Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Full Tilt poker in anyway other than that I am a player. FTP provides me no benefit from writing this guide and sharing my experience. Considering some of what I'm going to include, they may not even LIKE me afterwards.

While I may provide some closing thoughts, there will be no tl;dr version of this. Sorry. This is post #1, in what should be 3-4 total posts in this thread, not counting replies to questions and follow-ups for things I screwed up.

Enjoy.


Starting Janurary 2009, Full Tilt Poker publicly opened their Poker Academy.

The Academy consists of 20 FTP Poker Professionals providing a combination of their "Sessions" and their "Lessons." While every pro has at least one session, not every pro has a lesson. The sessions are generally 20-30 minutes in length and have a pro providing a voice-over describing their through process as they play their games. Unlike the lessons (as we'll soon see), the sessions cover a variety of games and a variety of limits.

Some pros have no lessons, some have multiples. There are a total of 21 "Lessons" -- Each lesson contains a video (generally running 10-15 minutes in length) where an FTP pro explains a detail about a particular game type or game concept on Full Tilt Poker [e.g. Turbo Sit and Go's, Multi-Table Tournaments, Poker Math]. All 21 of the lessons have a unique "Sit-n-Learn" quiz associated with them. The high scorers in the lessons get to play in freerolls.

The Sit-N-Learn quizzes consist of a video quiz and a multiple choice answer based on the lesson it came from. The top-1000 finishers in each quiz get to play in a top-100-advance freeroll. The top-100 from each of the 21 freerolls get to play in a single 2100 person freeroll with a prize pool of $5,000. This happens every month.

Challenges. This is the meat of the FTP Academy. Each session, lesson or quiz eventually leads to one of the 21 challenges. Each challenge has between 1 and 5 criteria to accomplish while playing cash games on Full Tilt Poker. Completing these challenges gives you "Academy Points" which can be used in the "Academy Store" (more later). The challenges range from the fantastically easy to the fairly difficult, and they award points based on those difficulties. In the easiest (and lowest scoring) challenges, you are only required to participate in a particular game type [i.e. play X hands of Y game]. In the more difficult challenges, you are required to perform actions with specific hand ranges in specific positions when particular circumstances happen [e.g. In late position (cutoff, button, playing 9- or 8-handed), open-raise to exactly 3 times the big blind 3 times with hands other than A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, A-K, A-Q]. Each challenge can be repeated up to 10 times for a maximum of 22,600 academy points.

The "Academy Store" is a combination of the normal FTP store (with limited items) and other FTP Reward stores (like Ironman). The least expensive item is a 1200 point deck of cards, and then it mirrors the FTP store with 4,000-5,000 point hats and 5,000-7,000 point books. Like the Ironman store, tournament tokens ($26 for 5,000 credits), cash bonuses ($100 for 20,000 - subject to playthrough), and regular FTP points (5000 FTP points for 5000 Academy points) can be purchased. The only unique items purchasable in the academy store that can't be purchased elsewhere on FTP are "Academy" branded items (keychain, hats, shirts, chairs, backpacks, etc.) They are the same as the other FTP store items, but with the unique Academy logo on them. It is interesting to note that the store contains a handful of items that are still impossible to purchase (25k Jerseys are impossible to purchase with the current points available), and a handful of items that may never be purchasable (the $600 bonus an the million point avatar).

CONTINUED NEXT POST

The 21 Sit-N-Learn Interactives always ask the same seven questions. So, if you need $0.24 worth of hot freeroll action and can't be bothered to watch a 20 minute video or even blindly guess at the quiz yourself. I present to you, the answers to the S&L's.

Completing mulitples of these should give you a more than fair shot at the $5,000 freeroll, making the collective set of answers worth at least the $2.40 making the final $5,000 freeroll is worth. Considering the empty-seat ratio in low-dollar freerolls, this should be an easy couple-dollar score for some of you -- and a colossal waste of time for many others of you.

