GGPoker satellite winners have been on fire over the last week, with two separate players turning small satellite buy-ins into the greatest scores of their poker careers.
Just days after 72oooo took down the $10k GGMillion$ online event, after qualifying for just $10, a Canada online poker player by the name of Allen Shen turned a $75 satellite buy-in into a C$605k score at WSOPC Montreal.
While this wasn’t the first major tournament score for the Canadian, the win nearly doubled his previous tournament poker winnings and landed him his second WSOPC ring of 2026, following a victory in a $400 WSOPC Calgary event in January.
- Or get up to $100 worth of rewards
- Available in many regulated markets
- Great MTT schedule including WSOP events
- Exciting tournament action
- Quality software & mobile apps
- Online WSOP bracelet events
Online Qualifier Outlasts a Massive WSOPC Field
Allen Shen made his way to the C$2,500 WSOP Montreal Main Event at the world-famous Playground Poker Club through a $75 online satellite at GGPoker.
He was one of the many players to qualify for the prestigious event online, but the only one to make it all the way to the final table.
On his way there, Shen outlasted a field of 1,781 runners, creating a massive C$4,144,323 prize pool that shattered the C$2,500,000 guarantee set by the Series for the event.
A stacked final table included WSOP bracelet winners Pei Li and Brett Apter, along with a number of other experienced tournament grinders, all with their eyes on the C$605,000 first-place prize and the coveted WSOPC ring.
The Torontonian entered the final table with the chip lead, as he held a stack of 76 big blinds to begin play, but would have a long way to go before he could claim his career-second WSOPC victory.
Yet, Shen was able to outlast all of his opponents and defeat Pei Li heads-up for the title to take home the C$605k first-place prize and another piece of poker silverware, further cementing his legacy in the poker world.
Here is a quick look at the final results of the 2026 WSOPC Playground Main Event:
| Place | Player | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Allen Shen | C$605,000 |
| 2nd | Pei Li | C$400,000 |
| 3rd | Brett Apter | C$278,293 |
| 4th | Aaron Gao | C$200,000 |
| 5th | Sebastian Crema | C$145,000 |
| 6th | Weiping Gu | C$115,000 |
| 7th | Ren Zhang | C$96,000 |
| 8th | Julien Cargnelutti | C$78,000 |
| 9th | Omid Shahbazian | C$60,000 |
Young Torontonian Is Making His Poker Dreams Come True
Allen Shen’s story is not one of a one-hit wonder, as the young Canadian has been building up to this victory for a few years.
His poker career started in 2022 with a couple of scores in online events at WSOP.ca, including a bracelet win in the $365 PLO Championship event in December that year.
In 2023, Shen competed in PokerGO Tour’s PLO Series and took down Event #2 for $91,200, which was the biggest score of his tournament career by that point.
Allen improved on his best tournament score at the 2025 WSOP, when he final-tabled Event #90 – $777 Lucky 7s, and came fourth for $181,777.
His start to 2026 was equally impressive, as he took down his first WSOPC ring in a $400 event in Calgary, where he outlasted a field of 1,656 players to claim the victory.
His most recent victory at the Playground Poker Club marks the crowning achievement of his poker career, and another step toward poker greatness, as we look forward to seeing more of Allen Shen at this year’s WSOP and other major festivals in Canada and beyond.
GGPoker Satellites Offer Opportunities for Everyone
The most recent success of two GGPoker qualifiers in the online GGMillion$ and the WSOPC Montreal Main Event has given us a strong reminder of the impact online satellites can have for up-and-coming tournament poker players.
Both 72oooo and Allen Shen were able to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Chris Moneymaker and turn seemingly insignificant online tournament buy-ins into major scores on the biggest stage.
Despite their limited experience at high stakes, both players were able to go all the way, defeat huge fields, and outmaneuver more experienced players at the final tables to take down significant tournament titles and life-changing amounts of cash.
With GGPoker’s satellite schedule constantly growing, online poker players at the world’s biggest poker room are given a new chance to play for the biggest score of their lifetime on a weekly basis.
Regardless of the stakes you currently play, checking out the satellite lobby at GGPoker may be the right move, as every satellite buy-in has a chance of taking you to a major WSOP or WSOPC event and taking your poker career to the next level.
