Ignacio Sagra Bags Chip Lead Over Star-Studded Field on Day 1 of the BSOP $20,000 Super High Roller
Day 1 of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) R$100,000 ($20,000 US) Super High Roller promised to bring together an elite field to Sao Paulo’s WTC Sheraton, and it lived up to the hype.
Some of the biggest names in the Brazilian poker community, as well as some well-traveled international high rollers, took their shot at the title today, with 26 entries being recorded over 10 levels. Ignacio Sagra ended up as the chip leader with 889,000 as 17 players made it through the day. The Argentine got a big boost when he flopped trips to bust Mehdi Chaoui late in the day and is looking to surpass his previous best score when he finished second in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the WSOP this summer.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ignacio Sagra | Argentina | 889,000 | 148 |
| 2 | Felipe Boianovsky | Brazil | 768,000 | 128 |
| 3 | Rodrigo Seiji | Brazil | 666,000 | 111 |
| 4 | Leonardo Rizzo | Brazil | 645,000 | 108 |
| 5 | Alisson Piekazewicz | Brazil | 590,000 | 98 |
| 6 | Renan Bruschi | Brazil | 525,000 | 88 |
| 7 | Viacheslav Balaev | Russia | 524,000 | 87 |
| 8 | Ruben Lopes | Portugal | 342,000 | 57 |
| 9 | Pedro Padilha | Brazil | 305,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | 262,000 | 44 |
Brazilian superstar Felipe Boianovsky busted in 12th place in the $10,000 Super High Roller Invitational earlier in the day, then jumped into this event and picked up right where he left off. He busted Hugo Machado with ace-queen against ace-deuce, then won a big pot off Ruben Lopes during the last level to finish with 768,000 and in second place. WSOP bracelet winner Rodrigo Seiji was on the right side of two all-in encounters, first turning a set of jacks against Pedro Padilha’s queens, then hitting a flush on the river against Ottomar Ladva’s two pair to send the Estonian back to the registration desk. Seiji rounds out the podium with 666,000.
Leonardo Rizzo brought his flamboyant personality to the field today and ended up in fourth place with 645,000, while Alisson Piekazewicz (590,000) and Renan Bruschi (525,000) also bagged up big stacks. Padilha finished with 305,000 on his second bullet, while Fabiano Kovalski (262,000), Thiago Crema (202,000), Masato Yokosawa (136,000), Vladas Tamasauskas (121,000), Ladva (78,000), and Allan Mello (54,000) will also return tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Daniel Rezaei was the first to bust on Day 1, losing most of his chips in a set-over-set cooler against Bruschi. Yuri Dzivielevski was also among those sent to the rail today and will have to try again tomorrow if they want to chase the title. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 15, so the field can potentially grow much larger. The action on Day 2 picks up on Level 11 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. Levels will remain 40 minutes through Level 15, after which they will be extended to 60 minutes.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 2 as the field plays down towards the final table.