As the final minutes ticked off the clock in Day 1c of the All-Stars for Starlight Tournament, Jean Philippe Leblanc was probably still pumped from the five-way all in hand he won to take the chip lead.
He won the hand with after calling four all in to put himself at risk and making a flush on the turn. He leads the 41 players who made it through to Day 2.
One player who didn't make it to Day 2 was Playground Poker's Director of Charitable Initiatives and NHL Hall of Famer Larry Robinson. He busted about an hour into his day when he ran into a straight flush. Robinson was more than happy to make the trip to Montreal from his current home in Florida and buy in to the tournament. The rake from the tournament goes to the Starlight Foundation Canada.
The final flight is already underway and Day 2 of the All-Stars tournament will begin tomorrow at 2 p.m. Leblanc will join Sammy Chao (381,500), the Day 1b and overall leader so far heading to Day 2. This is Event #6 of the World Cup of Cards, which is a month-long tournament series at Playground Poker Club.
PokerNews will be here throughout the festival, bringing you all the news, updates, and photos. Follow @pokernews on Twitter for live updates, Periscope broadcasts, and more. Also, follow PokerNews on Facebook and Instagram.
Jean Philippe Leblanc just took over the chip lead just before the end of the day. He was facing four all ins, one of which had him covered.
"F@ck it! I want to gamble."
He called.
He had .
The hand started normally enough when Roger Lamia limped under the gun. Susan Kinstler went all in for 7,000 and Maxime Laberge and Leblanc called. Then it was Eduardo Sajgalik's turn to act and he shoved all in for 54,000.
"I looked at ace king," he said. "I probably fold ace queen there."
Lamia shoved for the biggest stack, around 170,000 and Laberge shoved for less. Now it was time for Leblanc to act. He called and said he felt like gambling.
The hands:
Jean Philippe Leblanc -
Maxime Laberge -
Eduardo Sajgalik -
Roger Lamia -
Susan Kinstler -
The board:
The board ran out , giving Leblanc a heart flush and eliminating Sajgalik and Kinstler. Leblanc took almost half of Lamia's stack as well and left Laberge with about 26,000.
The aftermath:
"You're crazy," a few players at the table said to Leblanc.
"I just wanted to gamble," he said.
While Leblanc was still stacking his chips, Laberge would be eliminated on the next hand by Armry Senat. He got in against the . Neither player improved and Senat won the hand.
Patrick St-Onge is the chip leader entering the final level of Day 1c.
He has just over $80,000 in tournament winnings and his biggest score was November 2013 when he finished 16th in the WPT Main Event at Playground Poker's Fall Classic. He took home $26,490 and, even though a win in the All-Stars for Starlight tournament might not be his biggest cash, he is having a blast.
Today's tournament is for the Starlight Foundation Canada. Just one of the Foundations that Playground Poker has partnered with. Earlier today, Playground's Director of Charitable Initiatives said that he was partial to charities that help children, and that is what Starlight does.
Starlight Children’s Foundation partners with experts to improve the life and health of kids and families around the world.
For over 23 years, Starlight Children’s Foundation has been transforming the lives of Canadian children who live with serious illness and their families. What makes us unique is that we are there for the entire journey—from the emergency room to recovery.
While in-hospital, Starlight provides distraction, entertainment and relief from the stress and boredom of hospitalization.
When out-of-hospital, Starlight children benefit from our ‘Escapes’ and ‘Wishes’ programs— giving them an opportunity to leave the ‘sick’ behind, create special family memories and return home with a renewed sense of strength and hope.
Starlight is looking to expand to more hospitals and in more communities across Canada. The need is tremendous—and it is only with the generous support of our donors and partners that we will be able to reach and impact these special children, who so greatly benefit from our programs.
The flop read and three players got all in. Michel Bergeron was all in and the shortest of the three stacks with . Jeffrey Herman was the biggest stack and held a better flush draw and a pair holding . John Pisani had the best of it at the moment with for two pair.
