Michael Wang Wins World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship

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Michael Wang has secured at least one major live tournament win in each of the past three years. His latest victory was at the 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) Playground Championship, where he triumphed over a field of 840 players in the CAD $3,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event. The New Jersey native claimed his first WPT title and a prize of $276,634.

“Right now, it still feels a little surreal. I’m sure it will hit me more when I go home,” Wang shared with World Poker Tour (WPT) reporters. “I’ve been coming to WPT events for so many years without reaching a final table, so this means the world to me.”

In 2023, Wang’s standout victory came in a $10,300 event at the Wynn Millions, earning him $308,016. In 2022, he claimed his second World Series of Poker bracelet and a $541,604 prize in the $5,000 eight-max event. His first bracelet came in 2015 in a similar $5,000 buy-in event. Wang’s career earnings now approach $7 million.

The tournament drew a strong field, with the $1.5 million CAD guarantee easily surpassed by a final prize pool of $2,688,000 CAD ($1,934,857 USD), which was distributed among the top 105 finishers. Big names like recent Moneymaker Tour Aruba runner-up Duff Charette (48th), four-time WPT champion Darren Elias (31st), and bracelet winner Tommy Nguyen (30th) made deep runs.

The final day began with six players, led by Baron Ha. Amirpasha Emami, the shortest stack, was the first to be eliminated, taking home $60,464. After over 100 hands of five-handed action, Zachary Fischer’s aces fell to Jordan Grant’s straight, leaving Fischer in fifth place ($79,899).

Grant initially led in four-handed play but suffered a setback against Ha’s trips, then was eliminated by Wang in fourth place ($105,093) when his K♦Q♦ couldn’t beat Wang’s 9♠9♣. In three-handed play, Ha was knocked out in third by Wang’s 7♠7♦, collecting $141,083.

In heads-up, Wang entered with a 24,300,000 to 17,400,000 chip lead over Santiago Plante. The two made a deal for a partial prize adjustment, but Wang ultimately secured the win. In the final hand, Wang’s Q♣J♦ held against Plante’s K♠2♦, securing his WPT title and giving Plante $210,417 as the runner-up. This marks Plante’s second-largest cash, following his fourth-place finish at EPT Barcelona last year.

WPT Playground Championship Final Table Results

Place Player Hometown Prize in CAD
1 Michael Wang Las Vegas, NV $384,738* (US $276,634) (including a seat in the WPT World Championship)
2 Santiago Plante Montreal, Quebec, Canada $292,653* (US $210,417)
3 Baron Ha Windsor, Ontario, Canada $196,000 (US $141,083)
4 Jordan Grant Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada $146,000 (US $105,093)
5 Zachary Fischer East Northport, NY $111,000 (US $79,899)