Michael Wang Won The WPT Playground World Championship

The CAD $3,500 buy-in, CAD $1.5 million GTD World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship attracted 840 runners, but it surely was practically 839 as Michael Wang virtually didn’t make the journey. He’d been touring Europe and was anxious to get again dwelling to Las Vegas, however he determined a pitstop in Montreal was too good to move up.

“I am glad I got here. I used to be type of on the fence between coming right here and simply going dwelling,” Wang instructed PokerNews previous to the ultimate desk.

It proved to be among the best choices he’s ever made not solely getting the monkey off his again of by no means making a WPT ultimate desk, however he shipped it for CAD $384,738 (US $276,634) and a seat within the WPT World Championship.

“I actually received the monkey off my again,” he stated after the win. “I used to be proud of the ultimate desk and that is a lot above that. It feels somewhat surreal and I am certain it’s going to sink in somewhat bit later.”

Wanting again on the choice to come back to Playground, Wang mirrored: “Yeah, it is all the time the shut calls, proper? Like while you count on one thing you by no means get it, after which I really feel like simply the truth that it was type of out of the way in which somewhat bit. I simply, I do not know, it looks like virtually like future, I suppose.”

WPT Playground Championship Ultimate Desk Outcomes

_{*Denotes heads-up deal.}

Based on updates from the tournament, the primary elimination got here on Hand #4 when the shortest stack Amirpasha Emami three-bet jammed with pocket nines solely to run smack dab into Jordan Grant’s pocket queens. The women held and similar to that the 31-year-old Emami, who completed fifth out of three,531 entries in 2023 World Collection of Poker (WSOP) $1,500 Nearer for $164,750, was the primary out the door.

It took a number of hours till Hand #114 for the subsequent elimination to happen and it occurred when Grant shoved all in underneath the gun for 7.45 million holding pocket tens and Zachary Fischer referred to as off for five.5 million after trying down at two purple aces. Fischer was in a great spot to double, however the flop gave Grant an open-ended straight draw. The flip accomplished it and Fischer needed to accept fifth place and a brand new career-high rating of $79,899, besting the $29,035 he acquired for ending eighth within the 2022 Venetian DeepStack Collection $1,100 NLH Occasion.

On Hand #135, father-to-be Grant, 36, exited after getting his stack all in preflop with king-queen suited towards Wang’s two black nines (Enjoyable Reality: that’s the identical hand Phil Hellmuth had when he received the 1989 WSOP Primary Occasion). Grant flopped a flush draw however was left drawing lifeless when a 9 on the flip gave Wang a full home. The $105,093 that Grant acquired for ending in fourth place greater than doubled his earlier career-high rating of $50,900 for ending 230th within the 2023 WSOP Primary Occasion.

Simply 14 palms later, the start-of-the-day chip chief Baron Ha was eradicated in third place when he jammed his final 12 bigs with king-seven on the button solely to have Wang get up with a pair of sevens within the huge blind. The pocket pair held and the 40-year-old Ha took dwelling $196,000 for ending in third place, an enormous rating given his earlier excessive was $15,264 for ending twenty second within the 2019 WPT Fallsview Poker Traditional.

Wang took a 24.3 million to 17.4 million chip lead into heads-up play towards 28-year-old native professional Santiago Plante, who final 12 months completed fourth within the EPT Barcelona Primary Occasion for $552,005. The 2 labored a small deal to lock up some cash whereas leaving some to play for together with the shiny WPT Playground championship belt.

The duo battled for 19 palms earlier than issues got here to a head on Hand #168. Wang, who had pulled out to a giant chip lead, jammed the button with queen-jack and Plante referred to as off with king-deuce. A queen on the flop ended up giving Wang the title whereas Plante needed to accept second place and CAD $292,653 (US $210,417) in prize cash.

In the meantime, Wang etched his title on the distinguished Mike Sexton’s Champions Cup.

“There are such a lot of legends on this trophy,” he stated of the accomplishment. “I used to be enjoying with Darren Elias on this event and he ran deep and he is received his title too many on this. Like let another person have it, buddy. So many legends. I am so glad so as to add my title.”

Whereas Wang is drained from his current travels, he understands there’s not a lot time to relaxation with each the NAPT and WPT World Championship coming to his hometown.

“I suppose no relaxation for the weary and I suppose, you understand, it is not a foul factor to strike whereas the iron is scorching,” he stated.

Concerning the upcoming occasion on the Wynn and whether or not or not he’d don the championship belt and waltz into the ballroom stylin’ and profilin’ like Ric Aptitude, Wang smiled.

“I noticed the earlier champion was doing that and it really, appears fairly good on him,” he stated. “He was dressed up in a go well with too that had the belt and I used to be like, wow, that is a cool look. So, I am not ruling it out. That is not normally my fashion, however he was rocking it.”

_{*Pictures courtesy World Poker Tour (WPT) / Alicia Skillman}

PR & Media Supervisor for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.