There are no withholdings, tax forms or tax reporting for tournaments in Canada. Good luck with the IRS!

With the low Canadian dollar and no withholding, more Americans including Allen Kessler should be taking advantage of the Canadian WPT events such as WPT Montreal, WPT Canadian Spring Championship and WPT Fallsview. Some of my Canadian rec friends bypass those highest-EV events and instead travel to the US to buy into unbeatable tournaments with 30% tax and having to pay > 30% more for U$-expenses.

The best thing to do is to keep your own records (we will provide duplicate receipts upon request and you can ask to be paid out via cheque if you wish) and report to the IRS the same way you would if you won in any foreign country.

Any payouts to players are always for the exact amount according to the published payout sheet for the event, which is usually released within minutes of late registration closing. In the case of the WPT, we use a payout formula they have established. For our own events (including all side events during the fall classic) it's our own payout schedule but it's very similar to WPT Payout formula B in most respects.

Heading up this week. Is playground the best choice over the other casinos that are closer to le plateu (where I'm staying) best being in terms of rake and game selection for a decent $1/2 NL llayer

The rake might be slightly (I insist on the slightly) worse at Playground compared to Montreal Casino, but they more than make up for it with free drinks/free food, gorgeous waitresses and an unrivaled game selection. Also, seats are quite comfy and you can get a massage at your table.

Hey everyone,

We've just announced our next series - the Playground Anniversary Series! It's our 5th Anniversary so we've blown it up from a single event to 6. The main attraction is the sick 5-Year Extravaganza - just $70 + $10 but with 10 starting flights, 5 on Saturday Dec 19th and 5 on Sunday! It's next-day re-entry with best stack forward... BUT you will ALSO get a min-cash for every smaller stack you also finish a Day 1 with.

So: you finish your 1st Day 1 with 12,500 and you decide to play another and build up a stack of 85,000. In this case you would start Day 2 with 85K AND get one min-cash for your other stack.

Here's the schedule:

Playground Anniversary Series

Thursday December 17th, 2015
$60 + $10 NL Hold'em Win the Button Re-entry at 12:00pm
$200 + $20 NL Hold'em Deepstack at 7:00pm

Friday December 18th, 2015
$500 + $50 NL Hold'em Deepstack at 11:00am

5-Year Extravaganza
$55,555 Guaranteed Prize Pool

$70 + $10 NL Hold'em Next Day Re-entry
5 starting flights per Day

Each Day 1 will play until 10% of the field remains. Day 2 will restart at the lowest blind level during which any Day 1 was completed.

Players who qualify for Day 2 more than once will restart play on Day 2 with their largest qualifying stack. Chips in additional qualifying stacks will be forfeited.

Players who qualify for Day 2 multiple times will receive a minimum cash for each forfeited qualifying stack!

Saturday December 19th, 2015
Day 1a at 10:00am
Day 1b at 1:00pm
Day 1c at 4:00pm
Day 1d at 7:00pm
Day 1e at 10:00pm (Turbo)

Sunday December 20th, 2015
Day 1f at 10:00am
Day 1g at 1:00pm
Day 1h at 4:00pm
Day 1i at 7:00pm
Day 1j at 10:00pm (Turbo)

Monday December 21st, 2015
$60 + $10 NL Hold'em Big Ante at 12:00pm
5-Year Extravaganza Day 2 at 7:00pm
$135 + $15 + $25 NL Hold'em 6-Max Bounty at 7:30pm

Tuesday December 22nd, 2015
5-Year Extravaganza Day 3 at 7:00pm

Hey, all. Can someone let me know if it's possible to get to playground via public transportation?

I'm aware that there's a shuttle for a group of 5 or more, but I always go alone, so this doesn't help me.

There's no convenient bus or anything?

I'd like to spend some time in montreal, know the city pretty well, but need to be able to get to the games very regularly without constant hassle (taxis are going to be way too much of an expense, especially since the rake is significant).

