As we close in on the MILLIONS, the list of confirmed players gets longer as more and more players let us know they’re coming or secure their Main Event seats via satellite. We constantly strive to offer the best poker experience in North America, and having these individuals within our walls is our hard-earned reward.

Antonio Esfandiari

As we are closing in on the MILLIONS North America, the list of confirmed players gets longer as players from around the world win their seats in the Main Event. We constantly strive to offer the best poker experience in North America, and having these individuals within our walls is our hard-earned reward.

Antonio is currently ranked 4th on the All Time Money List. His $27M in Live Earnings include, of course, his win at The Big One for One Drop in 2012, worth $18,346,673 – the largest single payout to date. He is well known for his unbelievable chip tricks, which he mastered during his career as a magician, prior to his shift to a poker career. He’s even better known, however, for his world-class poker skills, which put him in a very select club of no more than a handful of players.

He appeared on countless TV shows, played high stakes cash games with the best players in the world, and counts two WPT Championships plus three WSOP bracelets to his name. Any venue would roll out the red carpet for Antonio, and we take a lot of pride in the fact that he has placed Playground Poker Club on his travel schedule since 2012.

Check out this great archive video of Antonio getting dunked in a pool of icy water right in front of our main entrance, after losing a prop bet to his good friend Phil Laak.

Michael Watson

Michael ‘SirWatts’ Watson is a Canadian poker player from St. John’s, Newfoundland. With $10,998,941 in Live Earnings, he places 5th on Canada’s All Time Money List, which is pretty impressive considering that he is primarily an online player! Michael has been killing it for over a decade. He won the 2008 Bellagio Cup for $1,673,770 and the 2012 WSOPE Super High Roller 8-Handed Event in Cannes for $1,304,648.

Last year (2017) was very good to Mike. He had a great result at the Aussie Millions, finishing 2nd in Event #12 for $399,668, and in October, he made a killing in Macau in the Triton High Roller Series, adding almost a million dollars to his Live Earnings. SirWatts sure travels a lot – but he will be in his home country in April to be part of the biggest poker event in Canadian history: the MILLIONS North America.

Samuel Chartier

Samuel is a well-known Montreal player, prolific at Playground Poker Club in both the High Stakes Room and big buy-in tournaments. He has accumulated almost $3M in Total Live Earnings, including a win in a 5K WSOP Circuit Championship Event in 2009 at Caesars Palace for $322,944 and countless money finishes here at Playground, including a win at the PokerStars Canada Cup 10K High Roller Event in 2014.

He is known for his preference for late registration, his high-volume chatting and generally genial nature, and of course his deep tournament runs. He qualified for the MILLIONS through a partypoker MILLIONS North America Final satellite on March 11th, and will be closely monitored by our Event Blog team.

Mark Radoja

Mark is a Canadian poker pro from Ontario with two WSOP bracelets on his resume, from events 2011 and 2013. Last December, he finished 2nd in a $3K event at the December Extravaganza in Las Vegas, for $115,035. This concluded a year that saw him score prize money in many Aussie Millions and WSOP events.

Mark has competed on the Playground felts many times over the years. In 2016, he finished 2nd in a WPT Montreal High Roller Event, losing the heads-up match to his friend Pascal Lefrançois, a runner-up finish that got him $120,000. His $2.7M in Total Live Earnings are sure to grow, and it just might be at the MILLIONS North America!

Richard Dubini

Richard Dubini is an Argentinian player and a member of Team partypoker. His Total Live earnings enjoyed a solid boost last year when he finished in 12th place at the 48th WSOP Main Event for $535,000. Back in 2015, he bested a field of 510 players to win a €2,000 + 200 Event in Barcelona, emerging as Champion only after outlasting a Final Table plagued with sharks.

His ascent on the tournament scene was noticed by partypoker, and it is no surprise that he is now a member of their team. His presence at the MILLIONS North America will mark his Playground Poker Club debut, and we know it will be a good match!

Jean-Philippe Piquette

Jean-Philippe has been a mainstay of the local poker scene since before the poker boom began. He is a very experienced pro, known for his calm approach and hard work. PiquetteAces will play practically any game if he thinks his expected value is positive.

The highlight of his career was probably when he performed his famous double whammy at the Playground Poker Classic in 2012, winning both the $2,200 Main Event and the $10,300 High Roller Event, which he qualified for through a satellite! Six months later, the Playground Poker Club Tournament Hall was constructed in time for the 2012 WPT Montreal, and his feat was commemorated for several years in the form of a greater-than-life-sized poster on one of the walls!

This post was published first on this Playground Event Blog: MILLIONS North America 2018.