LIVE EVENTS

Day 1C of the Playground 200 brought out an impressive field of 171 entries. The huge turnout this afternoon brought the total number of entries in this event to 450. The final starting flight, Day 1D, begins tonight at 7:00pm, and it is likely to be the most popular yet, putting this event on pace to easily surpass the $100,000 prize pool guarantee.

There was no shortage of high-paced action this afternoon. In the early levels, many players adopted a “boom-or-bust” approach, which led to 37 re-entries. Play tightened up following the end of the late registration and re-entry period, before re-gaining the rhythm seen earlier in the day during the last two levels.

When it was time to bag chips following level 14, there were 36 players remaining, which brings the total number of Day 2 qualifiers to 98. Play will resume for Day 2 tomorrow at 1:00pm.

To see the combined Day 1 results, click here.

As the timer sounds to indicate the last level of play on Day 1C, only 39 players remain in contention. The chip average still provides roughly 50 big blinds so most players still have plenty of room to maneuver, however, there are a number of players with relatively short stacks who will be looking for opportunities to run up their stacks before the end of the flight. This dynamic has already started to play out, resulting in some dramatic multi-way pots.

Here are some photos from level 13:

There is a new leader on Day 1C. Since the last break, the chips have shifted significantly. Francis Boisvert, chip leader at the first and second breaks, has had his stack reduced but is still hovering slightly above the chip average. Two players, Hicham Hammoud and Shawn S, both experienced tournament grinders, are neck and neck for the lead, but Hicham holds a narrow edge.

Day 1C is now heading down the home stretch. There are only three more levels left to play before the remaining players bag their chips for tomorrow’s Day 2.

The current chip leader:

Now that the end of the flight is in sight, the boisterous atmosphere seen earlier has changed. The players are now managing their chips much more carefully, and the tension is beginning to mount.

The field has stayed relatively stable during the last hour of play, as everyone has shifted their focus to surviving until the end of flight. Aside from the occasional pre-flop all in between short stacks, the chips are not going in the middle as easily as they did earlier this afternoon.

The players have just left the tables on their final break of the afternoon. Stay tuned for a leader board update.

Here’s a look at the action from level 11:

In most tournaments, the chip lead changes hands many times per flight, but that has not been the case today. Francis Boisvert has managed to hang on to the chip lead for almost the entirety of Day 1C. Although there are a number of players closing in on him, Boisvert’s has the opportunity to accomplish something that few players have done; he could lead this flight from wire to wire.

The dynamics are likely to change significantly in the levels ahead as the pressure of blinds begins to affect the short stacks and the end of the flight comes into sight.

The current chip leader:

As the clock winds down on the eighth level of play, less than 100 players remain from this afternoon’s 171 entries. There is now a huge gap between the big and small stacks in the field. Some players are sitting comfortably with six-figure stacks while others have already been forced into “shove-or-fold” poker, which helped produce a number of pre-flop all ins during the last level.

There remains a lot of poker to be played this afternoon before the chips get bagged, but the home stretch is now in sight. The next break is just around the corner so stay tuned for a leader board update.

The late registration and re-entry period has just closed on Day 1C, but there was time for 171 entries to join the fray before the beginning of the seventh level of play. The large field was bolstered by 37 re-entries this afternoon, a testament to the popularity of this event. The Playground 200 provides great value and a player-friendly structure so those in attendance did not want to let the chance at a part of the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool pass them by.

For anyone who missed out on this flight, or is looking to run up a larger stack for Day 2, the final starting flight, Day 1D, starts tonight at 7:00pm.

Day 1C of the Playground 200 has brought the players out in droves. With roughly 30 minutes of late registration and re-entries left for this flight, the total number of entries has already reached 156. Up to this point, nearly everyone that made an early exit opted to re-enter so expect that trend to continue right up until the beginning of the seventh level of play.

Here’s a look at the field from level 4:

The players have just returned from their first break of the afternoon, and the field continues to grow with each passing minute. Helped along by 18 re-entries up to this point, there have been 146 total entries in this flight, and 120 players remain in contention.

The players were not shy about putting their chips in the middle during the early levels, which allowed several players to more than double their starting stacks. The current chip leader, Francis Boisvert, was catapulted to the top of the leader board by a dramatic three-way all in where he improved his flopped set when the board paired on the river to eliminate two players who had turned flushes.

The current chip leader:

The clock is about to strike noon, and there are already over 100 entries in Day 1C of the Playground 200. Today is the last day to get in on the action in this multi-day event so it comes as no surprise to see such a large field so early in the day. So far, every player to hit the rail has decided to re-enter and more will certainly follow. Late registration and unlimited re-entries will be available until 2:15pm.

Check out this photo gallery from the first level of play:

The stage is set for Day 1C, the third live starting flight of Event #1 of the June Power Weekend, the $200 + $20 Playground 200. The Playground 200, as usual, provides players with a starting stack of 25,000 in chips to start their journey to get a part of the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. Between the online Day 1 and the two previous live starting flight, this event has already gathered 279 entries, and 62 players have advanced stacks to Day 2.

Day 1C action starts at 11:00am. Late registration, and unlimited re-entries, will be available until the beginning of the seventh level of play at 2:15pm. Each Day 1 will play through 14 30-minute levels before the levels increase to 40 minutes in length on Days 2 and 3. Players may enter multiple Day 1s even if they survived a previous starting flight with chips; players who qualify more than once for Day 2 will resume play on Day 2 with their largest qualifying stack.

Good luck to all!