Brazilian João Simão has become a regular fixture in PokerGO Tour events. On North American soil, the Minas Gerais native has been accumulating cashes and good performances over the past few months. The most recent achievement was at the PGT Kickoff, which is currently underway in Las Vegas (USA) and featured the star at the final table of Event 3.
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As of Thursday (29th), the PGT Kickoff – the festival that opens the circuit’s 2026 season – had already concluded three tournaments. However, all of them had identical structures, in No-Limit Hold’em format and a buy-in of US$5,100. In Event 3, João Simão finished in fourth place among 159 entries, earning US$59,625.
This tournament where João Simão managed to reach the final table was the largest of the three held so far. The title went to Andrew Moreno, who made a deal with Jim Collopy heads-up and pocketed US$162,300, while the runner-up took home US$135,775. David Coleman completed the podium in what was Moreno’s third career PGT title.
Check out the final standings for Event 3 with João Simão:
- Andrew Moreno – US$ 162,300*
- Jim Collopy – US$ 135,775*
- David Coleman – US$ 79,500
- João Simão (BRA) – US$ 59,625
- Brandon Wilson – US$ 47,700
- Jared Jaffee – US$ 39,750
- Stephen Song – US$ 31,800
Shortly before, two others had already celebrated titles at this PGT Kickoff, one on each day. Star player Andrew Lichtenberger kicked things off in style by winning Event 1, overcoming 135 entries to take home US$162,000. It was his eighth title on the circuit, making him one of the most successful players on the PokerGO Tour, and furthermore, the final table was full of big names.
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See how Event 1 concluded:
- Andrew Lichtenberger – US$ 162,000
- Jeremy Eyer – US$ 97,875
- Shannon Shorr – US$ 70,875
- Cary Katz – US$ 54,000
- Ethan Yau – US$ 40,500
- Peter Mugar – US$ 33,750
- Spencer Champlin – US$ 27,000
And while some were winning for the eighth time, others achieved an unprecedented feat. This was the case for Brian Battistone, the champion of Event 2, who had never won a circuit tournament before. He finished in first place among 151 entries and pocketed US$173,600, defeating none other than Dan Smith heads-up.
Check out the final numbers for Event 2:
- Brian Battistone – US$ 173,600
- Dan Smith – US$ 109,475
- Maksim Pisarenko (RUS) – US$ 75,500
- Mike Zulker – US$ 56,625
- Yifu He – US$ 45,300
- Sam Laskowitz – US$ 37,750
- Nick Schulman – US$ 30,200
Thus, the PGT Kickoff reaches its halfway point, with three more tournaments to go. The last two, however, are expected to offer larger prizes. This is because they will have buy-ins of US$10,100, with the final tournament being played in a turbo format.
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