On Sunday, the last day of event 38 at the World Series of Poker, a colourful and exuberant crowd of railbirds supporting Brazilian poker pro Thiago Nishijima demonstrated once again how enthusiastic supporters from this South American nation can really be.
They hooted, whistled and yelled their throats raw as the last five survivors of the $3,000 buy-in NLHE competition slugged it out in an at times wild and aggressive four-hour final confrontation that rose to a fever pitch when Nishijima faced Greek ace Sotirios Koutoupas in the heads up.
Unfortunately for Koutoupas, a 2 to 1 chip disadvantage and an aggressive Brazilian with good cards proved too high a mountain for him to climb, and the Greek pro had to be satisfied with the runner-up position, worth $338,414.
989 players registered for this event, generating a prize pool of $2.69 million, which enabled the last 117 players to cash….in the winner’s case for a respectable $546,843.
But for Nishijima victory was also about claiming his first WSOP winner’s bracelet – his nation’s third over the years – and the adulation of his countrymen, who swarmed him as he sent Koutoupas to the exit.
Paying tribute to the rail, 36-year-old Nishijima said that such support energised him and helped him deliver his best ever game; “They are really special,” he said.
The Brazilian pro has been playing every year at the World Series of Poker since 2007 and has amassed 17 cashes and three final table appearances against some of the world’s top players.
The final table was an international affair and cashed as follows:
Jesse Sylvia USA $211,731
Samad Razavi UK $153,682
Yun Fan Taipei, Taiwan $113,452
Alexander Freund Austria $85,049
Alexander Keating USA $64,691
Duncan McCallum USA $49,868
Steve Brecher USA $38,960