Ontario’s Jacob Hobday defeated 1,978 entries in the 2025 World Series of Poker Circuit Playground $2,500 CAD main event at Playground in Montreal. The massive turnout for the event built a prize pool worth more than $3.2 million USD, the largest in WSOPC history.
Hobday not only topped the sizable field, but managed to do so after winning his way into the event via a $75 CAD satellite. He spun that amount into the first-place prize of $446,400 USD. This was the largest score of his poker career many times over by his own admission despite it being his second gold ring.
“Honestly, I don’t even know. My biggest score before this was around $60,000 (CAD), and this is just absolutely insane,” said Hobday to the Poker.Org live reporters covering the event.
Hobday was second-to-last in chips when the final table began, but he soon started to climb the standings as the field continued to thin out. Hobday grabbed his first knockout when he sent Dustin Melanson packing in sixth place, and then he got William Blais in fifth place, as well.
He then vaulted to the top of chip counts after eliminating Feizal Satchu in fourth place. Hobday’s surge continued when he knocked Jorge Pacheco out in third place, and that gave him a nice lead before the final showdown against Adrian Ottorino.
The final hand saw Ottorino get in preflop with A♥5♥, and Hobday had him covered holding pocket deuces. Hobday flopped a set to seal the deal for the tournament, and Adrian was eliminated after failing to improve on the turn or river. He earned $289,440 as the runner-up.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Jacob Hobday | $446,400 | 1620 |
| 2 | Adrian Ottorino | $289,440 | 1350 |
| 3 | Jorge Pacheco | $208,080 | 1080 |
| 4 | Feizal Satchu | $149,040 | 810 |
| 5 | William Blais | $108,000 | 675 |
| 6 | Dustin Melanson | $80,640 | 540 |
| 7 | Muhyedine Fares | $61,254 | 405 |
| 8 | William Meeks | $46,800 | 270 |
| 9 | Alex Bylicki | $36,360 | 135 |
Photo Credit: Playground X account.