I collected the answers to these one evening while I was waiting for a challenge to update and show complete (more on that later). In some cases the answers are verbatim, in others they're paraphrased or merely shorthand. It should be clear what the correct answer is regardless. Worst case, 6000 out of 7000 will almost always make the top-1000. "Less popular" FTP pros with odd S&Ls sometimes have fewer than 1000 names on the high score list.

There are useful things to be learned in the lessons and in the quizzes. If you'd like to learn something, don't press the spoiler buttons.


Without any further ado...

Taylor Caby
Online Tells Erick Lindgren
The Final TableJennifer Harmon
Sizing Up OpponentsChris Ferguson
Pre-Flop PlayAllen Cunningham
Medium-Stack PlayAndy Bloch
Tournament ChecklistMichael Gracz
Rebuy Tournaments RevealedHoward Lederer
Betting BasicsMichael Craig
Turbo TournamentsAndy Bloch
Math Made EasyBrandon Adams
PLO Pitfalls and PossibilitiesAaron Bartley
Sit & Gos By The NumbersPhil Gordon
Mathematical ShortcutsPaul Wasicka
Heads-Up TipsBill Edler
Interpreting Bet SizesAaron Barley
Middle Stages of Sit & GosHoward Lederer
Mastering the BubbleChris Ferguson
Bankroll ManagementPhil Gordon
5 common hold'em leaksBill Edler
The Power of Position

Thanks. I geek out on the dumbest things...

I'll post two more HUGE parts a little later - tonight or later this weekend, depending on how motivated I continue to be this early evening...

Deleted my post so that you could have a couple of parts in your post together. You could probably ask a mod to combine all parts of your guide as one post to be easily read, when you're done.

There are currently 10 challenges, ranging from the 30-point "Guide" challenges to the 500 point "Sizing up Your Opponents" challenge. Each challenge can be completed 10 times each for a maximum total of 100 challenges and 22,600 points.

An easy challenge looks like this:



There are only three elements in this challenge, and it only requires that you participate in three multi-table tournaments to achieve them. The tasks update quickly (generally only a few minutes after the end of the tournament), and your points are given to you fairly quickly. You can quickly repeat a simple challenge like this or move on to a new challenge.

You can't switch to a new challenge while you wait for your update. [Others may report more success in this, but I wouldn't chance it.]

A more difficult (or at least more complicated) challenge looks like this:



This challenge has not only items that require a number of unlikely events to happen, but your opponents have to participate You're also limited to NLHE (unlike some other tasks which just allow any tournament play as long as it's 9-handed), and the tasks have fine print:



Those challenges involving in-hand actions [i.e. fold Ax where X<9 preflop] sometimes update as quickly as 10-15 minutes, but can often take an hour or more to update. In rare circumstances, it may take 12+ hours to update. In even rarer cases, challenges may become stuck. I'm not alone in reporting that FTP support had to "un-stick" one of my challenges so I could continue.

Depending on the level of play that you attempt these challenges at, and depending on how fast you're trying to do them, you might find the lack of opportunities frustrating. Often you'd like to open-raise late and c-bet for the win, but too often someone acts before you or you've hit a pair on the flop...or they're stubborn...

It's important to note that MOST EVERY challenge will happen organically without you changing your game. Only a few challenges require you to play in a way that might not suit your normal game.

It's also important to note that because of the rate at which FTP updates the items in these challenges, you can probably complete a single "harder" 400 or 500 point challenge faster than you can complete two 200 point challenges.

If you pursue this like I did (much more on this later), you're likely to lose some money trying to "force" these situations to happen.

So, here are the 10 challenges, listed from smallest point value to largest point value, with notes where the course isn't obvious.

Guide to Sit & Gos -- 30 points.

• Play 1 9-handed S&G that is not a turbo.
• Play 1 9-handed turbo S&G.
• The Pro Play - Play 1 S&G that serves as a satellite to a larger

Guide to MTTs -- 30 points.

• Play 1 normal MTT (not turbo, not double-stack or super-stack).
• Play 1 turbo MTT.
• The Pro Play - Play 1 MTT that is either a knockout, shootout, or rebuy tournament.

Guide to No-Limit Cash Games -- 30 points.

