Joao Simao prolonged his lead because the winningest Brazilian match poker participant of all time and cleared $20 million in lifetime earnings along with his victory in a $50,000 pot-limit Omaha excessive curler on the 2026 World Series of Poker.
Simao defeated three-time bracelet winner Santhosh Suvarna heads-up to win a $1,368,700 first-place prize, together with Simao’s fourth profession WSOP bracelet. His complete recorded earnings now stand at $20,580,469.
“When Brazil won the World Cup the fourth time, we used to call out ‘tetra, tetra.’ That means the fourth title. So it’s big, famous in Brazil to scream ‘tetra’ every time you make four times something. Fourth title for anything, fourth time you have anything,” Simao informed PokerInformation reside reporters after popping out on prime. “It’s very special for Brazilian people. So this means a lot for me.”
Simao earned his first bracelet in a WSOP Online $1,111 charity occasion in 2021, took down a $5,000 no-limit maintain’em/pot-limit Omaha match on the 2022 WSOP, and set a brand new profession greatest at WSOP Paradise in 2025, rising victorious within the $150,000 Triton Poker collaboration occasion with over $3 million and the {hardware}.
This newest win earned Simao 1,020 Card Player Player of the Year factors, pushing the Brazilian into the highest 50 within the yearlong race introduced by CoinPoker. Suvarna’s second-place end places him inside the highest 100, and Yuri Dzivielevski’s ultimate desk look elevated him into the highest 30.
The $50,000 buy-in entitles Simao to PokerGO Tour factors, as properly. This 500-point windfall places Simao simply outdoors the highest 10, in a cushty place within the race for a seat on this season’s PGT $1 Million Championship.
High Rollers Keep Rolling
This match drew 110 entrants, making a prize pool of $5,225,000. There have been 81 entrants on day 1 of the match, and 30 gamers who bagged chips on the finish of the evening. Twenty-nine extra gamers put up $50,000 earlier than playing cards went into the air on day 2, and two of these last-minute entrants, Naoya Kihara and Veselin Karakitukov, reached the ultimate desk.
By the time day 2 was over, solely eight gamers remained. Kihara had an opportunity to affix an elite group of gamers with three bracelets received in a single collection, including to his pair of $10,000 combined recreation titles within the first half of the 2026 WSOP. Dzivielevski, having already locked down his sixth bracelet in a $100,000 no-limit maintain’em occasion, had the prospect for his second seven-figure end result, together with bracelet no. 7.
Suvarna, having already received a $50,000 buy-in occasion in 2026, hoped to affix some rarefied air as a double winner and a four-time bracelet winner in his personal proper.
They have been all wanting up at Robert Cowen, who held the chip result in begin the day. Cowen, a two-time bracelet winner, was in pole place to win this precise $50,000 PLO occasion for the second time, having claimed this title again in 2022.
Karakitukov didn’t final lengthy at this ultimate desk. He fell to a turned membership flush towards Kihara, and Karakitukov settled for eighth place ($152,020).
The Simao Surge
It seemed as if it could be a brief day for Suvarna, too. He had lower than 10 massive blinds with seven gamers left, however managed a number of doubles to drag himself again from the brink. Kihara’s early luck ran out towards Simao. On the previous’s ultimate hand, Simao flopped a set, turned a diamond flush, after which rivered a superior full home towards Kihara’s lesser full home. Kihara’s quest for an additional bracelet must wait, as this run resulted in seventh place ($189,720).
Dzivielevski’s hopes ended quickly thereafter. He obtained all in with prime pair and a flush draw towards Cowen’s bare pair of aces, however with blanks on the flip and river, Dzivielevski went out in sixth place ($244,510).
Cowen and Suvarna have been on reverse ends of the spectrum, with Cowen extending his lead with every orbit and Suvarna holding on because the quick stack. Simao joined the ranks of the ‘haves’ with Cowen, leaving Suvarna and Venkat Chivukula because the ‘have-nots’, with the elimination of Carlo van Ravenswoud. Simao had a pair, a flush draw, and a few reside kickers towards van Ravenswoud’s overpair of jacks and blockers.
