Jinrong Zhang Becomes First International MSPT Champion With Victory in Canada
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Poker history was made this week as the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) named its first champion at a stop outside the United States. The $1,150 Canadian Poker Championship at Playground in Montreal, Canada, saw Jinrong Zhang earn that distinction and $165,000 (CAD) with a victory over Sebastien Proulx.
The first MSPT Championship on international soil drew 1,057 entrants for a prize pool of $1,055,000. Canada's Zhang reached a deal three-handed before finishing the event out for a career-high score just a year and a half after his first live cash.
“This is a really big score for sure,” Zhang told MSPT after the victory. “To all the players, hold onto your dreams. Do what you can do with your game and leave the rest to the poker gods.”
MSPT Canadian Poker Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player Name | Country | Prize (In CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jinrong Zhang | Canada | $165,000 |
| 2 | Sebastien Proulx | Canada | $118,610 |
| 3 | Lyndon Webster | Canada | $115,530 |
| 4 | Kevin Javier | Canada | $65,095 |
| 5 | Scott Babbitt | Canada | $49,600 |
| 6 | Carter Swidler | Canada | $38,230 |
| 7 | Adam Cader | Canada | $29,965 |
| 8 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | $22,730 |
| 9 | Pierre Alexandre Lessard | Canada | $18,600 |
| 10 | Alexandre Fournier | Canada | $14,675 |
*Denotes three-handed deal
"Very Hard Final Table"
Several MSPT Player of the Year of contenders made it to Day 2 but failed to make a run at the final table. They included Jacob Long and Josh Reichard, who respectively sit second and third in the POY race behind Umut Ozturk. Long finished in 102nd place for $2,170, while Reichard fared slightly better with a 70th-place finish worth $2,685, according to MSPT updates.
Alexandre Fournier was the first to go at the ten-handed final table as his ace-jack couldn't pull ahead of the pocket nines of Scott Babbitt. Ninth-place finisher Pierre Alexandre Lessard also lost a flip as his sixes couldn't hold against the eventual champion's ace-queen.
Zhang's hot run continued from there as he eliminated Carter Swidler in sixth place and soon after sending Scott Babbitt to the rail in fifth place. The fourth-place elimination of Kevin Javier at the hands of Sebastien Proulx then made way for a three-handed ICM chop between Zhang, Proulx and Webster as they kept $39,000 up top for the winner.
“It’s a very hard final table, because I know most of the players that were here," Zhang said about his opponents.
Other Winners at Playground
There were more than a dozen events across the MSPT Canadian Poker Championship stop at Playground. In total, the series generated $2,094,855 in prize pools in events with buy-ins ranging from $250 to $2,200.
The series kicked off with Bryan Robitaille-Fequet topping a field of 976 runners in Event #1: $300 Mega Stack NLH to win $35,870, followed by Giovanni Petrell getting through 178 players in Event #2: $500 Monster Stack 8-Max NLH for $18,015.
Later winners include Dominic Poliquin (Event #4: $300 Mystery Bounty NLH - $5,255), James Cooke (Event #10: $600 Mega Stack NLH - $9,220) and Tannous Alexandre (Event #6: $300 Mixed Pot Limit Omaha/NLH - $5,840), who literally demonstrated his strength at the poker table in a memorable winner's photo.
The second-biggest winner of the series was Senthuran Vijayaratnam, who won $63,440 by taking down Event #13: $2,200 High Roller NLH before the series wrapped up with Andryian Rasulufuniryna winning Event #14: $300 Mystery Bounty NLH for $7,645.
The only non-Canadian to win a trophy at Playground was the United Kingdom's Pedro Sequeiros, who won Event #11: $400 Mystery Bounty NLH for $7,795.
A full list of winners at the inaugural MSPT Canadian Poker Championship is available in the table below.
2025 MSPT Canadian Poker Championship Winners
| Event | Entrants | Winner | Prize (In CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $300 Mega Stack NLH | 976 | Bryan Robitaille-Fequet | $35,870* |
| Event #2: $500 Monster Stack 8-Max NLH | 178 | Giovanni Petrella | $18,015* |
| Event #3: $300 Progressive KO NLH | 120 | Alex Baril-Bisson | $4,045* |
| Event #4: $300 Mystery Bounty NLH | 146 | Dominic Poliquin | $5,255* |
| Event #5: $300 Monster Stack Bounty ($100) NLH | 100 | Alberto Dumitru | $3,490* |
| Event #6: $300 Mixed Pot Limit Omaha/NLH | 68 | Tannous Alexandre | $5,840 |
| Event #7: $1,000 Mystery Bounty NLH | 90 | Justin George | $13,710 |
| Event #8: $250 Mega Stack NLH | 145 | Benjamin Szimer | $6,430* |
| Event #9: MSPT Canadian Poker Championship | 1057 | Jinrong Zhang | $165,000 |
| Event #10: $600 Mega Stack NLH | 120 | James Cooke | $9,220 |
| Event #11: $400 Mystery Bounty NLH | 157 | Pedro Sequeiros | $7,795 |
| Event #12: $300 Progressive Bounty NLH | 164 | Imtiyaz Khan Walizada | $5,200* |
| Event #13: $2,200 High Roller NLH | 104 | Senthuran Vijayaratnam | $63,440 |
| Event #14: $300 Mystery Bounty NLH | 221 | Andryian Rasulufuniryna | $7,645 |
*Denotes final table deal