• Play at least 20 hands in a no-limit cash game.
• Play at least 20 hands in a pot-limit cash game.
• The Pro Play - Play at least 20 hands in a cap no-limit cash game.

Bankroll Management -- 200 points.

• Play 2 cash game hold 'em sessions of 30 hands or more where your buy-in is less than 5% of your Full Tilt bankroll.
• Play 2 cash game sessions where you buy in for 5% or less of your bankroll and leave the table having realized a profit.
• Play 5 9-handed S&Gs where you buy in for less than 5% of your Full Tilt bankroll. Buy-in amount includes the entry fee.
• Play 1 MTT where your buy-in is no more than 2% of your bankroll. Buy-in amount includes the entry fee.
• The Pro Play - Increase your Full Tilt Poker bankroll by 25%. It is possible to rat-hold cash and then re-start this challenge. Because of the fine-print, you can place cash on tables or into tournament entries and THEN make this your active challenge. You can also reset the challenge at any time, meaning if you're losing...reset the challenge and start your 25% again from your lower bankroll number.
  

Sit & Go By The Numbers -- 200 points.

• Don't finish in the bottom 3 in 4 9-handed S&Gs that pay 3 spots.
• Fold A-J, A-T, A-9, K-Q, or K-J in early position 2 times while 7 or more players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
• Go all in with A-Q, A-J, or A-T while 5 or 6 players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
• Play 5 S&Gs; your buy-in for each can be no greater than 2 percent of your Full Tilt bankroll.
• The Pro Play - Finish in first place in 2 9-handed S&Gs. There are satellite tournaments where 1st and 2nd place both get "1st." It is not necessary to have the bigger chipstack when 3rd place busts out. 1st and 2nd both get first, and either place gets credit for this challenge item.
  

Power of Position -- 250 points.

• Open-fold A-J, A-T, A-9, K-Q, K-J, or K-T 3 times in early position (UTG, UTG+1) in 8- or 9-handed NLHE cash games. Note that this calls for OPEN folding, and that means you must be the first to act. No limpers or raisers may come before you. If UTG limps, you can't get credit in UTG+1 for folding. Because these often take so long to update, don't assume that you've completed the action.
• Raise with A-Q, A-J, A-T, A-9, K-Q, K-J, or K-T 3 times in late position (button, cutoff) in 8- or 9-handed NLHE cash games.
• Win a pot with a continuation bet on the flop with no pair in a 8- or 9-handed NLHE cash game, after open-raising from late position (button or cutoff) pre-flop. Note again the "open-raise" condition. This makes this a challenge, in that you must be in late position, and that at some levels of play, you're going to have more limpers.
• Successfully bluff on the turn with no pair after calling a bet in position on the flop.
• The Pro Play - Win 3 consecutive pots from the button. Not nearly as hard as it seems, even at low levels. It'll happen organically long before you're presented with the opportunities to perform some of the other actions. Don't force this. Overall, I believe this to be one of the "hardest" challenges if you're just playing to complete challenges. Of of the events in this challenge will happen by themselves, but they happen at a fairly slow rate.

Mastering the Bubble -- 300 points.

• Pre-flop fold A-X (where the "X" is 8 or lower) while 4-handed in a 9-handed NLHE S&G that pays 3 spots.
• Move or call all-in pre-flop with K-X or Q-X (where the "X" is 9 or lower) while 3-handed in a 9-handed NLHE S&G that pays 3 spots.
• Play 4 heads-up no-limit Hold 'em S&Gs. Because of the number of penny options elsewhere, this can potentially be the most expensive item on the entire challenge list. There aren't head's up S&Gs for less than $2.25. Other tournaments can be had for as little as $0.35.
• Cash in 5 9-handed NLHE S&Gs that pay 3 spots.
• The Pro Play - Win 3 9-handed NLHE S&Gs. Remember satellites that pay 1st and 2nd the same price. They count.
  