The river gave Simao two pair, kings and tens, and knocked van Ravenswoud out in fifth place ($325,080). Van Ravenswoud considerably outpaced his earlier profession money of $120,000.
Suvarna In Survival Mode
After preventing for his match life for many of day 3, Suvarna picked up a vital double throughout four-handed play. He flopped a jack-high straight and picked off a Cowen shove, needing to dodge simply 4 direct outs and unlikely runner-runner prospects. He did so, and immediately discovered himself with extra chips than Cowen.
Suvarna then landed the ultimate blow on Chivukula. He and Simao went 3 ways to a Ok♥10♦4♠ flop with the quick stack. Suvarna check-raised all in and Chivukula known as off. Once Simao relented, Suvarna tabled Ok♠Q♥10♠9♥ for prime two pair and a gutshot straight draw. Chivukula had Ok♣Q♦J♣2♥ for prime pair and an open-ended straight draw.
The flip introduced the case king, leaving Chivukula to hit a jack to win, or a queen to cut. The 7♠ supplied neither final result, and Chivukula went out in fourth place ($445,440).
Suvarna’s stack fluctuated wildly from there. He discovered a double, solely to slide again to lower than 10 massive blinds briefly order. He tripled as much as survive. Cowen then turned pocket aces into an enormous double via Simao, giving himself greater than two-thirds of the chips in play.
Massive Swings Ultimately Favor Simao
Three-handed play noticed wild swings in each path. Simao obtained quick, then doubled via Suvarna twice. Suvarna doubled via Cowen to convey him again to the pack. Cowen’s dominant place had disappeared, and the underside fell out from there. The final of Cowen’s chips went in on a 9♠8♥6♥ board, and Suvarna known as immediately, tabling 7♦5♦5♣3♣ for a flopped straight. Cowen had A♦Q♥9♥4♦, and wanted a coronary heart.
The J♣ flip gave him three extra outs to a much bigger straight, however the 6♣ river was a clean. After two stretches during which it felt Cowen had a second $50K PLO title inside his grasp, the Welsh professional was eradicated in third place ($628,510).
Suvarna began with the lead and prolonged his benefit to as a lot as 4:1 throughout his heads-up battle towards Simao. A double introduced Simao all the way in which again, although. It’s by no means best to have three-of-a-kind in your hand in Omaha, however Simao’s A♠A♦A♥Ok♥ managed to make a full home to place him again on prime.
Suvarna briefly recaptured the lead, however Simao claimed a key pot that flipped the script for good. Simao flopped a set of sevens, and Suvarna’s flopped pair of kings turned journeys on the river. A large guess and name on the top put Simao greater than 2.5:1 forward, and he wouldn’t look again from there.
Then, greater than half of the chips in play went within the center earlier than a single board card was dealt. Suvarna opened, Simao three-bet, and Suvarna shoved. Simao known as, tabling A♠A♣J♥9♣. Suvarna wanted assist with 10♥10♣8♣6♠, however he fell properly behind on an A♦8♥7♥ flop. The 5♣ flip gave Suvarna a couple of extra outs in the direction of a straight, however the Ok♥ river locked up the win for Simao.
Suvarna earned $912,420 because the runner-up. India’s all-time cash chief now boasts over $23.6 million in lifetime cashes.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points | PGT Points |
| 1 | Joao Simao | $1,368,700 | 1,020 | 500 |
| 2 | Santhosh Suvarna | $912,420 | 850 | 365 |
| 3 | Robert Cowen | $628,510 | 680 | 251 |
| 4 | Venkat Chivukula | $445,440 | 510 | 178 |
| 5 | Carlo van Ravenswoud | $325,080 | 420 | 130 |
| 6 | Yuri Dzivielevski | $244,510 | 340 | 98 |
| 7 | Naoya Kihara | $189,720 | 255 | 76 |
| 8 | Veselin Karakitukov | $152,020 | 170 | 61 |
Photo credit score: WSOP / Tyler Abrams
