João Simão Eliminates Wife, Takes Second in Latin American Poker Championships SHR
While the L.A. Poker Classic is underway in California, another LAPC is also afoot — the partypoker LIVE Latin American Poker Championships Uruguay. The biggest buy-in event of the series being held at Enjoy Punta del Este was the $5,300 Super High Roller with a $200,000 guarantee and single re-entry format.
The event drew 34 runners, with the top five players in the money. Lui Martins, member of partypoker Team Online, was the first casualty of the final table, going home empty-handed. After three more eliminations, the players were in the money and Alfredo Bizoza and Brian Kaufman bowed out in fifth ($15,000) and fourth ($20,000), respectively.
| Position | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fabrizio Gonzalez | Uruguay | $79,000 |
| 2 | Joao Simao | Brazil | $50,000 |
| 3 | Luiza Simao | Brazil | $30,000 |
| 4 | Brian Kaufman | Uruguay | $20,000 |
| 5 | Alfredo Bizouza | Uruguay | $15,000 |
Three-handed play was a lopsided arrangement with Uruguay’s top online crusher Fabrizio Gonzalez going up against Brazil’s team partypoker husband and wife duo João and Luíza Simão.
Gonzalez started the final three with 70 percent of the chips in play, according to the SuperPoker live updates, but the romantic couple managed to keep their chips in the family, at least for a little longer.
Luíza got her remaining ten big blinds in with ace-six suited against hubby’s king-ten. The latter paired his king to send his wife to the rail in third, while securing a position in the doghouse for himself. Luíza told SuperPoker that she was happy with the result, and joked with her amante that he better win, or else he sleeps on the couch.
The 3-to-1 chip lead that Gonzalez brought to heads-up proved too much for Simão to overcome, and he had to settle for runner-up. The very accomplished Brazilian pro added $50,000 to his more than $1.7 million in live earnings, continuing his impressive start to 2018.
Simão cashed four times earlier in the month at partypoker MILLIONS Germany. Three of those were final table appearances, including second- and fourth-place finishes in €25,500 Super High Rollers and fourth place in the €5,300 Main Event.
Gonzalez claimed the $79,000 first-place prize, putting his total live earnings up near the $1.5 million mark. "SixthSenSe19" online, Gonzalez is better known for his prowess on the virtual felt with more than $6 million in online earnings to his credit, according to PocketFives.
The $1,100 Main Event kicks off today with the first two of four starting flights. Over the next five days, players will be battling it out on the coast of Uruguay for a piece of the $1 million guaranteed prize pool.
Photos courtesy of CodigoPoker