5 Common Hold'em Leaks -- 300 points.

• Open raise 5 times to exactly 3x BB with the following: A-A, A-K, K-K, A-Q, Q-Q, T-T, J-J, or A-J.
• Fold 2 times with A-T, K-Q, or K-J pre-flop when someone has raised before you.
• Raise pre-flop, then win the pot with a continuation bet on the flop without making a pair or better.
• Open fold pre-flop 5 times with a suited A-X, where the "X" is 9 or lower. Note that this and the first challenge item are both OPEN actions as described above. You get fewer opportunities to do this than you think, and it needs to be the one you're on the lookout for. It will almost always be the last item on your checklist.
• The Pro Play - Show profits in 3 cash game sessions of 60 hands or more where you do not have a net loss in a pot of more than 25 big blinds.

Pre-Flop Play -- 400 points.

• In early position (UTG, UTG+1, playing 9- or 8-handed), open min-raise (double the big blind) 3 times with the following hands: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, A-K, A-Q.
• In middle position (UTG+2, UTG+3, UTG+4, playing 9- or 8-handed), open-raise to 2.5 times the big blind 3 times with the following hands: A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, 9-9, 8-8, 7-7, A-K, A-Q, A-J.
• In late position (cutoff, button, playing 9- or 8-handed), open-raise to exactly 3 times the big blind 3 times with hands other than A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, T-T, A-K, A-Q. The first three challenges all require OPEN actions, as discussed above. Otherwise, these will happen in a fairly straightforward manner. Depending, again, on the level of play and the number of players to the flop, you'll NOT have a lot of opportunities to do some of these actions. You're at the mercy of your opponents.
• Steal the blinds 5 times from middle or late position in a 9- or 8-handed no-limit Hold'em cash game.
• The Pro Play - Play 100 consecutive hands without open limping. Raise or fold if it’s been folded to you. Repeat 5 times. While easy to do, as your opponents can't stop you; with the exception of altering your hand selection criteria in other challenges, this is one of the few items in all of the academy that requires you to take a vastly different strategy approach than you might otherwise want. No set-mining allowed.

Sizing up Opponents -- 500 points.

• Win a pot pre-flop by re-raising without a pocket pair or an ace in your hand.
• Win a pot by betting on two streets (the flop and turn) with no pair.
• Win a pot by calling a bet on the flop with no pair, then betting the turn.
• Fold top pair or better on the flop or turn to an opponent who bets into you.
• The Pro Play - Play 4 sessions of NLHE that are 6-handed or greater. In each session win 5 pots. Your net profit in each of the hands must be at least 8 big blinds. Note that there's no requirement to actually win money here. You can volunteer to play big pots by simply creating them. Despite being a 500 point challenge, this is one of your easiest opportunities to get a lot of points. It's over 20% of the entire academy point list, and it's easier than many others since it lacks the OPEN criteria of the hand-playing challenges. Don't worry about the first 4 criteria. They'll all happen LONG before you do the 5th.

One or two more parts to go... Next up, my results.

I can't adequately explain why I did what I did. I'm a middle-aged suburban head-of-household who, despite having a laundry list of things to do with my free time, enjoys geeking out on exactly this sort of obsessive compulsive thing. I should have been in the garage building a new craps table or at least building a new pair of Cornhole boards. [Save your cornhold jokes, please.] I could have at least done something productive, like slept.

As a poker player, I'm mostly break-even online. Looking at my taxes tells me that I claim to have lost exactly $406.28 playing online across all games and platforms in 2008. That number includes "staking" my wife. [Save your "stake your wife" jokes too, please.] HEM tells me that I've lost $104 this year playing cash Hold'em (or only $55 for your rakeback pros) but made $91 (and $121 after rakeback) playing hold'em tournaments.

Most of my play, despite not being tracked in HEM (yet) is in Limit Omaha/8 and in HORSE. I've run hot both ways in these games, cashing out +3,000 or so in April, and...not so much other months.

When I feel like "grinding" out money, I'm the king of low-limit HORSE tournaments.



I pursue all of this at as only an amusing intellectual pursuit on my eventual path to being good enough to break even while retired with my wife. I spent more money on a grill and accessories for the 4th of July than I did all last year playing Poker -- and I'm happy to help keep the lights on at any casino with a Craps table -- so poker remains my favorite hobby, not a way to make money.