"No clubs," said John Pisani, "I don't want no clubs."
The turn was the and the river was the and Pisani won the hand.
"How much did I come here with?" He said as he was scooping the pot, "sixteen hundred."
Mark Howie just got pocket kings two hands in a row, and got a bit of value from them too.
Hand #1:
He was heads up on the flop and Kunru Ma checked. Howie bet 2,500 and Ma called. The turn was the and Ma check-called again when Howie bet 5,000. The river was the and now Ma took the lead, betting 7,800. Howie called and showed which won the hand just ahead of the of Ma.
Hand #2:
Four players saw the flop and the action checked to Eric Schanck who bet 1,800. Ma called and Howie raised to 7,300. Schanck called and Ma folded. The turn was the and both players checked. The river was the and both players checked again. Howie showed two kings , just like the previous hand and won the pot.
Dalton Dawkins is approaching 60,000 and just eliminated Rejean Farmer.
Dawkins had 6,000 in front of him and Farmer raised all in, making it 21,300. Dawkins took a few moments to decide and settled on a call. He showed and was ahead against the of Farmer.
The board ran out and Farmer was eliminated. Dawkins won the pot and is sitting at double the average chip stack.
Larry Robinson joined the field about half way through level 1. He is the Director of Charitable Initiatives at Playground Poker Club. Together with Playground Poker Club, Robinson helps choose a charity to support. In the past they have supported breast cancer organizations and have now hosted a few events for Starlight Foundation Canada.
If you don't already follow the PokerNews Facebook page, we will be streaming an interview on Facebook Live during the first break with Larry Robinson.
Today is Day 1c of Event #6 of the World Cup of Cards at Playground Poker Club. It's the All-Stars for Starlight No Limit Hold em tournament, a $150 tournament with a $100,000 guarantee.
So far Sammy Chao played Day 1b and has bagged the biggest stack heading to Day 2 with 381,500. Daniel Le bagged the big stack from Day 1a with 247,500. Today's flights will have two changes to try and bridge the gap between the 20,000 starting stack and Chao's. The first flight starts at 11 a.m. and the second at 7 p.m.
NHL Hall of Famer Larry Robinson is one of the hosts of the event and is expected in the field today. The normally low Playground Poker Club tournament rake is a little bit higher for this tournament, but the $25 tournament fee will be given as a charitable contribution to the Starlight Children's Foundation Canada.
Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada is a charitable organization dedicated to bringing laughter, joy and hope back into the lives of children with serious illnesses. For over 20 years, our in-hospital entertainment therapy and out-of-hospital fun family adventure programs have brought smiles to children when they need it most.
PokerNews will be here throughout the festival, bringing you all the news, updates, and photos. Follow @pokernews on Twitter for live updates, Periscope broadcasts, and more. Also, follow PokerNews on Facebook and Instagram.
after calling four all in to put himself at risk and making a flush on the turn. He leads the 41 players who made it through to Day 2.
, giving Leblanc a heart flush and eliminating Sajgalik and Kinstler. Leblanc took almost half of Lamia's stack as well and left Laberge with about 26,000. 
in against the 
. Neither player improved and Senat won the hand.
and three players got all in. Michel Bergeron was all in and the shortest of the three stacks with 
. Jeffrey Herman was the biggest stack and held a better flush draw and a pair holding 
. John Pisani had the best of it at the moment with 
for two pair.
and Pisani won the hand.
flop and Kunru Ma checked. Howie bet 2,500 and Ma called. The turn was the 
and Ma check-called again when Howie bet 5,000. The river was the 
and now Ma took the lead, betting 7,800. Howie called and showed 
of Ma.
flop and the action checked to Eric Schanck who bet 1,800. Ma called and Howie raised to 7,300. Schanck called and Ma folded. The turn was the 
, just like the previous hand and won the pot.
and Farmer was eliminated. Dawkins won the pot and is sitting at double the average chip stack.
