Event #2 – Playground 500

Event #2 Champion: Kevin Javier

2019/03/23 - 21:29 by Shawn McCrory

Event #2 of the March Power Weekend, the Playground 500, was a tremendous success that brought out a field of 314 entries. The great turnout smashed the $100,000 guarantee to create huge prizes at the top of the money list.

Today’s Day 3 started at the final table with eight players who put on a display of hard fought, determined poker. They took a cautious approach to the first two levels but there were still moments of excitement and tension, with a number of bluffs being shown at the table. Following back-to-back eliminations that reduced the field to six players, negotiations for an ICM chop of the prize pool began. And they did not last long, as consensus was reached quickly, allowing the final six to lock up five-figures scores. In many tournaments, the conclusion of a deal leads players to essentially “flip” their way to the end and stack off fairly light. But that was not the case today. They still had $3,000 – the amount withheld from the deal for the eventual winner – to play for as well as the $1,500 + $150 MILLIONS North America STEP 3 satellite seats to be awarded to the top three finishers. So every hand still mattered.

The four-way battle between Nicholas Soller, Christian Rho, Jean Rene Plante and Kevin Javier lasted for several levels, as the chips moved around the table. Both Soller and Rho saw their stacks go through some wild swings, while Plante and Javier controlled most of the chips. Following Soller’s elimination in fourth and Plante’s elimination in third, it came down to Rho and Javier.

They fought a tough battle. In the beginning, Rho had Javier on the ropes, but a double up for Javier put them on nearly equal footing. After that, Javier found ways to take chips without showdown and make the right calls, all while avoiding Rho’s strong hands to gradually accumulate all the chips over the course of several levels of heads-up play. Congratulations!

Event #2 Champion: Kevin Javier, $16,090 + $1,650 MILLIONS North America STEP 3 satellite seat

Last Hand of Play:

Second Place: Christian Rho, $13,105 + $1,650 MILLIONS North America STEP 3 satellite seat

Soucy exits in fifth

Level: 28
Small Blind: 60K
Big Blind: 120K
BB Ante: 120K
Chip Average: 3.9M
Remaining: 4
Entries: 314

2019/03/23 - 17:48 by Shawn McCrory

Christian Soucy, the short stack when play resumed following the break, has just made his exist from the Playground 500. He put on a display of fearless poker in the early stages but ran into a monster at the wrong time on his final hand.

It was a heads-up pot against Kevin Javier, and the board read when the chips went in. Kevin led the river by moving all in. Christian read the situation correctly but the fateful ten on the river enticed him to make the wrong play. “You have queens, eh?” Christian said as he mulled over the situation. Despite his suspicions, Christian had improved his hand, , on the river and couldn’t resist making the call. Christian was right. Kevin flipped over , and now only four players remain.

Chip counts at the first break

Level: 28
Small Blind: 60K
Big Blind: 120k
BB Ante: 60k
Chip Average: 3.14M
Remaining: 5
Entries: 314

2019/03/23 - 17:34 by Shawn McCrory

Following the ICM chop concluded earlier, the finalists in the Playground 500 are now playing for the last $3,000 and the STEP 3 seats that will be awarded to the top three finishers.

Michael Korovine made a hasty exit after the chop when he and Nicholas Soller got their chips in pre-flop and Nicholas’ pocket tens held against Michael’s .

First Name \| Prénom	Last Name \| Nom	Stack \| Tapis
Nicholas	Soller	4,475,000
Jean Rene	Plante	4,025,000
Kevin	Javier	2,435,000
Christian	Rho	2,380,000
Christian	Soucy	2,185,000

6-way chop

Level: 27
Small Blind: 50K
Big Blind: 100K
BB Ante: 50K
Chip Average: 2.6M
Remaining: 6
Entries: 314

2019/03/23 - 16:56 by Shawn McCrory

The six remaining players in the Playground 500 have just agreed to an ICM chop of the prize pool. According to tournament rules, $3,000 will be withheld for the eventual winner so play continues, but the players have each locked up a healthy profit. The remaining prize pool will be distributed as follows:

First Name \| Prénom	Last Name \| Nom	Prize \| Bourse
Jean Rene	Plante	$17,210
Nicholas	Soller	$16,605
Christian	Soucy	$14,425
Michael	Korovine	$13,550
Christian	Rho	$13,105
Kevin	Javier	$13,090

The storm after the calm

Level: 27
Small Blind: 50K
Big Blind: 100K
BB Ante: 100K
Chip Average: 2.6M
Remaining: 6
Entries: 314

2019/03/23 - 16:45 by Shawn McCrory

After two levels without an elimination, two players were eliminated from the final table on back to back hands.

In the first hand, a battle of the blinds between Jean Rene Plante and Jose Juan Gomez, Jean Rene’s held up against Jose Juan’s following a pre-flop all in with a runout. Jose will collect $4,040 for the eighth place finish.

On the very next hand, Jose sent another player to the rail. Jean-Sebastien Penven’s could not overcome Jose’s in another pre-flop all in where the kicker made all the difference on a board. Jean-Sebastien earned $4,910 for the deep run.

One level played, eight players remain

Level: 26
Small Blind: 40K
Big Blind: 80K
BB Ante: 80K
Chip Average: 1.96M
Remaining: 8
Entries: 314

2019/03/23 - 16:10 by Shawn McCrory

There is some solid poker on display at the final table of the Playground 500. The players are showing their determination, focus and skill through a combination of tight play and gutsy bluffs. During the first level of play, pot control characterized most hands, as everyone started out cautiously. But before long, the players started putting their chips to work.

Christian Soucy was the first to put his stack at risk, when he got his three-bet-jam through from the small blind to steal an opening raise from the player on the button. Not long after, there was a pre-flop all in between Jose Juan Gomez and Kevin Javier where Kevin doubled up as his pocket jacks held against big slick. The next time a player put his stack at risk was a different situation altogether; Christian Soucy was out of position in a heads-up pot against Kevin Javier and led out with an all in on the river of a board. After some time in the tank, Kevin tapped the table and laid down his hand, only to have Christian show the table pocket twos, for the bluff of the day so far.