The "street value" of 22,600 FTP academy points is about $104 and a keychain. That's a single bill inserted into a slot machine or a single starter bill at a craps table (before they politely ask me for more ).

So, now that you know a little about me -- a little about what these challenges did to me.

------

To grind through all of the "win" related S&G challenges I played the AWFUL satellites to the daily dollar. They are ******ed monkey shove fests. The average is 3 players all-in on the first hand. This was perfect for my early strategy of not giving the least bit of a care for how much money I lost. Knowing that there would be three shoves on the first hand, I'd gladly get in on the fun with an "flip-worthy" hand -- often with less, knowing I could start another thirty-five cent tournament in moments.

Often I'd have found myself having met the "win" requirements of the challenges, but still missing "fold X" or "raise Y" requirements and just keep cranking out more and more and more of them, playing about 6 of them at once -- my practical limit, especially as they'd get shorthanded quickly.

HEM doesn't correctly graph these, as it doesn't count the satellite win as $1, so here's what SS had to say.



That's right, I played 357 $0.25+$0.05 tournaments and won FIVE DOLLARS. Not bad since the tournament vig is 20% on these. The good news is that I paid $17.85 in rake which nearly DOUBLED my return to almost $10. I might have spent as many as 20 hours doing this, for a return of about $0.50/hour. Balla.

It also did pretty sick things to my mostly-HORSE overall graph. (Again, not tracked right in HEM, mixed games and whatnot...)



As I mentioned elsewhere, the most expensive part of the tournament might be playing the $2 head's up games. I suppose I put $100 at risk playing all those satellites to the Daily Dollar, but $2.25 is the most you have to put at risk at one time at any other point in these challenges.

Fortunately, I'm a lucky SOB. A very lucky SOB. Note my awesome red line. [I make no claim of being ANY good at NLHE, especially head's up. In fact, these are my ENTIRE CAREER head's up hold'em stats.]




So, score another $30 for our hero.

My overall S&G stats in HEM of games in the price range that I played for the challenge (all sub $2) pretty much showed me breaking even outside of the HU play. Including the Daily Dollar satellites make the graph look silly.





Stupid HEM and it's inability to correctly graph tournament prizes without manual intervention.

NOTES IN CASH IN THE NEXT POST -- and then perhaps a summary

As has been pointed out to me in a PM, Aaron Bartley's Sit & Gos By The Numbers answer #6 is: A typographic error on my part, I suppose. Perhaps a mod will fix it.

There won't be much before and after information about cash NLHE. I simply don't play cash NLHE. Other than perhaps visiting NL2 tables to chat with friends or blow off steam, I simply don't play the game. I play a handful of live NLHE tournaments, and I play the occasional MTT, but it's just not my game of preference.

In fact, I have 23,024 hands of NL2 that it looks like I played solely to do these challenges (and a few PL hands, I guess), and I only have 30,134 hands total across all hold'em games. I've got 4385 hands of other PL2, PL5 and NL5 that I used early in the challenge (or when specifically requested to play PL) or when I was inadvertently sitting at PL tables.

I've got a "massive" win for $34 across all NL/PL 2/5, but most of the winnings are NL5 and from before the challenge.

Looking at first, my combined NL/PL 2/5 play since the dawn of time (ok, since whenever I have logs for), you get this:




...which shows that when left to my own devices (and given a small enough sample size to not demonstrate how bad I am), I can win a couple of bucks.

However, if you give me someone else's rigid guidelines, and I stick those guidelines ahead of winning money -- and I disregard the money in favor of crossing off challenge items -- then I do some terrible things. [Woe is me if I had "reraise pre-flop and win uncontested" unchecked. Any two cards against any number of opponents was the right time to check that off my list.]