Hi Kler,

There is pretty good public transportation available from downtown or anywhere near the metro. Take the Green metro line to the Angrignon station and then transfer to a CITSO bus (line 31 or 32), which will drop you off right in front of Playground. This route can take about an hour, whereas it's only a 30 minute drive from downtown, but it is cheap and convenient.

Another option is to take taxis. We have an arrangement with the local taxi company (Oxford Taxi) to charge a flat rate of $35 one-way from Playground to downtown locations. They will also offer that rate to pick you up downtown and bring you to Playground, but you should be aware that you have to call them in advance. Not being based in Montreal, it can take some time for them to get there to pick you up.

I would be sure to discuss the flat rate option before you start your trip so you are both agreed that it applies and the amount.

Hey guys - our next Power Weekend has just been announced - coming from March 9th to 14th.

https://www.playgroundpoker.ca/marchpowerweekend2016

Also - remember the Spring Classic is coming in April - from the 17th to May 5th. Full schedule to be released in the next 2 weeks.

Here's a rundown of the tournaments:

$135 + $15 NL Hold'em Re-entry $100,000 Guaranteed
Day 1a: Wednesday March 9th, 7:00pm
Day 1b: Thursday March 10th, 7:00pm
Day 1c: Friday March 11th, 11:00am
Day 1d: Friday March 11th, 7:00pm
Day 2: Saturday March 12th, 12:00pm
Day 3: Sunday March 13th, 7:00pm

$100 + $10 NL Hold'em Mix Max
Thursday March 10th, 12:00pm
The number of players per table decreases as the tournament goes on!

$200 + $20 NL Hold'em Freeze
Saturday March 12th, 7:00pm
A classic freezeout tournament!

$270 + $30 NL Hold'em Tag Team
Sunday March 13th, 11am
Our most popular special event!
Play with a partner, with each player alternating levels from level 7 to the end of the tourney. The first 6 levels are played individually.

$100 + $10 NL Pineapple
Sunday March 13th, 7:30pm
Players are dealt 3 hole cards and discard one before the flop - the rest of the hand is played out like Hold’em.

$100 + $10 + $25 NL Hold'em 6-Max $25 Bounty
Monday March 14th, 7:00pm
An action-packed bounty tournament with short-handed tables.

The Power Weekend started last night with the first starting flight in the $100K Gtd tourney - there were 177 entries, which is pretty strong.

Today is the Mix Max, which should be a blast, and then Day 1b of the $100K Gtd tonight (two more flights on Friday and then Day 2 on Saturday).

Also as usual when there are special events the cash game action has been pretty spectacular!

Lastly - but definitely not least - there's a pretty nutso new promo with TonyBet. We're again taking deposits for the site at the cashier, and anyone who deposits $50 gets a raffle ticket that goes into a big drum - and then once a week we'll be drawing 5 winners who will be invited to come to Playground and "Punch" 3 slots in the huge Punchout game board we've installed. In each slot is an envelope - and once you've chosen your three envelopes, if the total value is exactly $300.... you win $10,000! If not - then you get the total into your TonyBet account. Then at the end of the month, ALL of the raffle tickets go BACK into the bin and 5 more people will have a chance to punch out - but this time for $100K!

The 2nd week of the TonyBet $100,000 Poker Punchout will be played tonight as 5 players were drawn on Friday night who will come to the club and Punch for envelopes totaling $300 - which will win them $10,000! Any other amount will be deposited into their TonyBet account.

There are two more weeks following tonight, and all you have to do to play is make a $50 or more deposit to TonyBet here at the Playground Poker Club cashier to earn raffle tickets - and then if you win the raffle, you'll be invited back to play for $10K the following Monday.

On the final week, all of the raffle tickets from the beginning of the contest will be replaced in the drum for a special draw of 5 players who will punch out for $100,000!

Noob question: I went to the club last week and saw 1-2 NL Pineapple on the board. I assumed it wasn't OFC Pineapple, so what is it then? A version of the Pineapple table game where you play against each other?

Aha - good question!

