A Star-Studded Tournament
The first day of the $20,000 event already hinted at a true high-stakes jewel. Big names like Felipe Boianovsky, Zdeněk Žižka, Renan Bruschi, Pedro Padilha, Fabiano Kovalski, Masato Yokosawa, and other regulars who frequently shuffle the cards at WSOP and Triton series joined the fray.
By the start of Day 2, the entry count reached a final 56. The day was full of post-flop play, few reckless coin flips, and a notably lengthy bubble. When the final table lineup was finally set, it was headed by Portugal's Ruben Lopes, who had amassed a massive stack of 3,425,000.
The final table was a mix of Brazilian elite and formidable international competitors: the Portuguese duo Lopes and Hugo Machado, Argentine staple Ivan Luca, home team PS Pro member Rafael Moraes, Brazilian talents Gabriel Tavares and Masato Yokosawa, Czech backgammon world champion and WSOP winner Zdenek Žižka, and Moroccan high roller Mehdi Chaoui.
A Final Table Marathon of Double-Ups and Big Pots
Tavares entered the final table with just five blinds but scored several double-ups, knocking Yokosawa out in 8th place. Soon after, Žižka and Tavares headed to the cashier, then came a pivotal moment - Mehdi won a huge pot against Machado, betting multiple streets with top set of kings, and soon entered three-handed play with a commanding chiplead.
After PS Team member Rafael Moraes exited in third place, Chaoui entered heads-up with a massive 12,700,000 to 1,300,000 lead. However, the Portuguese player wasn't going down easily. Lopes won pot after pot, climbing past 5 million chips and briefly looked poised to turn the match around.
Mehdi kept his cool and halted Lopes’ streak. The deciding hand came in a limped pot with a flop of J h 6 c 5 h. Lopes, holding Q s 6 h, flopped middle pair, while Chaoui needed help with 8 s 7 c. The turn brought a 4 h, giving him the edge, and after an all-in call and a blank river, the decision was final.
In his first outing in Brazil, Chaoui immediately reached the pinnacle. In his victory interview, he praised the quality of opponents, the atmosphere, and the BSOP's organization – and hinted that the $20,000 Super High Roller won’t be his last entry in the series. With over $3 million in live winnings, an EPT title from Monte Carlo, a runner-up finish in the Triton Series, and two recent high roller victories in Jeju, South Korea, he now adds a prestigious BSOP Millions trophy to his collection.
Final Table Results of the $20,000 Super High Roller
| Position | Name | Country | Prize |
| 1. | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | $315,000 |
| 2. | Ruben Lopes | Portugal | $228,000 |
| 3. | Rafael Moraes | Brazil | $147,000 |
| 4. | Ivan Luca | Argentina | $111,400 |
| 5. | Hugo Machado | Portugal | $86,200 |
| 6. | Gabriel Tavares | Brazil | $67,300 |
| 7. | Zdenek Žižka | Czech Republic | $53,860 |
| 8. | Masato Yokosawa | Japan | $42,000 |
Sources - PokerNews, YouTube, BSOP, X
