Event #6: $800 Mystery Bounty has wrapped up at the World Series of Poker Circuit Playground. In the end Bharat Shetty was the final player remaining, last defeating David Burnard in heads-up to take home his first WSOPC ring and the top prize of $20,000.
Shetty also claimed twelve bounties en route to victory, adding $8,500 to his winnings. Runner-up Burnard was the lucky player who claimed the largest mystery bounty prize of $50,000.
Although this is the biggest cash of his career, Shetty came down to the series in hopes of a deep run in the Main Event. He even told PokerNews about an agreement where “whoever makes the final table has to go skydiving with me. I’m looking forward to making some plans to skydive.”
WSOPC Playground $800 Mystery Bounty Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | City | Prize (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bharat Shetty | Petty Harbour | $20,000 |
| 2 | David Burnard | London | $13,000 |
| 3 | Brandon Wammes | Ottawa | $9,240 |
| 4 | John Clifford | Salem | $5,900 |
| 5 | Steeve Brown | Rimouski | $4,600 |
| 6 | Pablo Mariz | Boucherville | $3,600 |
| 7 | Jonathan Petit-Levesque | Quebec | $3,000 |
| 8 | Jean Gariepy | Quebec | $2,500 |
| 9 | Johnson Phanyaseng | Montreal | $2,000 |
Final Day Action
The sixth of 15 circuit events featured 262 entrants, eclipsing the $100,000 guarantee to generate a total prize pool of $182,090. The action was fast and furious to start the day, with players ready to gamble it up to win the top two bounty prizes of $50,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Rami Hammoud began the day as chip leader and was able to ride that momentum to a 19th-place finish. Shetty chose an aggressive style as the big stack to maximize his collected bounties. Shortly after the three-table redraw, he would crack aces to send Colossus winner Maxime Jutras out in 24th place.
This trend would continue later into the tournament as aces seemed to be destined to be cracked by whatever two cards Shetty held. When talking about his luck during the tournament, Setty said, “Just before the stone bubble, we got it in ace-king against the villain’s aces for 30 big blinds, and we got there. We made a straight on the turn. That’s when I decided this is it. This is my tournament.” During the entire tournament, Shetty only ended up on the losing side of an all-in twice.
As the field narrowed to the final table, Shetty had already amassed seven bounties but could only find $1,000 prizes. The final table saw a flurry of eliminations, with players eager to gamble, knowing that the $50,000 bounty and two $10,000 bounties were still up for grabs. With just five players remaining, Burnard finally claimed the coveted $50,000 bounty, securing a significant payday no matter where he finished.
With three players left within the tournament, Shetty found a two-outer against aces to prove that sevens are in fact lucky. The heads-up match began, and Burnard was able to win some chips back by snuffing out Shetty’s bluff attempts.
Unfortunately, Burnard’s hopes were dashed when he held aces against Shetty’s flopped flush draw. Burnard improved to a set on the turn, but Shetty’s luck against the best-starting hand held firm. A flush on the river sealed the deal, ending the tournament and crowning Shetty with his first ring.
When asked how he felt after the victory, Shetty exclaimed, “Spectacular. It’s like a dream come true. I ran as pure as a poker player can run. I don’t drink or smoke, so it’s mostly gonna be poker (to celebrate).”
