The presence of Neymar at the BSOP Winter tables, last Tuesday (21), was nowhere near reminiscent of the player who left the World Cup crying. The scene of the Seleção’s number 10 right after the defeat to Norway, in the United States, contrasted with the joy stamped on his face during the BSOP Winter Invitational tournament.
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Thus, the football player took advantage of not being called up for Santos’ match against Universidad Central, in the Copa Sudamericana, and went to the WTC Sheraton, in São Paulo. Meanwhile, his teammates achieved an important 4-1 victory, and Neymar also had reasons to celebrate as he advanced in the dispute with 756,000 chips.
In this way, some plays caught attention. In one of them, the star of the fields won a large pot in a pre-flop all-in against Léo Rizzo. Neymar held 4♠4♣ and eliminated all the chips of the businessman, who had K♦J♦. The board brought 10♠A♠2♠8♥6♣, and Santos’ number 10 celebrated the victory greatly.
In addition, another dispute also resonated among those present. This time, Neymar made a very risky play against Rafael Mota, who opened with a raise holding 5♦5♣. The forward only saw the A♣ and pushed 106 big blinds to the center of the table, receiving the call. The board revealed 3♣7♣J♥6♠J♠. Only later did he show that he also held a 6♦.
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Criticized by the sports press
However, it’s no secret that Neymar is passionate about poker. A week after Brazil’s elimination from the World Cup, he traveled to Las Vegas. Accompanied by friends, the player registered for Event #94 (US$ 10,000 6-Max No-Limit Hold’em) of the WSOP. On that occasion, the number 10 impressed several professional players with a very aggressive playing style.
However, even so, Neymar‘s participation in the BSOP Winter generated comments on sports programs. Thales Machado stated, during the Redação program on the Sportv channel, that the player has reasons not to accompany Santos in the match against Universidad Central, for the Copa Sudamericana. Still, this choice does not contribute to his image.
Finally, the journalist reinforced that poker is an aspect that Neymar needs to manage better in relation to his own image. “Neymar needs to think if this hobby is not hindering his career,” said Thales Machado. The commentator further exemplified the argument by stating that poker tournaments often involve sleepless nights and can cause fatigue.
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