Felipe Boianovsky Rides the Wave All the Way to the BSOP $50,000 Super High Roller Title
Felipe Boianovsky began the day as chip leader, but it wasn’t a smooth ride for the local superstar on Day 2 of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Super High Roller Series R$250,000 ($50,000 US) Super High Roller.
Boianovsky fell to a short stack at the start of the final table. Then he doubled up back in contention. Then he was short once again before finding a few more double ups. The cards continued to swing in his favor until Boianovsky ended up as the champion, taking home the title and R$3,200,000 ($640,000 US) first prize.
As it turned out, the win just capped off what was already shaping up to be a special day for him. “I’m feeling amazing. It was a great experience. I had all my friends on the rail. My girlfriend. It’s the same day as my nephew is coming into the world, so I dedicate this to him. He’s being born today, so it’s a very special moment,” he said after defeating Leandro Zavodini heads-up.
$50,000 Super High Roller Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (R$) | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felipe Boianovsky | Brazil | R$3,200,000 | $640,000 |
| 2 | Leandro Zavodini | Brazil | R$2,200,000 | $440,000 |
| 3 | Vladimir Minko | Russia | R$1,400,000 | $280,000 |
| 4 | Ruben Lopes | Portugal | R$1,080,000 | $216,000 |
| 5 | Leonardo Rizzo | Brazil | R$850,000 | $170,000 |
| 6 | Pedro Padilha | Brazil | R$675,000 | $135,000 |
The win was the biggest live accomplishment in a career that dates all the way back to 2010, but Boianovsky is no stranger to capturing major titles. He won the PokerStars SCOOP Main Event in 2023 for $1.03 million. He also won a R$50,000 Super High Roller here at the BSOP in 2023, as well as a side event at EPT Barcelona in 2019. His earnings today are eclipsed only by a runner-up finish in a €50,000 event at EPT Monte Carlo last year, where he earned a career-best $746,286.
Boianovsky was first drawn to poker nearly 20 years ago, captivated by the play of high rollers such as Tom Dwan on television and inspired to join them one day. He soon established himself as a top online grinder, building a resume that includes more than $6 million in live earnings, as well as multiple WCOOP and SCOOP titles.
But he’s proving just as comfortable under the bright lights of a live final table. His earnings today push his career total past $3 million and put him inside the top 10 all-time among Brazilian players. For Boianovsky, playing live and online carries with it different challenges, ones that he’s fully prepared to meet.
“This is a bit more nerve-racking. You have all the lights, all the cameras, and you have to worry about live tells and stuff like that. If you’re nervous, bluffing in a pot when you’re playing for so much money, you know, your opponents can notice that. And so it’s a little bit more challenging than playing at home, but it’s not my first time,” he said. “I’ve been playing live poker since, I don’t know, 2009 or something. So I have a lot of experience live as well. So yeah, it was okay.”
Day 2 Action
Boianovsky began the day as chip leader with 1,045,000 as the 15 survivors from Day 1 returned to the WTC Sheraton in Sao Paulo at 2 p.m. local time. They were joined by three new arrivals to build a total field of 40 entries, generating a prize pool of R$9,405,000 ($1,880,000 US).
Thiago Crema was responsible for the first two bustouts, picking up aces to send out Alisson Piekazewicz, then hitting the nut flush to bust Cristian Aquino. Martin Kabrhel fell in 16th place when he flopped top pair with a straight draw, but Vladimir Minko had hit two pair to win the pot and silence the controversial Czech star.
Brian Rast was one of the three late entries and quickly found a double up when, looking at just one of his cards, he woke up with aces. But he then jammed for 415,000 with queen-ten and couldn’t improve against Pedro Padilha’s ace-nine. Zdenek Zizka and Vladas Tamasauskas were also among those to fall short of the final table before Yuri Dzivielevski got in his last 370,000 with ace-deuce against Minko’s king-queen. Minko hit top pair on the flop, and Dzivielevski couldn’t catch up on the turn and river to fall in 10th place.
Zavodini, who won this same event at last year’s BSOP, had taken the chip lead at the start of the final table with 1,970,000, while Boianovsky was the second-shortest stack with 480,000. On one of the first hands of the final table, Crema jammed for 1,600,000 over a three-bet from Minko, and Minko called with ace-king. Crema also had ace-king and the two were poised to chop the pot until the turn gave Minko the nut flush and the massive pot to take an overwhelming chip lead.
