A Landmark Tournament in São Paulo
The BSOP Championship made history this week at the WTC Sheraton in São Paulo, offering a massive R$20,000,000 guarantee and drawing a field of 714 players—the largest poker tournament ever held in Latin America.
When the dust settled, it was hometown player Alen Fillipi who sealed the victory, defeating Matheus Grazziotin on the very first hand of heads-up play to earn R$3,418,000 and secure his place in the Brazilian poker record books.
A Comeback from the Bottom
Fillipi ended Day 1 as the chip leader, but by the start of Day 4 he had slipped to the shortest stack among the remaining 24 players. A run of well-timed double-ups put him back in the mix, and he reached the final table with 7,155,000, while Diones Lopes led with 14,810,000.
“It’s a dream,” Fillipi said through a translator after his win. “We always want to win, but it’s hard, especially in a high roller like this where only the elite are competing.”
He added that the day felt surreal—good cards, good decisions, and good fortune all coming together—leaving him still processing the moment.
Shifts and Pressure at the Final Table
The final table opened with Martin Kabrhel moving in with ace-ten and losing to Lopes’ ace-king.
From there, action moved steadily. First, Gregory Fabião doubled through Fillipi with queens versus ace-king. Right after, Fillipi doubled back with aces against kings. Fabião then made a flush on the river to survive against Soares’ pocket eights. Soares returned the favor by hitting an ace to crack Padilha’s kings, and finally, Grazziotin’s tens held against Araujo’s threes.
Soares was eliminated when his straight draw missed, and Giorgio Tonin’s ace-three couldn’t hold against Padilha’s ace-queen. Before the dinner break, Padilha climbed to 19 million, with Fillipi right behind at 17 million.
Once play resumed, eliminations came faster.
Fabião’s eights ran into Fillipi’s kings, and Araujo’s king-ten fell to Grazziotin’s ace-king despite both players making two pair.
Lopes won a key pot on the river with nine-high, and Padilha lost nearly his entire stack after betting the river into Fillipi’s nut straight. He was eliminated the following hand.
The Pivotal Hand After the Deal
With three players left, they agreed to a deal:
Fillipi: R$2,605,000
Lopes: R$2,597,000
Grazziotin: R$2,115,000
That left R$813,000 and the BSOP title still up for grabs.
What happened immediately after the deal changed everything.
On the very next hand, Lopes three-bet preflop, then continued betting on a queen-high flop and again on the turn. Fillipi called both streets before moving all-in on the turn.
Lopes called with top pair, but the river brought in Fillipi’s flush, ending Lopes’ run in third place.
Heads-Up Ends in One Hand
Fillipi carried 57,000,000 into heads-up play against Grazziotin’s 14,000,000.
In a limped pot, Grazziotin bet 2,800,000 on the turn, and Fillipi called.
On the river, Grazziotin shoved with two pair—fives and fours—but Fillipi snap-called with a stronger two pair, jacks and fours, to lock up the title.
Years of Work Leading to a Breakthrough
Fillipi has played BSOP events across Brazil since 2017 but had never won a title. His résumé includes:
- BSOP Main Event final table in 2021
- 7th place in the 2022 WSOP Millionaire Maker
- 83rd place in the WSOP Main Event this summer
With this win, his career earnings nearly double from the previous $741,000 total.
Fitting the moment, a loud and energetic rail celebrated as the final river card fell.
“I’m also happy because my friend Eduardo Silva won a High Roller,” Fillipi said. “It’s a double celebration.”
He concluded with a reflection on the day:
“Sometimes we just feel things. In that WSOP run I felt off, but today everything felt right from the start.”
Since launching in 2006, the BSOP has grown steadily each year. This Championship marked the peak of that progress, and Fillipi now stands at the top of a tournament the Brazilian poker community will long remember.
