Event #11 - $1,000 + $100 Playground 1000 | Playground Winter Festival 2018

Jaered Besse is the Playground 1000 Champion!

2018/01/31 - 19:55 by

After an epic heads-up battle, Jaered Besse has emerged as the ultimate champion of the Playground 1000 in the 2018 Playground Winter Festival!

Jaered started the heads up portion of the tournament as a 35M to 15M underdog, but he battled hard and a couple of 30-minute levels in, he had a chip lead. He would relinquish that lead, however, and Jaered and opponent Ruben Perceval found themselves at exactly 50% – 50% with blinds up to 500K/1M!

The relative evenness of the stacks didn’t prevent anyone from trying to push the edge, and a few hands into level 36, Ruben open shoved from the button/small blind – only to find an instant call from Jaered.

Ruben:
Jaered:

Ruben was way behind, and couldn’t gain any ground on the flop and the turn/river sealed it for Jaered – he stacked the pot of the tournament and Ruben was left with nothing but scraps.

Those scraps hit the felt on the very next hand and Jaered made the call.

Ruben:
Jaered:

Community Cards:

Jaered’s Jack-high was good and the tournament was over!

Playground 1000 Champion: Jaered Besse, $79,070.00

2nd place: Ruben Perceval, $77,500.00

Final hand of the tournament

Even Steven

Level: 35
Small Blind: 400K
Big Blind: 800K
Button Ante: 400K
Chip Average: 25M
Remaining: 2
Entries: 499

2018/01/31 - 19:19 by

We’re not sure who “Steven” is, but the players are each playing almost exactly 25M each after Ruben managed to double back through Jaered. The hand played itself, with both players all in preflop:

Ruben:
Jaered:

Board: – Ruben made a pair of Tens to take it.

Besse takes the lead

Level: 34
Small Blind: 300K
Big Blind: 600K
Button Ante: 300K
Chip Average: 25M
Remaining: 2
Entries: 499

2018/01/31 - 18:51 by

Heads up action has been long and quite active, but Jaered Besse has just taken a clear lead for the first time, almost 2 full levels in to the 2-way play.

The hand started unremarkably – there was a standard raise and call, and the flop was dealt: . Both players were happily all-in before you know it and their hands were turned over:

Ruben:
Jaered:

Flopped trips against a flush draw! The turn didn’t give Ruben the flush but it did give him additional open-ended straight outs – . But Jaered faded all of the flush and straight outs on the river.

Play continues with a new chip leader: Jaered Besse.

Perceval v Besse – heads up action

Level: 33
Small Blind: 250K
Big Blind: 500K
Button Ante: 250K
Chip Average: 25M
Remaining: 2
Entries: 499

2018/01/31 - 17:59 by

So it has all come down to this – Ruben Perceval and Jaered Best playing heads up for the win!

Their paths to this point today were strikingly different – Ruben taking and keeping the lead while Jaered stayed very quiet and sought at first to ladder up and then to find opportunities to gain chips and maybe bink a spot in the standings.

As soo n as play got down to 2 players, Ruben opened up the question of a deal. The clock was paused and stack sizes determined, and eventually the players agreed to a modified ICM chop that sees $10,000 and the Champion’s Trophy reserved for the winner and locks in $77,500.00 for Ruben and $69,070.00 for Jaered.

Heads up play has now begun.

3rd place: Said Michailidis

Level: 32
Small Blind: 200K
Big Blind: 400K
Button Ante: 200K
Chip Average: 25M
Remaining: 2
Entries: 499

2018/01/31 - 17:37 by

In a fairly unexpected turn of events, Said Michailidis has gone out in 3rd place. He had lost his huge chip advantage after losing a relatively standard pot to Jaered Besse, and with 13.5M left he found himself holding Aces – to be exact. So the chips got all in against Ruben Perceval, who now was the sole player with a monster stack and held .

The flop turned the tables and put Ruben way in the lead: – Ruben had hit a set! There was no help on the turn and river – and Said hit the rail in 3rd.

3rd place: Said Michailidis, $46,180.00

Eric Schanck out 4th

Level: 32
Small Blind: 200K
Big Blind: 400K
Button Ante: 200K
Chip Average:
Remaining: 3
Entries: 499

2018/01/31 - 17:24 by

At a certain point the players were just looking to ladder up pay jumps, and when the 5th place payout was taken, there was much less resistance. Eric Schanck was all-in within one or two hands.

It was Ruben who had the dilemma this particular time, and he took his time and laughed that he’d be accused of a slow roll when he finally exposed his cards. Finally he let out an exasperated, “It’s 4-way… call.”

Eric:
Ruben:

The board ran out and Ruben was good.

4th place: Eric Schanck, $34,425.00