Brazil has really raised its profile on the high-stakes tournament poker scene in recent weeks. Just a few weeks after the pioneering Brazilian Series of Poker Super High Roller Series wrapped up in Sao Paolo, a trio of players from South America’s largest nation swept the podium spot in the World Series of Poker Paradise Triton $150,000 no-limit hold’em event.
Joao Simao came out on top in the end, besting the field of 77 entries to earn a career-best score of $3,067,000 and his third WSOP gold bracelet. This first Triton triumph pushed his lifetime haul to more than $15.9 million, extending his lead on Brazil’s all-time money list.
“It’s kind of difficult for us to play these stakes because the Brazilian economy is different. To have investors is not that easy, and to travel. We don’t have that much live poker to get the experience,” Simao told Triton staff after his win. “Now it’s just the first step for the Brazilian community. We are at the beginning. I think we’re coming to stay.”
Felipe Boianovsky, who won a $50,000 event and finished second in the $100,000 buy-in at the aforementioned BSOP festival, placed second for his first seven-figure score of $2,131,000. Five-time bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski, Brazil’s leader in WSOP titles, placed third for $1,409,000.
With three titles and 12 final-table finishes in 2025, Simao has climbed to 18th place in the Card Player Player of the Year standings presented by CoinPoker. He’s accumulated more than $7.5 million in POY earnings, with a few weeks left to add to that total.
Setting The Stage
The prize pool swelled to $11,550,000 in this huge event, which was the largest open field tournament of the WSOP Paradise series. Only a baker’s dozen would earn a share, though, with a $231,000 difference between finishing 14th and 13th.
Three-time Triton winner Ding Biao was ultimately the last player to hit the rail empty-handed, with pocket jacks losing a race to the A-Q of Jonathan Jaffe. Several big names then headed to the payout desk before the official final table was set, including Jun Obara (13th), recent $250,000 invitational winner Kayhan Mokri (12th), five-time bracelet winner Kristen Foxen (11th), two-time bracelet winner Santhose Suvarna (10th), and poker’s all-time money leader Bryn Kenney (9th).
Kenney and bracelet winner Cary Katz (8th – $427,000) were both eliminated in the same hand, with recent bracelet winner David Coleman’s pocket aces sending those two tough opponents to the rail in one fell swoop.
John Pannucci’s pocket aces did not fare as well. He got all-in dominating the A♠Q♦ of Simao, but the flop brought two queens to give Simao trips and a stranglehold on the pot. Pannucci earned $548,000 as the seventh-place finisher.
Coleman was next to be sent packing, with his A♠10♦ unable to best the K♦J♠ of Boianovsky. Coleman earned $693,000 for his third cash of the series. With more than $3.1 million earned for a win in the $125,000 event earlier this series, his haul for the festival is now approaching $4.1 million. He also climbed to 16th in the POY race.
Simao Mounts Heads-Up Comeback
Yuri Dzivielski
The next big showdown pitted Jaffe’s A♠J♣ against the A♦K♣ of five-time Triton champion Danny Tang and pocket fours of Boianovsky. The overcards failed to materialize, while Boianovsky spiked a set of fours on the end to score the double elimination. Jaffe, a World Poker Tour and Triton champion, earned $891,000 as the fifth-place finisher. Tang secured $1,103,000 for his fourth-place showing.
Boianovsky was well out in front of his two countrymen, with 77 big blinds to the 30 of Simao and 16 of Dzivielevski. The gap expanded even more ahead of the next knockout. Boianovsky shoved and won another all-in with pocket fours, this time besting the Q♦9♦ of Dzivielevski. The pair held and Dzivielevski earned $1,409,000 as the third-place finisher, the largest score of his career.
With that, Boianovsky entered heads-up play with more than a 2.5:1 chip lead over Simao. The tides soon turned, though, as Simao was able to edge into the lead after just a few hands of play.
The final two went on to battle past 2:00 AM local time before a winner was decided. In the final hand, Simao limped in from the button with J♥J♣ and Boianovsky checked his option with 10♦4♥. The flop came down A♣10♥9♠ and Boianovsky check-called a bet of 550,000 (just over two big blinds). The turn brought the 5♣ and the same action went down, this time for a bet of 1,400,000. The 7♠ completed the board and Boianovsky checked yet again. Simao shoved for 2,075,000 effective and Boianovsky made the call with second pair to finish as the runner-up.
Boianovsky earned $2,131,000 for this impressive showing. He now boasts nearly $6 million in career cashes.
🔱 A Triton title hits different.
🏝️ @joaosimaobh | $150K NLH 8-Handed Champion pic.twitter.com/JZlR75zDB5
— Triton Poker (@tritonpoker) December 12, 2025
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Joao Simao | $3,067,000 | 840 |
| 2 | Felipe Boianovsky | $2,131,000 | 700 |
| 3 | Yuri Dzivielevski | $1,409,000 | 560 |
| 4 | Danny Tang | $1,103,000 | 420 |
| 5 | Jonathan Jaffe | $891,000 | 350 |
| 6 | David Coleman | $693,000 | 280 |
| 7 | John Pannucci | $548,000 | 210 |
| 8 | Cary Katz | $427,000 | 140 |
Photo credit: Triton Poker.
