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WSOP-C Playground Spring 2025 Recap: A Poker Triumph in Montreal

08 Apr 2025

Shane Lambert 08 Apr 2025

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WSOP-C Playground Spring 2025 delivered 18 ring events, including huge turnouts and prize pools.
Key victories: Ruoxiao Shi won the Colossus, Adil Atif Morkos triumphed in the Main Event.
Exciting poker action to continue at WSOP Toronto later this month.

The WSOP-C Playground Spring 2025 at Montreal’s Playground Poker Club in Kahnawake delivered 18 ring events, over C$3.3M in prizes, and standout wins by Shi and Morkos.

WSOP-C Playground Spring 2025: A Comprehensive Recap

The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOP-C) Playground Spring 2025 festival at Playground Poker Club in the Montreal area (Kahnawake) ran from March 24th to April 8th, 2025, delivering 18 ring events and over C$3.3 million in guaranteed prize pools. From the record-breaking Colossus to the Main Event’s dramatic finish, this series was a Canadian poker triumph that sets the stage for the upcoming poker event in Toronto later this month. Here’s a detailed recap of what went down at Playground, enriched with updates from @PlaygroundPoker’s tweets, reflecting the completed festival.

Event #1: The Colossus – Ruoxiao Shi’s Historic Win

The festival launched with Event #1, the C$300 Colossus, featuring 11 starting flights from March 24th to March 29th. Drawing 2,992 entries, the Colossus exceeded its C$500,000 guarantee, creating a C$703,120 prize pool, as confirmed by

@PlaygroundPoker's tweet.

This surpassed the 2,795 entries from the 2024 WSOP-C Playground Colossus but fell short of the 3,538 entries from August 2019. Day 2 on March 30th saw 301 players, with Ruoxiao Shi emerging victorious on March 31st after a grueling final table. Facing Amireza Jaberi heads-up, Shi’s pocket pair held against Jaberi’s overcards, securing the C$85,000 top prize and his first WSOP-C ring, per @PlaygroundPoker.

Mid-Series Highlights: Rings Flying Fast in Kahnawake Poker Tournaments

The action rolled into a flurry of ring events. On April 1st, @PlaygroundPoker tweeted about early winners: Adam Neal took Event #2 (C$400 Monster Stack) after a three-way ICM chop, Alexander Hannay won Event #3 (C$400 Seniors), Min Qiu shipped Event #4 (C$400 Mystery Bounty), and Robert Lupo claimed Event #5 (C$600 6-Max).

On April 2nd, they hyped the Main Event’s start, noting its $1.5 million guarantee and Day 1A on April 3rd at 8:00 AM EDT. April 3rd brought Event #11 (C$400 Bounty), where Nikolas Nickoletopoulos won after a five-way ICM deal, with 285 entries generating a C$65,550 prize pool and C$28,500 in bounties.

On April 4th, Playground celebrated Fang Mei’s win in Event #6 (C$250 Flip N’ Go) and Osvaldo Mejia Islas’ victory in Event #8 (C$600 Pot Limit Omaha). The C$300 Ladies Event (Event #13) on April 4th saw 104 entries and a $25,480 prize pool, with Georgette Kirschenbaum taking the ring and $1,200 after a heads-up chop, as tweeted on April 7th at 12:44 PM PDT.

The Main Event: $1.5 Million Guarantee and a Champion Crowned

Event #12, the C$1,700 Main Event, began April 3rd with a $1.5 million guarantee. Day 1A had 199 entries, Day 1B and 1C followed on April 4th and 5th, with the latter dubbed the “last chance” in an April 5th tweet previewing a big weekend. That tweet also highlighted two $3,300 High Roller satellites and a Bad Beat Jackpot over $1.1 million. By the end, 1,414 entries swelled the prize pool to $2,121,000. Day 2 on April 6th saw the field shrink, and Day 3 on April 7th delivered the final table.

Defending champion James Justin Pilon reached fourth place, while Colossus winner Ruoxiao Shi finished seventh, as detailed in @PlaygroundPoker’s April 7th recap tweet at 16:56 PM PDT. Adil Atif Morkos claimed the title, ring, and $214,200 USD (roughly C$290,000) after his pocket tens outlasted an opponent’s ace-queen in heads-up play. The tweet hailed Morkos’ victory, noting the Main Event’s massive field and prize pool, wrapping up on April 7th.

A Canadian player named Adil Atif Morkos, presumably the same player, does have a webpage at the Hendon Mob. That source does not yet include his win from the 2025 Playground poker festival. He's outside of the Top 1000 for Canadian players and the victory in Playground's Main Event is the only significant poker tournament win that is noted. But it looks like he did make some final tables in some decent tournaments before.

Final Days Surge: Denouement After The Main Event

Sunday, April 6th, featured Event #14 (C$3,300 Mega Stack High Roller, $300,000 GTD) and Event #15 (C$400 Monster Stack, $60,000 GTD), with Day 1A of the latter starting that day. The High Roller concluded on April 7th, aligning with the Main Event’s finale. The series closed on April 8th with three events: Event #17 (C$1,000 Progressive Knockout), Event #18 (C$400 Mystery Bounty), and Event #15 (C$400 Monster Stack Day 2). The April 7th Ladies Event tweet teased “more rings & big guarantees” for the last day, and these events capped a festival that awarded 18 rings and millions in prizes.

A Look Ahead at 2025 WSOP Toronto

Looking ahead, poker fans can mark their calendars for the 2025 WSOP Circuit Events in Toronto, promising another thrilling stop on the circuit. Set to feature a robust schedule of ring events, substantial guarantees, and top competition, this upcoming festival at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto will continue Canada’s poker momentum later this year, drawing players eager for more WSOP-C action.

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