The introduction of OFC Pineapple has confused things a little with its name, but there's a hold'em game called Pineapple as well, which is now offered at Playground. In future we'll also be spreading a game called Crazy Pineapple. They work like this:

Pineapple: In Pineapple, players are dealt 3 hole cards and discard one before the flop - the rest of the hand is played out like Texas Hold’em. So you get your 3 hole cards, there's the normal preflop round of betting, and once the betting is over but before the flop is dealt, everyone still in the hand discards.

Crazy Pineapple: In Crazy Pineapple, players are dealt 3 hole cards and discard one after the flop - the rest of the hand is played out like Texas Hold’em. In this case you get your hole cards, there's a round of betting, and then the flop is dealt. Then there's another round of betting and only *then* is the discard made by every player still in the hand. Next the turn is dealt and the rest of the hand continues as normal.

Both games are to be played as No Limit games (not Pot Limit or other), and although we're starting with $1-$2, it may also run at $1-$3 ($1 higher big blind, higher buy-in limit of $300), $2-$5, and/or $5-$5 in the future.

All of that being said - OFC and most likely the Pineapple variant is also still in the realm of possibility for the future, so maybe at some point you'll be able to choose!

Other then cross marketing, is Playground affiliated with Tony Bet in any other way? Can anyone here comment on their experience playing on Tony Bet?

What time does 5/5 generally start at during a regular week? Also what time does it normally break at?

Thanks.

Hey yoyobo - as you might imagine, it's highly variable, depending on who's in the club, whether there are already big 2/5 tables or a particularly good game (keeps people there instead of starting the 5/5), etc. I'll ask around today and see if I can get you a better idea of "regular" but the best thing to do is probably to get the Bravo app and monitor it, or just check the website - on the front page there's a "Live Cash Games" section which is pulled straight out of the Bravo system in the club.

Thanks. Will use Bravo to keep an eye on ending times. If you could find anything else out on starting times that would be amazing tho. as the game is always open when I wake up (which is fairly late in the day).

Understand that it would vary, just looking for a good estimate so I could figure out a good sleeping schedule to be on when I come down. Thanks.

Ok I have an odd question but the one time I was here, your seats were the most comfortable I've sat in. I need a new office chair.

The odd question is - could someone find out the brand/make of these chairs for me??

Aha - like any poker player, I understand and fully appreciate the importance of finding the right sleeping schedule!

So I spoke with one of the floor managers who oversees game/table opening on a daily basis and he said that in general the $5-$5 game is most likely to run from Wednesday to Sunday, and generally comes together at 3-4pm and runs for 12 hours or more.

The thing is, though, that even before the $5-$5 tables are put together, very very often at least one of the $2-$5 games has gotten quite big - so even outside of a formal $5-$5 table you can often find action on a similar scale.

Make sense?

Makes sense. Much appreciated. Thanks.

Never been to playground. Do thy exchange us money there and if so, is it a decent rate. Thank you

You can exchange your money from US$ to C$, but we don't do any exchange into US$ (no one outside of banks and currency exchange companies does).

As far as the rate goes, it obviously fluctuates with the market rate. Today it's 1.26 if you want to compare. Tomorrow or next week it will most likely have changed.

Thanks

Not looking forward to losing 5% on the exchange back but nothing you can do about it.

There are a ton of retail currency exchange places downtown that may offer a more beneficial rate for you. We can't recommend one in particular, but if you're staying in the downtown core you will doubtless be able to find one or many places that may give you a better rate. A search on Google Maps will likely give you lots of choices.

Yoyobo - I don't know if you were planning on getting here during the Spring Classic, but we're just one day in and the cash game action has already exploded. Overnight there was a $5-$5 Pineapple game that seems to have morphed into a $5-$5 Mixed PLO/Pineapple game which looks pretty huge, plus there's a large version of the $1-$2-$5 PLO, a $5-$5 NL Hold'em and 5 $2-$5 games on at the moment.

Yeah, I'll be flying in soon. Sounds sick, can't wait.