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  The Toronto Raptors are the NBA champions! The Toronto Raptors made history on Thursday night by bringing the NBA championship north of the 49th parallel for the first time! By dethroning a dynastic Golden State Warriors team to win the NBA finals in six games, the Raptors showed their determination and talent in unprecedented fashion. The Raptors trailed in each series on their way to the finals but overcame deficits against the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors then won three road games against the Warriors en route to the series victory. Both feats – three series comebacks and three road victories against the reigning champs – are unprecedented in NBA history. So it is only fitting that the Raptors were able to capture the championship in the franchise’s first and only trip to the finals since joining the league …

One expansion leads to another! Playground has added a room to the Electronic Gaming section. It is located at the far left of the EGD floor, just passed the cashier, and provides the private ambiance that many players look for when engaging in gaming activities. The room is filled with some of the most sought-after games in the world, including China Shores Boosted Wins and Spins. This is one of many additions to our mix. The one copy that we have and worked so hard to acquire is now available for your entertainment. The Panda awaits! As part of the restructuring, we also changed a few machines on the main floor. Some copies of the less popular titles gave way to more copies of the games that are always busy. Fù Guì Róng Huá is one of the EGDs that we expanded with, having proved …

The month of June means festival and terrace season to many Montrealers, but for the poker world it means the biggest series of the year, the 50th annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Many Quebecers have made their way south to take part in what is widely considered to be poker’s championship playoffs. And they are having quite an impact! With more than 30 events already in the books, here’s an update on some notable finishes and deep runs made by friends of Playground so far. Erik Cajelais had a great run last week in Event #12, the $1,000 NLHE Super Turbo Bounty, which took him to a six-figure score. He outlasted 2,451 runners but came just short of capturing a bracelet and finished second, earning him $139,731 in the process. Kristen Bicknell, partypoker team pro and regular visitor to Playground, made the …

The BBJ amount had grown to an amazing $683,730. After 5% of that number was used as staff gratuity, $649,544 was divided among all Hold’em players in the room, but the biggest shares were going to the lucky players shooting 6-way at the Bad Beat table: Francois Audet, Gabriel Demers, Mario Laurin, Denis Roy, Do Lien Hong and Martin Charbonneau. Mario was under the gun and raised to 20$. Denis and Do, the next 2 players in line, made the call, but Martin went all-in from the button for 122$, having found a premium hand on his lap. Both blinds folded, but the initial raiser and his first caller also committed all their chips, creating a small side pot for themselves. The flop came Denis Roy, who was the first player to make a call pre-flop but the last of 3 to push his chips, …

  Playground on Crescent Playground is at the Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival! During the Grand Prix weekend, the whole street is closed down to host a three-day-long party and a number of companies have booths on the street to animate the crowd and reach out to the festival goers. It is an immense pleasure to be at the heart of the most jet set festival in Montreal! In our booth, we have a very busy poker table where passersby can indulge in some face-paced sit n’ go action with fun prizes on the line: merch, La Ronde and movie passes, and more. People are having a blast! Go check it out, and bring someone you know who has never been to Playground before. Signing up for the first time over there will get them $10 at The Rail and $10 in free play in …