Aloisio Dourado Claims Redemption with First WSOP Bracelet in Record-Breaking Badugi Event

Table Of Contents
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

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.
In this Series
- 1 Who Won $64K and the First 2025 WSOP Bracelet?
- 2 David Shmuel Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Omaha Hi-Lo for $205,333!
- 3 Furth Wins Second WSOP Bracelet; Denies Kabrhel in $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
- 4 GTO Study Sees Antonio Galiana Win Second WSOP Bracelet in $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em
- 5 Persistence Pays Off: Dan Heimiller Wins $1,500 Seven Card Stud for Third WSOP Bracelet
- 6 Artur Martirosian Wins WSOP $25,000 Heads Up Championship ($500,000)
- 7 Benny Glaser Adds to His Legacy With Bracelet No. 6 in Event #8: $1,500 Dealers Choice
- 8 Michael Wilklow: Once a Mystery, Now a Millionaire (and WSOP Bracelet Winner)
- 9 Kenneth Kim Storms Back to Win His First WSOP Bracelet
- 10 Father-Son WSOP Bracelet Duo Made as Yosef Fox Wins $10,000 Mystery Bounty
- 11 Five Bracelets in Five Years: Brad Ruben Wins the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw ($138,080)
- 12 Ryan Bambrick Denies Daniel Negreanu to Claim Second WSOP Bracelet
- 13 Christopher Staats Denies David Jackson in WSOP $1,500 6-Handed NLH for $414,950
- 14 Corey Thompson Nearly Wins Two WSOP Online Bracelets Right Off the Bat
- 15 Cristian Gutierrez Wins $600 PLO Deepstack For His First Bracelet and $193,780
- 16 Lou Garza Mounts Memorable Heads-Up Comeback to Clinch Second WSOP Bracelet
- 17 Benny Glaser Goes Back-to-Back (Again) for 7th Bracelet in $1,500 Mixed
- 18 Zachary Zaret Overcomes Stacked Final Table to Win First Bracelet
- 19 Michael Lavin Steamrolls the Competition on Way to a Second WSOP Bracelet
- 20 Ryan Hoenig Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win Event #18: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship
- 21 Bohlman's Breakthrough: Mixed Game Vet Wins 2nd Bracelet in $2,000 NLH ($436,044)
- 22 Blaz Zerjav Wins Maiden WSOP Bracelet in $25,000 6-Handed High Roller
- 23 Aloisio Dourado Claims Redemption with First WSOP Bracelet in Record-Breaking Badugi Event
- 24 Mixed Game Maestro Xixiang Luo Bags $290,400 and Third WSOP Bracelet
- 25 Nick Guagenti Crushes Chino Rheem’s Triple Crown Bid in $10K Stud Victory
- 26 Beginner's Luck? Surely Not. Chang Lee Wins $25,000 High Roller ($1,949,044)
- 27 Penalized Poker Player Wins WSOP Bracelet Despite Color Up Controversy
- 28 LA Poker Player Outlasts 16,300 Opponents to Win 2025 WSOP's Colossus
- 29 Igor Zektser Scoops His First Bracelet in Event #27: $1,500 Big O
- 30 A Few Cocktails on the Road to First WSOP Bracelet for Mark Darner
- 31 Rising New Jersey Poker Star Captures First WSOP Bracelet
- 32 Jason Koon Moves to Third on All-Time Money List w/ WSOP $50,000 High Roller Win
- 33 Toy Charizard, Pink Slipper Carry Canadian Family Man to WSOP Victory
- 34 Nick Schulman Joins Poker's Immortals With Bracelet No. 7 in the $10K 2-7 Championship