Two years ago Aloisio Dourado found himself in a spot few poker players ever reach. Dourado was heads-up with a small lead over Shaun Deeb in the $1,500 eight-game mix event with what would have been his first WSOP gold bracelet on the line. That night Dourado had to settle for second place, after Deeb hit running cards to crack Dourado’s pocket queens and win his sixth bracelet, while denying Dourado his first.
Today at the 2025 World Series of Poker at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, Dourado found himself in familiar territory, heads-up for the bracelet with the chip lead in Event #23: $1,500 Badugi. This time Dourado made the most of the opportunity, defeating Dominick Sarle heads-up to win his first WSOP gold bracelet and $138,114 in the largest Badugi tournament ever held.
Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Aloisio Dourado
Brazil
$138,114
2
Dominick Sarle
United States
$92,058
3
James Newberry
United States
$61,061
4
Jonathan Glendinning
United States
$41,462
5
David Margolis
United States
$28,838
6
Anthony Arvidson
United States
$20,558
Winner's Reaction
“It means a lot to me” an emotional Dourado said following his victory. “I’m feeling very fortunate to be here, to be able to play and to be able to fly from Brazil three years in a row, trying to win a bracelet. I came second to Shaun Deeb two years ago in the eight-game mix, and was ready to come here and do it again. I made the final table and this time I was able to close it out and win it, so I’m very happy.”
The majority of Dourado’s live tournament results come from mixed game formats and he commented on how the lighter, friendlier atmosphere can be more inviting.
“I think that the atmosphere with No-Limit Hold’em, the bots that play, it’s not nice playing with ten robots who don’t speak, don’t smile, don’t do anything. It’s not inviting to play, for new players and old players. I really like the mixed games, especially the draw games.”
Dourado enjoyed enthusiastic support from his countrymen on the rail, who cheered him on each time he dragged in a pot at the final table.
“It helps a lot. I think it might have messed with my opponents head a little bit, no disrespect, I think that having a big Brazilian rail there made them a little shaky.”
Final Day Action
Aloisio Dourado
The third and final day began with just seven returning players from a field of 534. Dourado had the chip lead to start but Sarle and Matthew Schreiber were right behind him. Sarle took the chip lead in the early levels while Schreiber found no momentum and after paying off Dourado’s seven badugi he was left short stacked. Schreiber never recovered and soon after he became the first casualty of the day. Anthony Arvidson fell not long after to Sarle who extended his lead over Dourado, who was still his nearest rival.
With five players remaining Dourado won a pivotal hand from Sarle to narrowly reclaim the chip lead, after forcing Sarle to break a pat hand after the second draw. Sarle still bet after drawing one and then called a raise, only to see the bad news as Dourado tabled a five-badugi. Sarle and Dourado went back-and-forth for the chip lead multiple times before Sarle dispatched David Margolis in fifth to once again extend his lead over Dourado.
It didn’t take long for Dourado to catch back up after eliminating Jonathan Glendinning in fourth place. Following that hand, Dourado, Sarle and James Newberry were extremely close and it clearly anyone’s game to win. From this point on momentum was on Dourado’s side and he got paid off with big hands several times from both opponents.
Victory was in sight for Dourado, who had nearly two thirds of the chips in play with three players remaining, but Sarle began to mount an impressive comeback, winning three hands in quick succession from Dourado to start closing the gap. Newberry could not find similar success and was out in third soon after.
Dourado entered heads-up play with nearly a 3:1 chip lead over Sarle and he quickly chipped away at Sarle, extending that lead to over 5:1 in just a few hands. Sarle had to make a move and after making a jack-badugi on the third draw he got the rest of the chips in only to run into Dourado’s six-badugi. Dourado nearly jumped out of his seat and rushed over to his friends on the rail to celebrate the emotional victory.
