As Pure Edmonton soon begins, the Pure Poker Tour has amassed a large following with players traveling throughout western Canada to compete. Some of these players have soared above and beyond, placing highly in series after series. Below are three such examples who have etched a name for themselves with their high level of play throughout PPT events and overall success.
Daniel Lefebvre is the King of the High Roller
While High Roller events can be daunting with pricier buy-ins and the higher level of play they bring, Daniel Lefebvre has shown an affinity for these events. First starting in the Yellowhead 2023 Series, Lefebvre found his first High Roller trophy after besting Deven Lane in heads-up play. At the following Calgary series, a rematch was set between the two prior heads-up players. Lefebvre continued his dominance earning back-to-back High Roller trophies. He wouldn’t stop there as he closed out the year taking home the Super High Roller at the Tournament of Champions.
While the Calgary series was moved to Pure Edmonton, Lefebvre had his sights set on a fourth High Roller trophy. He soared through the field to heads-up play against recent WSOPC Main Event winner Alex Liu. Liu quickly found trips to take an early chip lead. However, Lefebvre put his tournament life on the line calling a jam from Liu with ace-five. He found an ace on the flop and held against Liu’s queen-jack to take the chip lead. Shortly after, Liu moved all in with jack-ten and was called off by Lefebvre with ace-nine. Both players found a pair on the flop with an ace and a jack. Liu couldn’t improve for Lefebvre to take home another High Roller title. His efforts in Pure High Roller Series alone netted him a combined earnings of $80,655.
Wasylenko Goes Back-to-Back Taking Home 2024’s First PPT Main Event
Eric Wasylenko has become a staple of the Pure Poker Tour, having amassed six trophies and a handful of podium finishes in just a few years. Although his level of play is already high for the majority of events, Wasylenko seems to push through his ceiling when playing in Main Events. He saw his first seed of success in 2022’s Tournament of Champions, finishing 12th in the Main Event for $7,280. The following year, Wasylenko found a second-place finish ($51,300) in the Pure Yellowhead Main Event and a fourth-place finish in the Pure Calgary Main Event ($9,720).
At the Tournament of Champions, Wasylenko found back-to-back trophies in Event #2 and Event #5 for $8,995 and $14,390 respectively. He would continue his high placements in the Main with a fourth-place finish for $24,900. With these placings, Wasylenko secured himself as the player of the series, giving himself a free entry into the next Main Event. Wasylenko wouldn’t have to wait long as the Pure Casino Edmonton 2024 series began early in the year. Wasylenko found a couple of deep runs before he bested the 417 entry field to take home the Main Event for $73,049.
He wasn’t done yet, as he took home the Calgary Series Main Event for $28,000 later that year. While he couldn’t find more Main Event success, Wasylenko took home trophies in both the Casino Yellowhead 6-Max and Tournament of Champions Event #4. Solely through Pure Casino Edmonton Series events, Wasylenko has earned himself $108,873.
Colten Yamagishi is a Jack of All Trades
Our list is capped off with none other than Colten Yamagishi. Unlike Lefebvre and Wasylenko, Yamagishi’s success isn’t tied to a particular event. He found deep runs in 2022 at the Pure Casino Edmonton series, finishing 10th place in the $660 Bounty ($2,650 + Bounties) and 20th in the Main ($4,050). At the Pure Yellowhead Series and Tournament of Champions, Yamagishi found six final tables closing out the year on a high note.
Early in 2023, at the Pure Casino Edmonton series, he found High Roller success, finishing fourth to the tune of $12,840. At the following series later in the year, Yamagishi would battle to take home the player of the series. He finished first in the Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty for $13,490 and third in the High Roller for $14,600. His success continued with multiple final tables at the Calgary and Tournament of Champion series. He continued his year with a Main Event cash and found a deep run in the High Roller to finish in second place ($17,360). Yamagishi rounded out his year with a handful of final table finishes at the Tournament of Champions. As well, he chopped Event #7 with Francis Fan (seen above) to finish the year on a high note. Accumulated, Yamagishi has earned $79,976 from the Edmonton series alone.
As always, The 2025 Pure Casino Edmonton Series is sure to bring excitement as a staple of the Alberta poker scene continues. Keep an eye out as new champions are crowned, along with prior winners looking to reclaim their thrones. Coverage on poker.pro will begin tomorrow, February 13. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates and action throughout the series.
