On Monday (14), João Simão became the owner of the biggest prize in the history of Brazilian poker. At the Triton Jeju tables in South Korea, the star won the US$ 200,000 NLH Invitational, Event 10 of the Super High Roller series schedule, earning no less than US$ 7.2 million.
Read more Nilson Júnior wins WSOP Online Event 19 and takes the bracelet
The most expensive tournament of the festival recorded 173 entries, generating a prize pool of US$ 34,600,000, an amount distributed among the top 31 finishers. João Simão pocketed exactly US$ 7,250,000 for the title, winning the heads-up against the Chinese Biao Ding, who took US$ 4,940,000. Seth Davies completed the podium.
Check out the final standings of the Triton Invitational:
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
| 1 | João Simão | Brazil | US$ 7,250,000 |
| 2 | Biao Ding | China | US$ 4,940,000 |
| 3 | Seth Davies | USA | US$ 3,470,000 |
| 4 | Yang Wang | China | US$ 2,820,000 |
| 5 | Emilien Pitavy | France | US$ 2,245,000 |
| 6 | Winfred Yu | Hong Kong | US$ 1,693,000 |
| 7 | Hannes Jeschka | Germany | US$ 1,237,000 |
| 8 | Thomas Boivin | Belgium | US$ 905,000 |
| 9 | Ting-Yi Tsai | Taiwan | US$ 749,000 |
João Simão started the final table leading in chips, largely because of the last elimination before the FT, as he was the one who knocked out Matthias Eibinger in tenth place. The Brazilian maintained the spotlight and reached the heads-up with an advantage, but the duel against Biao Ding was not simple.
Right at the start, Simão and Ding looked at the numbers to close a deal. However, they did not reach a consensus, and the heads-up continued with a difference of US$ 2.3 million between the payouts. The Chinese player led most of the one-on-one, but the good value in blinds still in play gave the Brazilian chances to take control again.
Read more Ossi Ketola defeats Patrik Antonius in record $20 million duel
And at one point, João Simão regained the lead. The Brazilian returned from the last break with an extremely positive streak. The decisive hand that led him to the trophy was KK versus T9o in which Ding made the top pair on the 955 flop. The two lower pairs did not improve after the turn and river, and Simão celebrated.
Marcelo Aziz was surpassed: the spotlight now is on João Simão
This was João Simão’s second title on the Triton circuit, and the sum of US$ 7,250,000 is the largest ever seen by a Brazilian in history. The record was held by Marcelo Aziz, who earned US$ 4.6 million by finishing as runner-up in the Super Main Event of WSOP Paradise 2024. Now, João Simão’s mark is the record to beat.
Finally, it is worth noting that Brazil had another player in the ITM of this Invitational. Alisson Piekazewicz finished in 23rd place, pocketing US$ 375 thousand. Another relevant fact is that the country, previously rarely present in this circuit, reached its second title in the current stage: on Friday (11), Pedro Padilha had won the US$ 50 thousand tournament.
Read more CPH starts 7th stage with ten days of poker and major tournaments in São Paulo
