When the World Poker Tour announced it would be heading to Montreal for a non-televised event, I'm sure most players regarded it as another intriguing stop but nothing that would move the needle on the tournament scene.
It's true that when the WPT last stopped in Canada in 2008 for the North American Poker Championship ($10,000 buy-in) event at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, it offered a strong 454-player field and created a top prize worth more than $1 million. Glen Witmer reaped the benefits of the turnout as he defeated Gavin Smith heads-up for the title. Everyone expected Canada to become a bigger player on the WPT, but for the past four years, that day never came.
Since that point, the WPT just didn't find a Canadian home even with Jonathan Duhamel reinvigorating the country's poker scene after his WSOP victory in 2010. The waiting continued until finally the WPT made what is now a brilliant decision.
Enter the Playground Poker Club, a highly popular venue in Quebec, and a price point of $3,300 (CAD) that has performed extremely well at the WPT's other stops domestically. Day 1A of the re-entry event attracted 478 players, but the buzz started almost immediately after the cards were in the air. Players in attendance began to comment socially on the field size, the atmosphere and the opportunity for a huge event. Flights to the city were booked, and Day 1B registration resulted in a 1,173-player tournament and a $784,101 (CAD) top prize.
WPT Montreal went from an outlying non-televised event to a must-visit stop on the World Poker Tour in less than a week. Many assume next year will be even bigger.
Jonathan Roy defeated a tough final table to win the event in front of a rowdy home crowd. The 25-year-old online heads-up specialist defeated WSOP bracelet winner Pascal Lefrancois for the victory.
"This is incredible,"said Roy.
"The support here was amazing. The crowd really wanted to keep the title in Quebec, and I am so happy to have done that."[See original news feed here]
