The final event of the WSOP-C Playground, the $500 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha, was an action-packed affair that brought out fans of four-card poker in droves. The field was small when the action began at noon, but new players and re-entries kept rolling in until the end of the late registration period to bring the total number of entries to 213, enough to more than double the $50,000 prize pool guarantee. The huge turnout created a six-figure prize pool to be awarded to the top 31 finishers, with an impressive $22,500 up top for the eventual winner.
The pace of play was extremely fast in the early levels. Many players were happy to take their chances with a wide range, knowing that unlimited re-entries were available. The result was a lot of multi-way all in pots that created some monster stacks in the early going. But the blinds catch up with everyone, eventually. And that was the case tonight. After the end of the late registration period, the players settled in for a long grind to the end.
It took 24 levels of play to reach the final table. The finalists were led by Jason Hallee, who was the first player to build up a seven-figure stack. But he was up against some stiff competition. There was nothing but strong players at the final table, which made it exceedingly difficult for Hallee to exploit his chip lead.
In the end, it came down to a three-way battle between Jean-Serge Baril, Pinto S and Hallee. Before long, Pinto S gained the momentum and started running up his stack, sending Baril to the rail in the process. During the heads-up battle, Pinto and Jason traded small pots back and forth before Jason used his strong play to wrest the chip lead away from Pinto. Finally, not long after the timer sounded to indicate the start of level 40, Hallee had built up a significant lead, and the tournament was brought to an end following a pre-flop all in. Hallee emerged victorious, collected a massive payout and a WSOP-C championship ring. Congratulations!
Pot Limit Omaha Champion: Jason Hallee, $22,500
Last hand of play:
