Event #10 of the June Power Weekend, the $100 + $20 + $100 NL Hold’em 6-Max 50/50 Bounty, brought out a field of 163 players. All the events throughout the Power Weekend were popular, and this closing event was no exception. We have come to expect fast, loose and aggressive action in bounty tournaments, especially during the early levels when bounty hunting is often the name of the game, but tonight’s tournament started out with a lot more caution and pot control than we have come to expect. The first four levels only saw a few bounty chips change hands, but that all changed after the first break. The action picked up pace from there and did not slow down until the very late stages. There was a brief period when the play tightened up as the money bubble approached, but following Muset’s huge pot against Philippe Drouin where Muset cracked […]

The final table of Event #9 – a $100 + $10 Deepstack Turbo event in the June Power Weekend – was an extremely fast affair. During the time it took to prepare the final table post, the first 5 players were already eliminated, as mentioned earlier tonight. When we did return to the table, the 5 players had decided on an ICM chop. Specifically, they chose to reserve $250 for the eventual winner while dividing the rest of the prize pool according to ICM values. Once the deal was done, things moved along even more quickly. In less than 2 orbits, 2 of the remaining players were eliminated and just David Bonneau and Michael Chouinard remained – and David had about a 2:1 advantage in chips. It only took two preflop raise-and-take-it hands before the chips got in the middle, and Michael got it in good: against David’s call holding […]

Event #8 of the June Power Weekend brought out an impressive field of 222 entries, enough to greatly surpass the guarantee on the prize pool and fill the tournament hall with bounty hunters. The action was predictably wild during the early levels. There was no shortage of multi-way all-ins, bloated pots and loose calls. In many bounty tournaments, this kind of dynamic gives way to much tighter play once the prize money is in sight, but that was not the case tonight. The money bubble held up play only briefly, and the 28 players who cashed this event were reduced to the final table before anyone expected. The play at the final table was far more conservative than everything we had seen throughout the night, as the huge swing between tenth and first-place money clearly weighed on the players. There was an attempt at negotiating a deal at the final table […]

Event #7 of the June Power Weekend, the $300 + $30 NL Hold’em Tag Team, brought out an impressive field of 152 2-player teams. This hugely popular event generated a prize pool that went far beyond today’s $30,000 guarantee, with over $44,000 distributed between the top 21 teams. The players agreed to an ICM chop of the prize pool when four teams remained, leaving $900 extra for the winners. To say that the deal loosened up the play would be a huge understatement; it was all over in only a few hands. After a full day of playing tight, the players were happy to get their chips in before the flop and take their chances at this stage. It took nearly 15 hours of play, but Team Fontaine emerged victorious. Team Fontaine led the tournament for most of the evening, only relinquishing their chip lead at the final table shortly before […]

The Strangers in the Night event was a resounding success. 479 entries were accounted for, aggregated over 3 Day 1s where unlimited re-entries were permitted. The Strangers in the night charity event, as always, was a fun competition where players supported a great cause while indulging in their favorite game. 96 players came back for Day 2 yesterday. A full day of poker brought the field down to 10 finalists, who returned tonight for the conclusion of the June Power Weekend’s marquee event. Daniel Gagnon, the winner of the 2014 Playground Poker Montreal Festival’s Main Event, was on the final table. Miguel Goncalo, a Playground regular who is no stranger to deep-event play, was also in the mix. John Palmer came with a charity title under his belt, having won an All Stars for Starlight event in 2016. Palmer brought a lot of fun to the table with his easy-going demeanor, […]

Event 6 was a $70 + $10 freezeout event, and attracted 219 players, shattering the $5K guarantee. The tournament lasted a little over 9 hours, and in the end, William Pauzé had all the chips. When the ICM numbers were agreed upon by the last 5 players standing, Pauzé had secured the 2nd biggest prize. Mario Bernier was the first to leave after the variance was reduced. After a few all-ins that favored the shorter stack, Mohammad Osman took out 2 opponents at once. Mohammad Osman: Christopher St-Pierre: Francis Carrière: Board: This river got Osman a crushing lead over Pauzé, but many more showdowns were observed. Pauzé came back, won the pot that mattered, and gave the final blow when his ace got the best of Osman’s king. William Pauzé added $450 to his $2,060. He goes home with the biggest payday, the title, and the satisfaction of a big […]