465-entrants sawed the legs of partypoker’s $10,3000 No-Limit Hold ’em (NLHE) MILLIONS South American Main Event at the Punta del Este Resort and Casino in Uruguay.
The final table contained five South American incumbents supplemented by three Europeans. Eventually, the Brazilians held the surgical scalpel with Pablo Silva beating his compatriot, Fabio Colonese, in heads-up competition.
It was Silva’s first live tournament win, and like a doctor doing the rounds during a hernia victim’s coughing fit, the timing was perfect as $1m now sits in Silva’s bank account.
Before this win, Silva’s biggest score came in April when he finished 4/538 in a €2,200 NLHE High Roller at the European Poker Tour (EPT) in Monte Carlo for €70,100. It’s not his first MILLIONS Main Event rodeo. He finished 56/536 in the MILLIONS Vegas Main Event in the summer.
Here is the nutshell action.
The Nutshell Action
The first person to leave the contest was Pedro Madeira. The Brazilian open-shoved from the hijack holding KJo for 18.2m and the composure of a man sat darning a sock. In the next seat sat Andres Viola, and he peeked down to see AQo. It was good enough. Viola moved all-in for 44.1m, flopped a second ace for good measure, and Madeira picked up the $100,000 8th place prize.
Then the table lost the rocking horse in this particular set of playthings.
Dzmitry Urbanovich raised to 2.5m, holding AKo in the first position, Fabian Gumz called from the small blind for Kd8d, only to see Daniel Rezaei move all-in from the big blind with a pair of nines worth 55.1m. Urbanovich also moved in, Gumz folded, and the couple flipped for a 100m pot. The Pole’s hope vanished like a china doll in a china shop containing a bull when Rezaei flopped quads, leading to Urbanovich’s exit from the competition.
Next to walk past the paintings in the hallway earlier than anticipated was Sergio Luis Di Pego. Fabio Colonese opened the cutoff for 4m holding Qc8d, Di Pego found a pair of fours on the button and moved all-in for 21m. The blinds folded, and Colonese made the call, hit Broadway on the turn, and Viola became the only hometown hope left in the competition – for a bit.
Colonese opened to 4m from the button, holding Jc9c, and then called when Viola three-bet to 15m holding Kh3c in the big blind. A flop of Ks8s5d hit the board like a trio of door stoppers, and both players tapped the felt. The 7c on the turn retained Viola’s lead but handed Colonese a gutshot, which duly arrived on the river in the form of the Ts.
Then we lost the man whose name you won’t find in The Hendon Mob. Rezaei opened to 5m from the cutoff holding AhKd and called when Fabian Gumz moved all-in from the big blind holding AdQc and 60m. The queens decided to stay in the deck, learning Latin or something, and Gumz left the competition.
The heads-up portrait of Pablo Silva and Fabio Colonese came into view after Rezaei left in the third place. Silva acted first, opening to 8m in position with pocket nines, and then called when Rezaei moved all-in for 139.5m holding the inferior pocket eights. A cooler. Rezaei’s $435,000 will at least buy him something that fits into a rather large cardboard box.
Colonese began as the short-stack during heads-up play, and with a series of all-ins. Silva kept his powder dry before limping in with pocket jacks. Colonese moved all-in for his tournament life holding 86o, and Silva called, battered him, and became our newest MILLIONS Main Event champion.
Final Table Results
- Pablo Silva – $1,000,000
- Fabio Colonese – $640,000
- Daniel Rezaei – $435,000
- Fabian Gumz – $310,000
- Andres Viola – $230,000
- Sergio Luis Di Pego – $170,000
- Dzmitry Urbanovich – $130,000
- Pedro Madeira – $100,000
High rollers who went as deep as a deep-sea fisherman’s lure in this one were Rainer Kempe (16th), Chino Rheem (18th) and Ivan Luca (49th).