So, my entire NL2 career, which was almost entirely for the challenge, looked like this:



Somewhere, about half way through this I realized that "Jeez, even if I don't care about the money, I need to stop short-stacking." Early on I was much, much less concerned about my stats. [I never thought I'd share them.] So, I sat at tables, shortstacking, and making ham-handed attempts to do whatever it is that I could possibly do (with no regard for my 40, 50 or 80 cents) to cross off items. Also, since I did challenges that were possible in 6-handed games, I played 6-max early.

I was a loser at both, but early on, shortstacking, playing 6-max, playing A LOT of hands....a terrible mistake.





I lost over 7x faster playing 6-max, and virtually all of my losses came when playing short-stacked.

All in all though, considering rakeback, I broke about even playing the cash games I needed to complete these challenges, no matter HOW bad I played.

A few words more on this in my Springer-esque "Final Thoughts," next.

Overall I had fun. The FTP Academy is a fine way to add extra FTP points to your account. If you're a low-stakes grinder, just turn them on one at a time and cross as many of them off as HAPPEN to apply to your game. You'll likely be able to grab yourself a couple of tokens. If you're a high-stakes player, there's only about $100 to be made, and you'd be better off keeping a close eye on your Ironman points to make sure that you end your days on good bonus medal boundries.

In the time that I got 22,600 academy points, I probably only got a couple thousand normal FTP points. [I got other points doing other things.] I'd say I only set pace for 800 FTP Points a month outside of when I was grabbing my mid-year-bonus Ironman days.

• There are useful videos in the Academy. Watch a few. My wife learned a lot, and, frankly, I picked up a few good tips.
• The quizzes aren't bad, and they're worth a couple of bucks. Combine these with Happy Hour, Ironman, Fantasy Freerolls, PPA Frerolls to add a tidy sum to your bankroll if you're a low-roller.
• Play your game. Don't change it up JUST to get Academy points, or your stats might look like mine.
• Tokens and Bonuses are probably the best "values" in the store, but there are unique Academy-only items.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and laughing at my graphs.

See you at the low-limit HORSE S&Gs.

Ok, that's it. If a mod wants to clean up my cheat-sheet error (I'm long outside of my edit window) and clean up the posts in the middle, that'd be great -- else it's probably good as it is.

I'm happy to answer dumb questions

...and someone explaining exactly how buying tokens impacts your MGR and how to calculate it might answer the one question that I'm not an expert on. [Ok, well, there's plenty of things I'm not an expert on.]

im interested in if buying the $100 bonus will effect mgr......as i recently just got rakeback........Thanks Palimax for the cheat sheets for the sit n learns. those will be helpful as i am too lazy to watch the videos before doing the test(or whatever you want to call it) but i do enjoy getting perfect scores lol.

Buying tokens with Ironman medals doesn't affect your MGR, but buying bonuses will.

I would assume that it would be the same for these. The $100 bonus would come directly from your MGR, meaning that with RB you'd only have a net gain of $73.

I'd strongly suggest buying tokens instead.

but but but but i never played 24+2's before....im a micro stakes moron - lol



Sigh Fine, i guess that makes sense.....

Thanks for info

Rubs.

Don't know how to do bullet points...just checked into the task I was working on, the one you wrote:

Sit & Go By The Numbers -- 200 points.

* Don't finish in the bottom 3 in 4 9-handed S&Gs that pay 3 spots.
* Fold A-J, A-T, A-9, K-Q, or K-J in early position 2 times while 7 or more players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
* Go all in with A-Q, A-J, or A-T while 5 or 6 players remain in a 9-handed S&G.
* Play 5 S&Gs; your buy-in for each can be no greater than 2 percent of your Full Tilt bankroll.
* The Pro Play - Finish in first place in 2 9-handed S&Gs. There are satellite tournaments where 1st and 2nd place both get "1st." It is not necessary to have the bigger chipstack when 3rd place busts out. 1st and 2nd both get first, and either place gets credit for this challenge item.


But now the pro play says non-matrix, non-satellite SnGs. Guess FT didn't like you

Just hope some of the other stuff didn't change.

This is indeed a change. In fact, I cut-and-pasted text directly from the FTP Academy website on Friday when I wrote my post; so this change happened in the last 48 hours. "We're Full Tilt Poker, and we're working weekends updating our challenges to prevent people from getting a free keychain."

