The closing event of Playground’s 9-Year Anniversary Series, the $100 + $20 + $100 6-Max 50/50 Bounty Re-entry, attracted a huge field of players for this single-day event.

As with many other bounty events, the action-inducing format led to some wild action in the early levels of play. Players raced to collect bounties and build their stacks, which led to 40 re-entries along the way. By the time the late registration and re-entry period closed, there were 119 players remaining out of 191 total entries. The large turnout allowed 24 players to reach the money, where the prizes ranged from $170 to $3,844 for the eventual champion.

The story of the early stages of play was Tu Kham Tran’s dominant play. Tran wasted no time building his stack and maintained the top position on the leaderboard all the way to the final table. But there was a lot of poker left to be played at that stage, which is when Tran faded and Justin Miller rose to prominence.

Miller had flown under the radar for most of the evening, as he navigated the treacherous waters filled with bounty hunters. Once at the final table, Miller maintained his solid play and started to catch some hands. This combination allowed Miller to send a series of players to the rail, as the tournament culminated with a heads-up match between Miller and Peter Liakopoulos. It proved to be a short battle, as the mounting blinds helped bring about the end of play. Miller had a significant chip lead, and the two players were all in preflop before long. On the final hand, Miller had Liakopoulos dominated, and Miller’s ace-high prevailed. On top of any bounties he collected along the way, Miller took home an additional $3,844 in prize money and the coveted 9-Year Anniversary Series ring. Congratulations!

6-Max 50/50 Bounty Re-entry Champion: Justin Miller, $3,844

Last Hand of Play:

Second Place: Peter Liakopoulos, $2,900