$1,100 NL Hold’em 50/50 Bounty
Day 1 Completed
2017 Playground Poker Club and partypoker World Cup of Cards
$1,100 NL Hold’em 50/50 Bounty
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 Playground Poker Club and partypoker World Cup of Cards
Buy-in
1,100 CAD
Entries
144
Level
27
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000
Dustin Melanson Captures World Cup of Cards 50/50 Bounty Title
![[user270022]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 27
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Early Friday morning at Playground Poker Club, Dustin collected his final bounty of the 2017 World Cup of Cards Event #10: $1,100 NL Hold'em 50/50 Bounty, topping a field of 144 entries to claim the Champion's trophy and a top prize of $16,750.
Final Table Results:
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dustin Melanson | Canada | 16,750 CAD |
| 2 | Alexandre Lavigne | Canada | 12,840 CAD |
| 3 | Clayton Grunberg | Canada | 9,500 CAD |
| 4 | Patrick Braga | Canada | 7,100 CAD |
| 5 | Lucas Drolet | Canada | 5,400 CAD |
| 6 | Alexandre Blanc | Canada | 4,000 CAD |
| 7 | George Caragiorgas | Canada | 3,050 CAD |
| 8 | Bradley Copestake | Canada | 2,300 CAD |
| 9 | Sofiane Boulila | Canada | 1,700 CAD |
Melanson picked up nine bounties en route to his victory, adding an extra $4,500 to his first place prize. For Melanson, this is his first-ever live-recorded tournament victory. Melanson also almost doubles his career live-recorded tournament earnings, currently sitting at just over $19,000.
Impressively, Melanson was down to just five big blinds before the event reached the money, quadrupling up in a four-way all-in where his pair of fours held against ace-nine, ace-king, and jack-ten. Melanson survived again on the money bubble, doubling up with ace-queen against ace-jack.
Another of the more popular events at Playground, the 50/50 Bounty attracted a field with numerous familiar faces and notables. Defending champion Mitchael Ferguson, partypoker ambassador Kristen Bicknell, William Blais, David Ormsby, Rodney Ramalho, and Ruben Perceval are just a few players to enter and fizzle out before the money.
Once down to the bubble, the final 16 players played hand-for-hand for over an hour, playing a total of 30 hands on each table. Patrick Braga would finally break it open after making a flush with ace-seven of clubs against Spencer Jean-Baptiste's pocket nines.
As expected, the average stack dropped significantly and a post-bubble bust-out bonanza kicked off with the next four players busting within minutes of each other.
The final table was set when Steven Martin ran ace-king into Alexandre Blanc's pocket aces. Tanvir Ahmed, who had been the shortest stack for quite some time, nursing just a few big blinds would bust soon after, making the final table official.
Next to depart was Sofiane Boulila, who three-bet jammed with ace-jack but found Braga waking up with pocket queens. Eighth place belonged to Bradley Copestake after he check-jammed a flop with a flush draw and couldn't get there against Clayton Grunberg's top pair.
Dustin Melanson got the best of a blind versus blind to bust George Caragiorgas in seventh place and soon after Alexandre Blanc fell to Melanson as well. Falling victim to a sick tens versus queens cooler against Alexandre Lavigne, Lucas Drolet was left with less than one big blind which Lavigne came back for the next hand, dropping Drolet in fifth.
Braga would then be eliminated by Melanson before Lavigne took out Grunberg to set up a heads-up battle. Lavigne began the match with a slight chip advantage but Melanson quickly closed the gap and took a 2-to1 chip lead.
On the final hand, Melanson three-bet jammed with ace-four and held against Lavigne's king-queen to claim the title, Champion's trophy, and all the glory.
Alexandre Lavigne Eliminated in 2nd Place ($12,840)
Level 27
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Alexandre Lavigne began heads-up with slight chip advantage but Dustin Melanson quickly closed the gap and took a 2-to-1 chip lead.
On the final hand, Melanson limped on the button and Lavigne raised to 150,000. Melanson three-bet shoved and Lavigne tank-called.
Lavigne: 
Melanson: 
Melanson faded the 
board, shipping the pot, the title, the trophy, the money and all the glory.
For his runner-up finish, Lavigne takes home $12,840.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,600,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
Busted |
Heads Up Chip Counts
Level 27
: 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,950,000 | |
|
|
1,650,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Level: 27
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 5,000
Clayton Grunberg Eliminated in 3rd Place ($9,500)
Level 26
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
On the turn of a 
board, Clayton Grunberg put himself at risk against Alexandre Lavigne.
Lavigne: 
Grunberg: 
Grunberg was in trouble and couldn't find any help from the 
on the river, ending his day in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,950,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Patrick Braga Eliminated in 4th Place ($7,100)
Level 26
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Patrick Braga open-jammed under-the-gun and Dustin Melanson put him at risk from the small blind.
Braga: 
Melanson: 
Braga's cards were live but needed help to keep his run going. A 
board rolled out, missing Braga, and he said goodbye to his tablemates, exiting in fourth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,350,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
Busted |
Lucas Drolet Eliminated in 5th place ($5,400)
Level 26
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Moments after Lucas Drolet ran pocket tens into Alexandre Lavigne's pocket queens, leaving Drolet with less than one big blind, Drolet was forced to put his chips in the middle against Lavigne once more.
Drolet: 
Lavigne:
The board ran out 
and Drolet's run came to an end in fifth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 26
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 5,000
Alexandre Blanc Eliminated in 6th Place ($4,000)
Level 25
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
One hand after Alexandre Blanc was crippled, doubling up Alexandre Lavigne, Blanc put his last three big blinds in the middle and was called by Dustin Melanson in the big blind.
Melanson: 
Blanc: 
Blanc was racing for his tournament life but the wheels fell off on the flop of a 
board and Melanson collected one more bounty chip as Blanc departed in 6th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
950,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
Busted |