Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: Brazilian Poker Championship Had the Largest Prize Pool in History

Brazil – November 29, 2024 – www.zonadeazar.com The 5th stage of the 2024 edition of the Brazilian Poker Championship had, for the first time, a tournament with a R$ 250,000 buy-in.

The “The Legends” tournament saw the participation of 43 competitors, which led to a total prize pool of approximately R$ 10.207 million. R$ 3.5 million was allocated to the grand champion of the tournament, a record in the history of Brazilian poker.

After two days of competition, Leandro Zavodini, a recreational player from the small town of Lucas do Rio Verde, in Mato Grosso, took home the prize by defeating Yuri Martins in the heads-up with a four-of-a-kind of 9s. João Vieira, Pablo Brito, and Renan Bruschi completed the top 5 of the tournament.

“I always play, but not professionally; I am a recreational player. So for me, it means a lot because reaching a final table with only professionals and me as the recreational player, you feel kind of intimidated. But I didn’t back down, I played on equal terms, sometimes even a bit better in the decisions, and also with luck, which you need to have. I’m very emotional and happy, I don’t even have words to describe it. You enter such an event and never imagine you’ll come first. When God provides something of this magnitude, it’s very rewarding, really no words,” Zavodini said in an interview with PokerNews after his victory.

Poker Recognized as a Mind Sport

After two years as a provisional member, poker was finally recognized as a permanent member of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA).

The announcement was made during a ceremony hosted by the World Poker Federation (WPF) at the Sheraton hotel in São Paulo. This is the same venue that hosts the BSOP Millions 2024, the largest poker event in Latin America.

With this recognition, poker now joins other mind sports, such as Chess and eSports, which are already recognized by the organization.

In 2022, the WPF was unanimously accepted as a provisional member of IMSA, paving the way for the permanent recognition granted about two years later.

Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com