Robert Amireault went out moments after the final table got underway, and we unfortunately missed the action. He cashed $700 for his final table appearance.

The hand that caused Qiang Dong’s elimination started with a raise to 70K from Sergio Iannetti. Sébastien Drolet called the bet, and Dong went all-in for 166K. Iannetti called, only to watch Drolet push his massive stack forward, in an attempt to isolate Dong. Iannetti tanked for a bit, and elected to fold, saving about 275K for later.

Sébastien Drolet:
Qiang Dong:

Board:

Qiang Dong left in 9th place, and cashed $930 for his efforts.

We now have 10 players left in the Bounty, and they have formed the final table of the last Event in the Playground Poker Spring Classic. Here is the seating chart:

14th: Nadiya Aifaoui – $590.00
13th: Christopher Roger – $640.00
12th: Mathieu Ducharme – $640.00
11th: Sako Marashlian – $700.00

Our 14 survivors are enjoying a short break, which allowed us to scout for the biggest counts. Arthur W had 28K at the last break, but since then went on a tear, and is now our chip leader at 776K! Our own Sébastien Drolet follows, with 682K to his name.

20th: Sébastien Morin –  $460.00
19th: Karim-Olivier Kamal – $500.00
18th: Mathieu Brunet – $500.00
17th: Bill Kontaratos – $550.00
16th: Mitchael Ferguson  – $550.00
15th: Daniel Pépin – $590.00

In the biggest pot of the tournament so far, Sébastien Drolet opened from a late position to 30K, and was met by an all-in from Robert Amireault, who was the chip leader at the time. A third player then called under for about 100K. Sébastien did not have to go to the tank; his mind was set. He called, and 3 players went to the board with about 650K in the middle.

Sébastien Drolet:
Robert Amireault:
Player C:

Board:

With that river, Drolet, one of 2 remaining staff members in the event, climbs to the top of the leaderboard, and sends the tournament into the money!

Moments before the break bell was heard, Robert Amireault (title picture) won a huge pot, which is usually what happens when you flop a flush and your opponent flops a straight. He is now sitting behind an immense stack, 448K deep. His closest pursuers are Sergio Iannetti (385.5K) and Mitchael Ferguson (344.5K), the winner of last night’s $500 + $100 + $500 50/50 Bounty!

The field is now down to 30 players, and is closing in on the money zone, which has payouts for the 23 best results. Play resumes at 5K/10K/a1K with an average stack of 148K, and the last 3 tables are being formed right now.

There was a break following level 12 of the Bounty Event, and less than 70 players came back at the tables to resume play. Yan Touchette (pictured below) is leading the pack, with 198K. François Sauvé and Jean-François Daunais are not too far behind, with 172K and 170.5K respectively.

Blinds are getting serious, and this is the part where good cards are the most welcome, as the next few levels will decide who makes the money, and more importantly, who makes it with enough riches to hope for the top prizes.