The Playground 100 was a multi day event that started with one online Day 1 flight and another five live Day 1 flights. Players started with 20,000 chips and played through 20 minute levels on Day 1 until 10% of the field was reached, at which point the players bagged their chips for Day 2 and would come back to play knowing that all were already “in the money.” The tournament featured a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool however with the 1,054 runners who entered the event, the prize pool swelled to over $100,000! Day 2 saw many of the short stacks exit the tournament early from failed shove attempts to double-up. There were many solid players who chipped up nicely but in the end, one by one, many of them were sent to the rail and would not see the final table. Once the final table was reached, play began […]
Poker
Deepstack Re-entry Champion: Nassim K
Event #4 of the July Power Weekend, the $100 + $10 Deepstack Re-entry, proved to be a tremendously popular event. The field of 147 entries (including 28 re-entries) built a prize pool that greatly exceeded the $5,000 guarantee and filled the tournament hall with energized tournament players on the hunt for a big payout. The early levels saw a steady flow of players moving in and out of the tournament, many of whom made their way back to the cage to re-enter. In most cases, the players sprinted out of the gate this afternoon and never looked back, keeping up the high-paced action all the way to the late stages. The only time things slowed down was for the money bubble when 20 players remained. The hand-for-hand play lasted for more than an entire blind level, as several short stacks managed to win their all ins, but it was eventually […]
Playground 500 Champion: William Molson
Both Kevin Bergeron and William Molson had an excellent tournament, with Kevin amassing 5,495,000 chips over the course of the day to William’s 7,510,000. As soon as it was down to the final two, both players were happy to agree to a chop whereby Kevin would receive a guaranteed $20,450, and William $22,500. $2,500 was put aside for the winner, and we didn’t have to wait long to find out who it would be! Exactly one hand in, Kevin opened with a bet of 475,000, which was raised by William to 1,400,000. Kevin shoved over the top and was called, and they flipped over their cards. Molson: Bergeron: The board came down , and William bagged the well-deserved win. All told, William Molson comes away with a cool $25,000 for his efforts along with bragging rights for being the Playground 500 champion. Congratulations go out to him, the runner-up Kevin […]
8-Max Re-entry Champion: Kajen Arumugam
The 8-Max Re-entry got the July Power Weekend off to a flying start this afternoon. A total of 66 entries made their way in to this event, enough to surpass the prize pool guarantee of $5,000. Things started off slowly this afternoon, as players managed their chips carefully during the early levels. There was a flurry of action shortly before the first break, as the late registration and re-entry period was nearing its end, which brought forth several re-entries during the break. From there, the pace of play undulated from slow to fast and back again until the late stages of the tournament. Once the field was down to three tables, things shifted into another gear, quickly reducing the field to the final table. And the break-neck pace continued at the final table with five eliminations during the first two orbits of play. The four finalists – Anderson F., Steve […]
Top Moments in the History of the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker Main Event is game’s most prestigious tournament. Starting from humble roots in the early 1970s, the WSOP Main Event brought the game to a global audience and has long been considered to be poker’s world championship. The rich history of this event has created some of the most prominent legends of the game. We will be recapping the ten most memorable and influential moments in WSOP history over the next few weeks, starting with moments ten through six in this article. 10 – Amarillo Slim Wins 1972 Main Event, Becomes First “Ambassador” of the Game The year 1972 marked a major step forward in the evolution of the World Series of Poker with the birth of the marketable poker professional. Thomas Austin Preston Jr., better known as “Amarillo Slim,” won the main event and used his newfound notoriety to pitch poker to the […]
Fifteen local players make the money in the WSOP Main Event
On behalf of the Playground team, we would like to congratulate the fifteen quebecers who have made the money in the World Series of Poker Main Event! As usual, players traveled from all around the world to Las Vegas en masse for the Main Event. This year’s field came in at 8,569 runners, the second largest in WSOP history, to put an $80,548,600 prize pool on the line. The strong showing by local players shows the high caliber and elevated status of poker in Quebec, something that Playground is proud to be a part of. Join us in wishing these local players the best of luck and success in their quest to follow in Jonathan Duhamel’s footsteps and bring the most prestigious prize in poker back to Quebec. There are still 354 players left in the running in the Main Event. David Guay leads the three remaining quebecers with a […]
New MyGame capabilities on partypoker
