Playground Produces More Big Winners as World Series Proves Popular in Canada

The Playground Poker Club has played host to some thrilling events over the past few weeks, with big name winner, massive prizepools and even World Series of Poker glory playing out in its gargantuan cardroom. With GGPoker Global Ambassador Daniel Negreanu even attending, the series has seen some thrilling victories, with millions of dollars awarded to the winners.

Dustin Melanson Wins Main Event for Career-High Score

“I felt like I was at my best [today] and my opponents couldn’t really keep up with my aggression.”

An all-Canadian final table saw Dustin Melanson win the $1,700-entry WSOPC Playground Main Event, as he took home a staggering $339,770 after a heads-up deal. Melanson, who had won just over $195,000 in his lifetime before the event, took home the record score after beating Sergei Gurin heads-up.

A total of 1,660 entries populated the $1,700 Main Event, but by the final day only 22 remained. Melanson was the chip leader but he didn’t have it his own way, suffering bad beats along the way. Robert Wong busted in ninth as the final table action began with a bang and Melanson doubled up with ace-high against the pocket tens of Matthew Paplyk, who then fell in eighth place.

Players such as Nghi Van Tran and Mohammed Feizi left before Gurin entered the final duel with the lead. Melanson, by now used to bouncing back against the odds did exactly that as he doubled to level the stacks before getting into the lead and making a wheel straight on the river to secure victory.

“I felt like I was at my best [today] and I felt like my opponents couldn’t really keep up with my aggression and the pressure I was putting on,” said Melanson in the aftermath. “I was very consistent with switching gears at the right time. You know, you need the run good [to] feel good, and I felt great. These guys, and this poker room groomed my game and the player I am today. These guys are fantastic. They run tournaments better than anybody else in the world. Their staff, top to bottom, is incredible. The dealers are second to none. This place is one of a kind, that’s for sure.”

Francois Billard Bags High Roller Title

In the WSOPC Playground High Roller, 178 players put down $3,000 in order to play the latest circuit event to be held in Canada. At the close of the competition, it was the home country hero Francois Billard who celebrated victory, winning a massive $112,500 top prize when he beat Kevin Rivest to the title.

A prizepool of $534,000 more than matched the half-million guarantee as the Playground Poker Club once again proved mega-popular with players. It’s always a sign of strength for a tournament to send star players home before the money and that happened in this event, as the 2022 WPT World Championship winner Eliot Hudon, respected poker professional Chanracy Khun and Canadian favorite and tournament crusher Mike Leah all busted before the money.

After Main Event winner Dustin Melanson fell in 23^rd place for $5,500, the race to the final table was on. Jaime Staples has spoken extremely honestly in recent months about his personal battles and he will be rightly proud of a tenth-place finish worth $12,000. Ren Liu’s exit in seventh for $22,000 brought play down to the final half-dozen and by the time play reached the final three, Adil Morkos had over half the chips.

It was surprising, then, that Morkos busted in third as he lost most of his stack against Kevin Rivest. Billard finished off Morkos and that gave him a foothold heads-up, albeit with a deficit to make up. Doubling up through his opponent twice, Billard took the lead and won the final race to capture the crown.

Chris Taylor Wins First-Ever Circuit Ring in Closing Event

The Playground Poker Club closed for business when Chris Taylor beat Zacharie Desautels heads up for the win, scooping the top prize of $26,190 in the final event of the series. A field of 320 players saw just 49 return to action on the final day, with Isabelle Tremblay making the final table but losing out in ninth for $3,500 in the $600 buy-in tournament.

In sixth place, Nicolas Duteau ran ace-king into the pocket kings of Louis Pierre Daniel Collette and that set a running theme, the exact same cooler taking care of Anthony Potis in fifth as it was Collette once again that took out another player with kings. With four players left, a deal was discus and eventually done, with everyone guaranteed at least $18,150. That amount eventually went to Collette himself in fourth place.

Three-handed, two pair was no good against the set of Chris Taylor and that gave the eventual winner a lead heading into the final duel. In the very first hand of heads-up play, Taylor shoved with and got a call from Desautels with , a board of ending the event with Taylor lifting the trophy and collecting the top prize of $26,190.