PartyPoker returned to the Playground Poker Club in Montreal this weekend to kick off the 2013 World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship. The tournament began with three consecutive opening rounds that lasted from May 3 through May 5, and ended with 735 players anteing up to go all in.
At the end of the three days, 294 players qualified for today’s round, which begins at 11am EST. Players stake $3,300 to enter the tournament, but were invited to reenter upon elimination, or to improve on their chip total at the end of one day of play.
US player Matt Salsberg was one of the players who finished the opening day with over $73,000 in chips, but chose to reenter the tournament on Sunday to improve his chip stack. In his final match of the day, Salsberg went all in on a pair of nines, unaware his challenger, Francis Labonte, was holding a pair of aces in his hand. Once the cards were turned over, Salsberg was eliminated on Sunday, but will still move on to the next round with his retained winnings from day one.
However, Salsberg remains well behind the chip leaders from the three opening days, including Jonathon Driscoll, Jake Toole, and Jonathan Roy. Roy, a native Quebecer, is one of the fan favourites at the Playground Poker Club, as fans remember the young player’s victory at the 2012 WPT event in Montreal. He struggled on the first two opening days, but secured his position near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday, and won the title of WPT Player of the Day for his performance.
The tournament continues today, and matchups will carry on until the top six players are seated at the final table. The championship round concludes on Thursday, May 9 at 3pm EST.
