Super High Roller Bowl X: Koon Falls Short in Heads-Up Showdown - Joao Simão Seizes the Title for $1,100,000

SHRB: The Brand That Made High Rollers Their Own Champions League

The Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) debuted in 2015 as an exclusive showcase of the highest stakes – premiering with a $500,000 buy-in. It quickly became a benchmark of prestige for elite professionals and the biggest 'bosses' of live tournaments. In subsequent years, the SHRB often featured buy-ins of $300,000 or $250,000, though the brand also reached for special editions historically ranging from approximately $102,000 to $500,000. The list of winners includes names such as Brian Rast, Rainer Kempe, and Christoph Vogelsang, alongside three-time champion Justin Bonomo, Isaac Haxton, and Daniel Negreanu – a gallery that makes SHRB a 'title' in its own right.

The Tenth Edition

The milestone SHRB X began with 16 entries on day one, but registration remained open into the next day. Jason Koon set the pace, being the only one to bag a seven-figure stack, closely followed by Thomas Boivin, Joao Simão, Sam Soverel, and Igor Yaroshevskyy. Other participants included Daniel Negreanu and Stephen Chidwick, but the day was unforgiving: Nick Petrangelo, Brandon Wilson, Jeremy Ausmus, Ben Tollerene, and Umang Dattani did not advance.

The second day brought seven more late entries (including Nick Schulman, Bryn Kenney, Dan Smith, and Alex Foxen), ultimately bringing SHRB X to 23 entries. As the game progressed, players like Daniel Negreanu, Alex Foxen, Dan Smith, Stephen Chidwick, Daniel Rezaei, and Andrew Lichtenberger were eliminated. When the dust settled, only Soverel, Koon, Simão, Schulman, and Obara remained, with others having to wait for another year to chase the coveted ring.

An Unbelievable Heads-Up Comeback

The final day began right on the bubble – five players, four paid spots, and nerves stretched to the max. The unfortunate man of the moment was Jun Obara: first running his kings into Sam Soverel's aces, and when left with three blinds, his QJ ultimately fell to Simão's A2. At that point, the minimum $200,000 prize was secured – but in such a lineup, no one came for a mincash.

A few hands later, Nick Schulman was out, followed by Soverel: his tens ran into Koon's A-8, and a heart runout gave Koon a flush. The tournament moved into the final heads-up, and those expecting a quick finish were mistaken. Jason Koon entered the heads-up with a lead, extending it to nearly 8:1 at one point, and had the Brazilian on the ropes multiple times. But Simão refused to go down.

The toughest blow for Koon came when he snap-called Simão's all-in with K-Q against K-5 of diamonds – the deck instead of putting a full stop, delivered an exclamation mark: three fives appeared on the board, flopping quads for Simão. Koon briefly regained the initiative, but the tide turned again when Simão needed another miracle – with A-5 against tens, an ace on the turn granted his wish. From that moment, the Brazilian pushed the pace, and when Koon shoved with fives against Simão's eights in the final major confrontation, the story concluded with a second-place finish for $650,000.

Final Results:

Sources – PGT, X