Players traveling back to their PC monitors post-WSOP have immediately been greeted by the latest Full Tilt Online Poker Series. The predictably titled FTOPS XVII is a 34-event tournament series, featuring guaranteed prize pools that total over $19 million. All the classic poker variations sit alongside a healthy dose of innovative new events in the tournament schedule. Accompanying huge swathes of No Limit events and some high-stakes H.O.R.S.E, there are multiple Knockout and Rush Poker contests.

Late last night, the third event in FTOPS XVII sped past in double quick time. The No Limit Hold’em 4x Shootout 6-max Turbo was a tournament for those who like a little spice with their standard NLHE setup. In a shootout tournament, each table operates in isolation, with players only progressing if they can eliminate every other opponent. The one remaining combatant then progresses to another table, and so on, until we have a lone victor. To take home the lion’s share of the prize pool in Event #3, you’d be required to win the equivalent of four consecutive Sit & Gos. The tables were capped at six players and levels ticked over at Turbo speed.

With all these speed-boosting caveats, it’s no surprise that the 1,296 players who registered for the event managed to complete the tournament in just over 4 hours. The $300,000 guarantee was enough to tempt a healthy group of players to pay the $300 + $22 entrance fee. There were enough buy-ins to easily boost past the guarantee, leaving Event #3 with a total prize pool of $388,800.

FTOPS regulars will know that every single event in every single series is hosted by one of Full Tilt’s many sponsored pros. This time it was the turn of Italian maestro Daniele Mazzia, a European circuit player with over $860,000 in live tournament earnings. Now making his home in the casino mecca of Monte Carlo, Mazzia has been making a living on the felt since 2006. He still plays regularly online, but has really made his name as a regular money finisher in tournaments all across Europe. His biggest score came in 2008, when he finished 4th in the €8k EPT Barcelona for $500,000.

Joining him in this event were a whole host of other sponsored players. The Red Pros put on a good display in this event, with one player in particular impressing above all the rest. Among those who didn’t cash were Daniele Mazzia, Carlos Mortensen, Dave Colclough, David Benyamine, and Gavin Smith. Scott Fischman and Huck Seed both made the money – in 49th and 42nd respectively – picking up $1,166.40 for their troubles.

The real success for the big name pros was Jeff Madsen. The two-time bracelet winner finished in 3rd place, narrowly missing out a rare Red Pro FTOPS win. The amateur rap enthusiast can now add $28,460.16 to his live tournament winnings of over $3.1 million. Since picking up a double bracelet berth in 2006, Madsen has been recognized as a great poker talent. He confirmed his status among the game’s best earlier this year, winning $625,006 for first place in the 2010 Borgata Open.

Just ahead of Madsen in second place was ‘professor plum’, otherwise known as Josh Prager. The Yuba City native has over $500k in online winnings, now boosted by his $42,768 prize in Event #3. Since turning pro in 2002, he has also made the occasional dalliance into live tournaments. Far and away his biggest live score came in the €10,000 2007 EPT Grand Final, where he finished 5th for $522,220.

First place, a special gold jersey, and a whole heap of cash went to chapmoney, known in the real world as Mike Chappus. Logging on from Windsor, Canada, Mike is already an established online presence. He has over $500,000 in winnings on PokerStars and topped the 2009 Top Shark of the Year Sit and Go Leaderboard at Poker Pro Labs. The $68,040 first place prize will go very nicely with live tournament earnings of over $160,000.

Stay with Flop Turn River for continuing coverage of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series XVII.