Samuel Chaput Looks to Close Out Big Lead: All-Stars for Starlight Final Table Begins at 7 p.m.
It's time for the final table of Event #6 of the World Cup of Cards at Playground Poker Club.
During Day 2, chip leader Samuel Chaput (3,225,000) just kept winning pots and eliminating players. He will bring the big stack into play today when play resumes at 7 p.m. The final ten players are each guaranteed CAD $1,340 and the winner will receive the first prize of $21,000.
Chaput enters the day with a 600,000 lead on the next closest player, Jacob Lafleur (2,410,000) and is more than 1-million in front of Felix Leclerc (1,705,000), who holds the third largest stack entering play today. For most of the players in today's field, the $21,000 first prize would be their biggest recorded tournament win. David Bonneau (1,080,000) comes into today with the short stack, and is looking to top his 11th place finish in the WPT National from earlier in the World Cup of Cards.
Nick-Real Seide (1,540,000), has been a regular during the World Cup of Cards so far. He was leading one of the opening flights of the Quantum No-Limit Hold em tournament, before a string of hands that saw him eliminated before advancing to Day 2. He was the first player in the tournament to break 1-million chips and was competing with Chaput for the chip lead until the final levels of play on Day 2.
Charles La Boinnisiere (1,205,000) has also been seen in several of the events at the WCOC, and is at his first final table of the series. He most recently finished 27th in the EPT Dublin Main Event for $28,270 and first place here would book his second largest tournament payout.
Charles-Eric Benoit (1,100,000), Denis Simard (1,505,000), Sagar Shetye (1,565,000), and Tommy Coulumbe (1,615,000) would more than double their recorded tournament winnings to date with a first place finish today.
The All-Stars for Starlight tournament is unique in that the $25 rake went to Starlight Foundation in Canada. According to Starlight's website, "Starlight helps bring the pure joy of being a kid back into the lives of sick children and their families by providing relief from the daily rigors of treatment. Our programs create smiles, laughter, fun memories and a welcome distraction at a time when children and their families need it most." For this tournament, Playground Poker Club has earned more than CAD $20,000 for the Starlight Foundation.
The final table should be wild. The whole tournament to this point has been played with 30-minute levels, but for the final table, they will shift to 40. However, the style of the players and Chaput's lead on most of the field could cause some fireworks early and ofen. It all starts at 7 p.m.
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