After an epic seven hour struggle, Josek_pl emerged victorious in Full Tilt Poker’s MiniFTOPS Event 9. In total, 9,816 entrants ponied up the necessary $10+$1, in an effort to capture the title.

This Rush poker tournament utterly shattered its $300,000 guarantee, thanks to 3,692 add-ons (2,000 chips for $10) and an incredible 21,875 rebuys (1,500 chips for $10). Once the dust settled, the competitors were vying for pay in a pool of $353,840.

A highly regarded Sit ‘n Go player, Josek_pl’s last big cash came in a $42,000 guaranteed event this past June on Full Tilt. Each of his last three major wins resulted in paydays around the $8,500 mark.

Here’s how both Josek_pl and the rest of the final table made out…

#1 – Josek_pl ($37,937.23)
#2 – uRuGwa1 ($29,757.34)
#3 – DGTballer ($31,087.26)
#4 – PST-AUK110 ($24,938.28)
#5 – Sppower ($24,997.67)
#6 – MicahJ ($12,536.35)
#7 – 608SIDE ($7,076.80)
#8 – pitboss1988 ($5,059.91)
#9 – thehussle1 ($3,577.32)

If these figures look a little puzzling, it’s for a good reason. Each of the top six finishers participated in a post-deal payout. In total, the top 1,350 players received a return on their investment. Minimum payouts were issued at $53.08, depending on a player’s rebuy and add-on decisions.

A top finisher among the pros was Stuart Paterson, who rolled out with a 1,250th place elimination, making him the only member of Team Full Tilt to survive the bubble’s burst. Host Svetlana Gromenkova was next in line, coming in just outside the money with a 1,414th knockout. Other big names participating in Event 9 included Diego Cordovez (1,606th), Allen Cunningham (2,186th), Ferrari Zumbini (3,377th), and Lee Watkinson (3,594th).