Event #5: $800 Mystery Bounty has come to a close after 10 hours of play here at the World Series of Poker Playground at Playground Poker Club. In the end Jimmy Setna was the final player remaining, last defeating Qingwei Meng heads up to take home his first WSOPC ring and the top prize of $21.430. Setna also claimed nine bounties en route to victory, including the top two bounties of $50,000 and $10,000 (although Meng did take some of the top bounty due to an ICM chop with two players remaining.
Setna, who finished in 15th place in the 2022 WSOP Main Event, is no stranger to tournament success, with nearly $750,000 in live tournament earnings before this cash. He began the day with one of the larger stacks and was able to put himself in spots where he had a chance to claim a bounty many times throughout the day.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (in CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jimmy Setna | Canada | $21,430 |
| 2 | Qingwei Meng | Canada | $16,570 |
| 3 | Steven Tripp | Canada | $10,000 |
| 4 | Duff Charette | Canada | $6,800 |
| 5 | Kevin Jia | China | $5,360 |
| 6 | Rami Hammoud | Canada | $4,600 |
| 7 | Vadym Sienichkin | Ukraine | $3,800 |
| 8 | Chun Kit Kwan | Hong Kong | $3,000 |
| 9 | Michael Noor | Canada | $2,300 |
| 10 | Adam Moore | Canada | $1,900 |
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Winner’s Reaction
“It feels really good”, Setna mentioned when describing how he felt following the big win. “It means a good amount to me. I’ve been playing all the circuit events that I can get around to. I had one online run where I came second, and that was a bummer. It feels good to win.”
The $50,000 top bounty for this tournament was still available all the way to heads-up play, creating a unique dynamic as the tournament progressed. Given that the top bounty was worth more than twice the first-place prize, it became increasingly more likely to be pulled as more eliminations occurred. Setna described having to play both defensively and offensively at times to fully take advantage of the situation.
“When we were three or four-handed, I made sure I got involved in every pot. Even if I wasn’t going to get the bounty, I didn’t mind, as long as the person who won the pot didn’t win an all-in and win a bounty. So I was kind of playing defence but also gambling it up a little harder in spots where I could potentially be 35% to win $50,000. It’s an easy decision.”
Setna was supported on the rail by his girlfriend throughout the day and described how having that support made it easier for him to play when it came time for big decisions at the final table.
“It’s everything. She’s here every time I make a deep run in something. She always came along on the poker trips for the past three years. It’s crazy for her, honestly, before she started coming out I didn’t have that many deep runs. It just makes me a little more comfortable, and I think that’s really important on final tables”.
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Final Day Action
The fifth of 15 circuit events featured 318 entrants, eclipsing the $100,000 guarantee to generate a total prize pool of $221,010. The action was fast and furious to start the day, with players aiming to win the top two bounty prizes.
Chun Kit Kwan began the day as chip leader and was able to ride that momentum all the way to the final table where he would be on the wrong end of a brutal cooler at the hands of Duff Charette and bow out in eighth place.
Rami Hammoud stood out for most of the day, showing no fear in calling with weaker holdings when bounties were available. He entered the final table with the chip lead and nine bounties to his name. Hammoud took several big hits at the final table in pursuit of the top bounty. He was left short-stacked after running into Meng’s turned straight before leaving in sixth place for $4,600 CAD. Hammoud was followed out the door by Kevin Jia (5th – $5,360 CAD), Charette (4th – $6,800 CAD) and Steven Tripp (3rd – $10,000 CAD), all of whom were eliminated by Setna who had a decent chip lead going into heads-up play versus Meng.
Despite making an ICM deal that chopped both the remaining prize pool and top bounty, heads-up play went back and forth for roughly two hours as it was clear both Setna and Meng were playing hard for the ring. Setna finally claimed most of the chips after making a straight and getting max value from Meng. Although Meng would double up right afterwards, it would not be long before Setna won another preflop race to take the last pot of the night, the top prize of $21,430 CAD and his first WSOP circuit ring.