, he had about two-thirds of the chips in play.

How does a $1.1 million score compare to a gold bracelet? “I’m not sure yet,” Hinkle confessed. “When there were 20 players left in the FTOPS, I got super nervous because I started to realize how close I was to making more money than ever before. For the bracelet, I was nervous going into the final table day, but I was one of the chip leaders. I was also younger, newer to poker, and everything was working at the time.”

On his growth over time, Hinkle revealed, “My mindset is way different now than it was in 2008. My life has changed a lot since then.” He also owns a UB.com Online Championship (UBOC) title and final tabled the Sunday Mulligan in January for $34,000.

Hinkle mentioned that his life has been transformed since his bracelet run. He noted that his bankroll management has seen a dramatic turnaround: “After I won the bracelet, I went nuts spending money. I was going in on a house in Las Vegas and, when tax time came around, I had enough money to pay it, but didn’t have as much as I thought. Back then, I didn’t think ahead. Now, I think about setting money away and making sure I’m not overspending.”

Hinkle joined the online poker community in 2006 and, according to the Hendon Mob, his first live cash came one year later. He explained that his days of grinding online poker are over, but he wants to move up in the PocketFives.com Rankings, where he sits at #707 worldwide. “I need to find ways to make myself motivated and successful,” the Missouri native evaluated. “That would be a good way to try hard.”

While Hinkle was seated at the final two tables of the FTOPS XIX Main Event, posters in a thread in Poker Discussion rooted him on in spirit. Hinkle was grateful for the support: “I was probably happier about that than about winning. It’s cool that they support all of the higher ranked and known players even though they may have not met them. It helps to know you have people behind you.”

Visit Full Tilt Pokerfor more information and check out our FTOPS XIX results.