Mastering the bubble has the same new text:

So, I guess you're going to pay $1+$0.25 and finish first instead of thirty cents and finish second now.

A quick scan of the rest of it also seems to indicate a slight change to the Bankroll Management challenge, which eliminates the biggest loophole. I can't be 100% sure on this, because I don't have the old text verbatim. I guess someone's been reading my posts.

I believe the 25% increase challenge also used to include the dollars-at-other-table caveat. Looks like this officially became the hardest challenge for anyone with GOOD bankroll management, and an easier challenge for people with BAD bankroll management. How ironic. To start with a bankroll of ONE UNIT, and do this challenge 10 times the "right" way, you'd end up with 9.31 units in your bankroll. That's...quite the challenge...and quite the bump to your bankroll.

I don't get the luxury of editing my posts, so I'll keep adding on for a while.

correct me if im wrong, but you can turn real money into T$ for free, it just costs to go reverse? and if not, just play Satallites anyways, there are a bunch of super easy ones, like 1/4 or 1/5 1 table or multi tables.....and just reverse it back while playing.......but then again, thats lots of rake, what an evil plan by FTP.....ah well, i never noticed the loop hole until the last 2 or 3 go's at bankroll management for me anyways. and isn't very helpfull for a strictly cash game player, but meh.

Was even easier by playing the $1.80+$0.20 sats as they paid three winners

New challenge today:

• At an 8 or 9-handed table, open raise exactly 3 times the big blind pre-flop with AK, AQ, or a pair 99 or higher from middle or late position.
  (1 part task) Why This Task? | Task Details
  
  
• Bet the flop with top pair or better where at least one of your hole cards factors into your hand (kicker doesn’t count). Repeat 3 times.
  (3 part task) Why This Task? | Task Details
  
  
• Win the pot by betting the flop when you failed to flop a pair or better. Repeat 3 times.
  (3 part task) Why This Task? | Task Details
  
  
• Win a pot where you bet and get called on the flop, turn and river. You must bet and get called on every street post-flop and showdown the best hand to win the pot.
  (1 part task) Why This Task? | Task Details
  
  
• The Pro Play - Win the pot by check-raising the flop as a semi-bluff.

Max points are now 25,100

And the fine print from the Pro Play...

• All play must come in a real money NL Hold’em cash game, MTT or a S&G that started with 9 players or more.
• Neither of your hole cards can match the rank of any card on the board (cannot pair or make trips with the flop).
• Cannot hold a pair as your hole cards.
• Cannot have trips, quads, a flush, a straight, or a full house.
• You must have flopped 4 cards to a flush, an open-ended straight draw or a double inside straight draw.
• You must check as your first action on the flop.
• A player behind you must bet the flop.
• You must raise when the action comes back to you.
• All opponents must fold to your bet winning you the pot on the flop.

Should happen organically, but man, that's a lot of fine print

Also, based on URLs that don't go anywhere yet, Challenge #16 (they're not sequential) seems to be HUNL based:

http://academy.fulltiltpoker.com/mya...hall/16/elem/1
http://academy.fulltiltpoker.com/mya...hall/16/elem/2
http://academy.fulltiltpoker.com/mya...hall/16/elem/3
http://academy.fulltiltpoker.com/mya...hall/16/elem/4
http://academy.fulltiltpoker.com/mya...hall/16/elem/5

...and requires you to tripple-up in a HUNL

I'd imagine that'll be live VERY soon.

Well, you can manually attempt to add it from the expected URL, but it's not active yet.



Paul Wasicka's first offering...

Thanks a lot for writing this Palimax. I very much enjoy these intellectual challenge-grinds, and you've put together a great, comprehensive guide.

good detective work!

I'll try to re-compile all of this into one post. I'll see if I can get a mod to send me the raw vBulletin code. It was a mistake for me not to save it all in "raw" format.

Thanks so much for this post. I stumbled upon this yesterday and started to work on the challenges. As you mentioned earlier, a lot of these will just happen if you play regularly. Thanks again.