Boianovsky was down to just 220,000 when he found two aces and doubled up against Leonardo Rizzo. Ottomar Ladva then lost a flip with sevens to Ruben Lopes’ ace-ten as the field was reduced to seven.
Just six players would make the money, and Joao Simao called for his last 515,000 after hitting top pair on the flop. Zavodini had a straight draw and two overcards, and he hit his straight on the river to bust Simao on the money bubble.
Boianovsky was the clear short stack once the bubble burst, but quickly doubled up in a race with two sixes against Zavodini’s king-queen. He then flopped the nut straight to crack Lopes’ two aces and double up again, vaulting all the way up to 1,700,000.
Zavodini left Lopes on an extreme short stack when Lopes called the river with just ace-high, but Zavodini showed two pair. Padilha, though, was the first to leave with a payday, getting in 680,000 with ace-jack and flipping against Minko’s two eights. The board offered no help, and Padilha busted in sixth place.
Lopes managed to double up twice to get back into contention, including picking up aces versus Minko. Boianovsky then hit a full house to bust the short-stacked Rizzo in fifth.
Boianovsky was left short once more after Minko fired three bullets with just ace-high. Boianovsky folded a pair of threes to a shove on the river and was knocked down to less than 500,000. He then doubled up with ace-ten against Minko’s ace-nine, then found ace-queen against Minko’s ace-jack to double yet again, climbing up to nearly 3,000,000.
Lopes eventually moved all in for 1,600,000 with queen-jack and Minko called with ace-ten. The board improved neither player, and Minko took the pot with his ace to send Lopes to the rail in fourth place.
Minko still had a sizeable chip advantage three-handed before a cooler flop changed the momentum of the final table. Minko hit two pair on the flop and picked up the nut flush draw on the turn, but Boianovsky had flopped trips and called all in for 2,300,000. Minko couldn’t improve on the river, and Boianovsky doubled up into the chip lead.
Boianovsky had a chance to get heads-up when he had Zavodini all in and dominated, but Zavodini came from behind by hitting a pair on the flop to double up. Zavodini then slow-played two jacks and set a trap for Boianovsky to earn another double.
Minko was left short after failing to get Zavodini off top pair before he shoved for 850,000 from the small blind with jack-eight. Zavodini called with two fives and won the flip to send the Russian-born, UK-based pro to the rail in third place.
Zavodini led 5,300,000 to 4,700,000 at the start of heads-up as he looked to go back-to-back, but a key hand swung the match completely around. Boianovsky had straight and flush draws on the turn and shoved for 3,200,000. Zavodini burned through all of his time banks as he considered the decision with the tournament on the line, but his timer ran out again and his two jacks were declared dead. Just one hand later, Zavodini hit two pair, but Boianovsky turned the nut flush and snap-called for 2,100,000 on the river to win the tournament.
The ride that Boianovsky went on through the day included many peaks and valleys, but he eventually found himself alone atop the field. “It was a very, very big rollercoaster day. When it started, things weren’t working out, and then I was pretty short close to the bubble. I had to survive some all ins, being at risk,” he said.
“And then at the final table. I was at some points a mid stack, and then chip leader, then mid stack again. So, yeah, very big rollercoaster, but just playing one hand at a time.”
The fact that Boianovsky was even presented this opportunity, playing against a stacked field that came to Sao Paulo from around the world, is something he fully appreciates. He has seen the growth of the BSOP throughout the years and what it has meant to the Brazilian poker community. It’s now getting international attention, and Boianovsky relishes the fact that it’s happening in his own backyard.
“This is just so amazing to see something this big happening here. I have never been to a Triton, for example, and we always hear about how players are treated so well at Tritons and the buy-ins are so big. And this felt like we were having a Triton at the back of our houses,” he said.
“So it was just amazing to see how they’re treating us, you know, everything that they’re doing. It’s so special. And then to see this type of buy ins with this level of organization is amazing, and, yeah, very happy to see that here.”
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the $50,000 Super High Roller. Tomorrow marks the start of the crown jewel of the festival, the R$500,000 ($100,000 US) Super High Roller, so stay tuned for more action here in Sao Paulo.