Posted by James Reporter of canadapoker.com

Last weekend we had the pleasure of being part of a great experience which combined two things loved by Montrealers, hockey and poker and all while giving back to the community. Playground Poker Club hosted its inaugural No Limit Hold’em NLH Faceoff Tournament which accomplished that and drew huge crowds and raised a lot of money for charity.

The total prize pool for the tournament was $119,600 with a top prize of $25000 for the winner Jason Smith. The top 30 players shared in the prize money. In addition to this, $5000 will be reserved for a winner-take-all freeroll tournament which will be played among the players of the winning Faceoff Draft team. The winning team was the team whose players collected the most points throughout the tournament and it was Captained by Montreal Canadiens goal tender Carey Price and Quebec poker pro Pascal Lefrançois.

The NLH Faceoff was a successful poker tournament but it was also to benefit a charitable cause. In total, close to $50000 was raised through prize pool, sponsors, and silent auctions for the Jodi Taiger Lazarus Fund for Hereditary Breast Cancer Research.

To organize such a magical event was truly a team effort comprising of the long list of people. Many hockey and poker celebrities were present to show their support and included Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Peter Mahovlich, Mike Bossy, Bobby Dollas, Guy Carbonneau, Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Josh Georges, Travis Moen, Antonio Esfandiari, Marc Karam, Gavin Smith, Valerie Ross, Will Molson, Jennifer Leigh, Jeff Madsen, Trishelle Cannatella, and Pascal Lefrancois. Many, many fans showed up to show their support by playing in the tournament and also bid on the silent auction prizes, many items which had a hockey theme. There was a huge turnout both in players and outdoor crowds for autographs from the hockey pros.

The Team at Playground Poker Club, a poker club barely one year in existence once again did not cease to exceed everyone’s expectations with this event. The entire concept was put together by the team of Jay Kastner (Head of Marketing), Phil Sabbah (Promotions Manager), and Justin Kelly (Head of Business Development) and the great staff that worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone was having fun.

Congratulations go out to the players and to the people who helped make this event possible.