Playground Poker Club Bad Beat Jackpot Hit for $415,551 During WPT Event
When players bust from a poker tournament of any level, they are generally looking to blow off some steam. Whether that be firing off in the pit, going home to take a nap, grabbing a cold one at the bar, or hitting the gym, everyone gets over being eliminated from a tournament in a different way. For Richard Figiel, his preference was to hop into a cash game after busting on Day 1a of the partypoker.net World Poker Tour National Canadian Spring Championship. Little did he know he'd be smashing a final-table payday in a simple game of $1/$2 no-limit hold'em when he was involved in a hand that struck the Playground Poker Club Bad Beat Jackpot.
According to the WPT Live Updates, Figiel was seated in the tournament with the WPT's own Mike Sexton. Figiel busted from the tournament, found a seat in a cash game, and got involved in a hand against Dimitri Morcos that would go down in history. The reports are that Figiel opened to $16 from early position and Morcos called behind. A third player call on the button, and the three players saw the flop come down 10♣7♣7♦. Figiel and Morcos checked, the button bet $11, and Figiel and Morcos called.
The turn card was the 10♠, and action checked over to the button once again. After he bet $20, Figiel and Morcos once again called. Then, the 5♥ completed the board on the river. Figiel was first to act and moved all in for roughly $104. Morcos called, then the player on the button folded. Figiel tabled flopped quads with the 7♠7♥, but luck would have it that Morcos had turned the better hand with the 10♥10♦!
While normally the beat would sting a bit for Figiel, the Playground Poker Club in Montreal boasts a very plump bad beat jackpot that had grown to $415,551. The hand between Figiel and Morcos qualified, causing a massive uproar from the table. For being on the losing end of the bad beat, Figiel was awarded $157,865. Morcos was given $78,955 for the winning-hand share, and everyone else at the table pocketed $11,279. Furthermore, all active cash-game players in the room received $500.
Several players witnessed the hand and the uproar that took place after the fact, including Sexton and Antonio Esfandiari:
Just got broke @PLAYGROUNDPOKER w/5's on 7-5-2 flop (he had pocket 7's). HUGE cheer goes up - guy just hit $400k bad beat jackpot same time
— Mike Sexton (@MikeSexton_WPT)
Arrived @PLAYGROUNDPOKER for day1WPT within 30 min I busted AND witnessed someone hit a 400k Bad Beat JACKPOT 77 lose to 1010 #SoSick
— Antonio Esfandiari (@MagicAntonio)
Figiel's bust from the WPT event is no doubt in the back of his mind now and he's already preregistered for Day 1b that will take place on Friday beginning at 11 a.m. ET. You can tune back into PokerNews for a recap following the completion of play.
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Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.