On June 17, partypoker introduced major changes to their client that included the disabling of downloadable hand histories to enhance fair play on their site, as part of their mission to create the safest and fairest place to play online poker. In order to provide players with information that will help them plug leaks and sharpen their game, partypoker introduced the MyGame feature. Located within the main client, this feature is an interactive coaching tool that ranks players according to several criteria and provides a scorecard that summarizes their performance at the tables. In short, MyGame provides everything a player needs to take their game to the next level. MyGame provides a detailed report card that breaks down all aspects of your game. Based on game optimal theory, the report card gives you feedback on key statistics, stealing and blind defence, three- and four-betting, post-flop aggression, and showdowns. When it […]
The July Power Weekend is just around the corner
July is already scorching and is about to get even hotter with a Power Weekend. From July 18 to July 22, Playground will host a mini-series composed of 6 events, including 2 multi-day events: the Playground 100 and the Playground 500. Our flagship event, when offered in two versions with two different price points, presents an opportunity for more players to play a multi-day event that is closer to their preferred buy-in. The $100 + $10 Playground 100 offers a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000 and provides players with lots of options to enter, thanks to an online Day 1 and five live starting flights. The $500 + $50 Playground 500 raises the stakes with a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000. Players can enter the Playground 500 through an online Day 1 or any of the three live starting flights. The July Power Weekend is also your very first chance […]
Introducing Playground Rewards and the Sizzling Summer cash game promotions
Playground Rewards Playground is proud to announce a comprehensive, property-wide rewards program that will allow all players the freedom and flexibility to choose their own perks- Playground Rewards! Through Playground Rewards, players will accumulate two kinds of points based on their play: Status Points and Reward Points. Status Points will determine a player’s benefit level and unlock a selection of valuable bonuses, exclusive promotions and special offers. Rewards Points are the currency of Playground Rewards; players can spend them however they like on things like cash back, free play, merchandise and more! In order to make sure that all players get the most out of Playground Rewards, there will be some operational changes to our food and beverage services on the poker floor. Drinks will remain free for all players, but food will now be accounted for using rewards points. Players of all levels will easily earn enough points […]
Event #6 Champion: Jacques Berthiaume
In total 122 entries made their way to the tables today. The pace throughout the tournament was fast and intense. The 6-Max structure is designed for action and the players did not let anyone down in that regard. The eliminations were quick and one could regularly see the tournament staff busting table after table as the field narrowed. The number of entries was large enough to more than double the guarantee and finish at $11,834. Jeremy Chandler was running pretty good all day, he rose to fame early on and never really looked back. Midway through the tournament, Éric Sauvé won a huge hand, propelling him to the top of the leaderboard and his luck held long enough to let him to sail to the final table. After the bubble broke in level 14, the action did not let up one bit, and the eliminations picked up even more. The […]
Event #7 Champion: Mathyeu Provost
Event #7, $100 + $20 +$100 6-Max 50/50 Bounty got underway at 7:00pm and attracted 145 bounty hunters who were here to collect chips and to score a $100 bounty on each player that they knocked out of the tournament. Right out of the gate the action heated up and by the first break, the leaders had already secured a few bounty chips as their chip stacks grew to three to four times the average. Simon Gosselin bolted to the top of the leaderboard and was joined later on by Shawn S., but Shawn fell short of the money, and Gosselin exited in ninth place for $310 (plus bounties). Late tournament action saw many swings, with players doubling up and then falling before the bubble. Once the bubble burst, bustouts started to take place at a decent pace. When the final table finally started, there were again a few fast […]
A Jackpot for Canada
The Secondary Bad Beat Jackpot hit today at 4:12PM on a $1/$2 table. What a great way to celebrate Canada Day! The table was full at the time of the hit, with the button on seat 8. The pot was raised by Khosrow Moossavi in seat 5, who made it $10 to go, a standard $1/$2 5x raise. The cut-off and the big blind both made the call and the three players went to the flop. Flop: The action was checked to the aggressor, who continued with a $15 bet. Scott Browning, sitting in seat 7, called in position, and seat 1 went all-in for a single dollar more, which did not make anyone fold. Turn: Moossavi kept pressing: a $45 dollar bet was placed, and matched. River: Moossavi tanked for a bit and went all-in. The call was as quick as any. Moosavi: Browning: The whole table stood in […]