Play has finished on Day 1A of the Playground 200. This was the first of three starting flights, and it drew 125 players, 19 of whom re-entered, making for a total of 144 entries. The players were competing for their share of the 3,600,000 chips in play, and by the end of level 14, 27 players were left to bag chips for Sunday’s Day 2.

This tournament offers extended late registration as well as unlimited re-entries, so it came as no surprise that the action was loose and aggressive during the early levels. After the end of the late registration and re-entry period, the players tightened up and there was a slight lull in the action. But that all changed once they made it to the last level of play. It seems that few players were interested in returning for Day 2 with a short stack so there was a flurry of action that saw a number of players hit the rail as the end of level 14 approached. When the dust settled, Elvira Popescu emerged as the day’s chip leader with 345,000 in chips bagged for Day 2.

See the combined results for all Day 1s in the event here: Playground 200 Combined Day 1 Results

Here are the chip leaders:

First Name	Last Name	Chip Count
Elvira	Popescu	345,000
Michel	Vigneault	278,000
Richard	Pothier	260,500
Walter	Asatoorian	251,000
Gianfranco	Giordano	231,000
Stuart	Taylor	212,500

Even though the play has tightened up as we approach the end of Day 1A, we are still seeing some big pots and aggressive plays.

With the blinds at 1k/2K, the action started with a call from early position. Sasan Mehrabian, the next to act, made it 6,000 to go, and Michael De Luca, on the button, quickly moved all in for 17,900. Jean-Philippe Caron, in the small blind, was then faced with a difficult decision. After a few moments in the tank, he decided to make the call. The initial limper got out of the way, and Mehrabian made the call. The flop, , offered a little something for everyone involved, and Caron, the first to act, moved all in for nearly 50,000. Mehrabian didn’t like the spot he found himself in and reluctantly made the call. Hands were tabled to show:

Mehrabian:

Caron:

De Luca:

The run out, , changed nothing, and king, queen was good (enough to chop the pot).

Play continues in level 13 as 42 players remain in Day 1A.

The players are off on their final break of the evening, with 50 players remaining in the field. The bustouts continued at a steady pace throughout the last two levels, as the blinds caught up with the short stacks.

The current chip average provides over 40 big blinds, and the end of Day 1A is in sight so play will likely tighten up for the last three levels. While several players have built impressive stacks, Michel Vigneault, has a commanding chip lead over the field with more than triple the current chip average.

Here are the chip leaders:

First Name	Last Name	Chip Count
Michel	Vigneault	237,900
Francois	Gagne	155,700
Richard	Pothier	133,000
Daniel	Pepin	127,500
Sasan	Mehrabian	112,600

 

We are now into level 10 of Day 1A, and 62 players remain in the field. The disparity between the big and small stacks has grown significantly since the last break. The pressure of the blinds is creeping up on the small stacks, forcing them to take their chances at the first decent opportunity. This dynamic is creating some interesting situations where the bloated pots provoke surprising action.

Here’s a good example: With the blinds at 500/1000, David Bolduc Hamel, having just lost a big pot, moved all in from under the gun for his last 4,500. A number of players easily made the call, and the action made its way to Samuel Miranda in the big blind. Miranda saw some dead money out there and wanted to isolate so he moved all in for well over 60,000. This move drew a call from Andre Bilodeau, who was playing roughly 20,000, and chased everyone else out of the pot. Their hands were tabled to show for Bolduc, for Bilodeau and for Miranda. The board, , rewarded Miranda for his aggressive play and let him take down a big pot.

The players have just returned from their second break of the evening, as they grind it out through 14 levels of play tonight. The action continued at a hectic pace prior to the second break, despite the fact that the late registration and re-entry period ended at 10:15pm. Everyone knows that two starting flights remain and, given the format – unlimited re-entries and extended late registration – most seem prepared to fire as many bullets as needed to run up a huge stack for Sunday’s Day 2.

As we enter level 9, a handful of players have managed to accumulate more than twice the current average:

First Name	Last Name	Chip Count
Francois	Gagne	133,000
Elvira	Popescu	113,700
Sasan	Mehrabian	102,000
Jacques	Bigonesse	128,000
Sebastien	Proulx	96,100

 

Even though the late registration and re-entry period is over for today’s flight, the ranges are still wide open, the chips are going in quickly and variance is in full effect. A hand that just played out shows just how quickly things can change.

With the blinds at 300/600, Trevor Clarke opened the betting from middle position with . Spencer Jean Baptiste made the call from the button, and they went heads-up. Clarke was happy with the flop and continued with a hefty bet. Little did he know that is was a better flop for Jean-Baptiste, who held for two pair and quickly moved all in. Clarke made the call and hands were tabled. “Man, how much did I raise pre-flop?” asked Clarke, who could not believe his eyes. The turn brought the and the , counterfeiting Jean-Baptiste’s hand and giving Clarke a double up.

The action continues in level 8 with 87 players remaining.