LIVE EVENTS

Alexandre Fortin won the last hand of level 11, and it was a relatively big one. Over the break we were able to confirm that he was indeed the leader. In fact, his 243,000 chips are almost double that of his closest rival. We took a look around the remaining five tables, and no one’s stack really stood out as being worthy of a count. No need for a leaderboard this time – Alex is the leaderboard.

On table 76 we just saw a relatively high-powered hand, including five players seeing the flop, a 50,000 chip jam on the flop and a call from the big stack at the table, one that risked his dominant position.

It began with an opening bet of 4,000 by David Jalbert. That was called by Marcello Iacovella, Dany Noel, Alexandre Fortin and Marc Larouche in the small blind. When the flop came down , Marc checked to David, who shoved for all his chips, roughly 50,000. Marcello and Dany Folded, but the play didn’t scare Alexandre, who decided to call after 30 seconds of contemplation.

And it was a good call, both figuratively and literally. Flipping over their cards, Alex showed top pair with his , with David only holding an . His middle pair with an ace kicker left much to be desired, and when fourth street came down a , David’s night was as good as over. The river was a , and David said goodbye. The win propelled Alex to a clear lead in tonight’s flight. With 243,000 chips, his stack is now almost double that of his closest competitor.

After the start of level nine, players no longer have the luxury of a re-entry. Because of that, the size of the field will steadily shrink until the day concludes at the end of level 14. At this point, now nearing the end of level 10, the field has been reduced to only 69 players spread over seven tables.

One of the latest eliminations occurred just now on table 80, where Mike Patenaude busted after moving all in with two pair against a couple of other players. When we arrived at the table Mike had already gone all in with a on a board, hoping to triple up against his two callers.

One of his opponents had an , middle pair with an open-ended straight draw. The other had a similar draw, holding an . A jack would finish Mike and split the pot between the other two players, and that’s exactly what ended up happening. Fourth street was a , temporarily putting the into the lead. The river changed that, however, chopping the pot and sending Mike home. And the field continues to shrink! While we were writing this post there was a slew of other eliminations, and only 59 players remain at this point

Play continues…

After eight levels of play, David Neves sits atop the leaderboard with 133,000 chips. One of only three players to have accumulated more than 100,000 chips, his earlier triple-up was good for business, catapulting him into the lead. But with six more levels before the end of the night, there is still plenty of poker left to play. Can David keep his lead?

The old saying “All you need to win is a chip and a chair” comes to mind when covering the action on table 76. Former Playground blogmaster Michael Boyle found himself down to just 7,500 chips a few minutes ago when he finally found a half-decent hand. The table folded around to his neighbor on right, Steven Rosen, who was willing to risk it on Mike’s preflop shove.

Both players flipped over their cards and it was Mike’s queens versus Steve’s sixes. The queens ended up holding out, giving Mike a little breathing room. Mike scooped the pot, doubling his chip stack and extending his chances just a little further. Can he double up again? We’ll be keeping an eye on his table to find out!

In only a few minutes players will go on their second break of the evening, which is also the end of late registration. Good luck to all of our players as they make their way into the final six levels of the evening.

As we passed by table 75 just now we noticed more than the usual amount of chips in the middle. It turned out that we had happened upon a three-way all-in, one in which David Neves faced off against Denis Giguere and Ben Menache. Showing on the board was a , and Denis was hoping for a third spade to drop on the river, as he was holding a . He faced off against Menache’s pocket sixes and Neves’ pocket tens.

Unfortunately for everyone except David, the river was a dud, and Mr. Neves tripled up and simultaneously sent two players packing. As we reach the end of level seven, David is in a much stronger position. We’ll keep an eye on the table to see if he can maintain the momentum.

As we were walking between the rows of busy tables here at the $300 + $30 Closer Day 1A, we noticed an all-in hand at table 85 and paused to see how it would shake out. Francis Chevalier faced off against Anthony Ribeiro (pictured below) and the dealer had just laid down the river card.

Anthony, who is fresh off of fifth place cash in the Super High Roller event yesterday, is a strong player not to be underestimated. Francis revealed his hole cards, showing that he had made top pair on the jack-high board. However, Anthony flipped over a triumphant pair of pocket kings, ending Francis’ night. Exhaling a disappointed sigh, Francis took a walk, not expecting his sudden exit.

Day 1A of the $300 + $30 Closer is in full swing.

So far we’ve completed four of the 14 levels we will be playing today, and the competitors have just returned from their first break. After a quick review of the chip stacks we determined that the early leader is Jason James, having collected 112,625 chips. Well done! He is far and away the largest stack in the room, with no one else even hitting the 100,000 chip mark yet. Good luck to all as we move forward!

We’ve almost hit 150 entries so far in the $300 + $30 Closer Day 1A, and the action is heating up as we make our way towards the first break. Players are joking around with one another and the drinks are starting to flow, as many of them have become friendly with one another over the last week of WSOP-C Playground action.

Stay tuned for a list of the chip leaders, coming up shortly. Below are some more photos of our competitors as they battle it out.

Here at the WSOP-C Playground $300 + $30 Closer Day 1A, we’re already into level 3. So far we have had 121 entries, with several players buying in multiple times in just the first hour. Here are some photos of our competitors as they make their way through the early levels. And remember: this flight has unlimited re-entries until 10:30pm, so get down here and join the action!

It has been a fantastic week of poker here at the WSOP-C Playground, with thousands of players taking the opportunity to join in on the action. As we make our way into the home stretch, one of the most exciting and accessible events is about to begin: the $300 + $30 Closer.

With the a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000, this is one of those tournaments that you won’t want to miss. And with four Day 1s scheduled to take place over the next few days, it would not be a surprise if we easily surpass the $300,000 minimum guarantee.

Players will start this event with 20,000 chips and play fourteen levels 10-handed, with blinds increasing every 30 minutes. The Closer allows unlimited re-entries until the beginning of level 9, meaning players will be permitted to take their seats (or re-enter) until approximately 10:30pm. Players have the option of playing on multiple Day 1s, but will only be able to enter Day 2 with their largest qualifying stack.

The dealers and players have taken their seats and the competition has just kicked off. If you haven’t already registered, it’s time to get down to Playground and start the weekend off right. Cards are in the air!