Leonardo Rizzo Among Chip Leaders as 2025 BSOP Championship Launches in Style
With ten hour-long levels in the books—and many of poker’s brightest stars come and gone—action has concluded for Day 1a of the 2025 BSOP Championship.
As expected, the R$20,000,000 ($4,000,000 USD) guaranteed event saw a strong turnout for the opening flight, with 192 players taking their seats inside the WTC Sheraton in São Paulo.
When the chips were finally bagged, it was Alen Fillipi who stood tallest among the 63 surviving players, finishing atop the counts with a commanding 1,260,000.
The only other player to join him in the seven-figure club was Leandro Zavodini, who advanced with 1,018,000.
Rounding out the Day 1a podium, BSOP Ambassador Leonardo Rizzo made an unforgettable entrance, dancing his way to the tables as Brazilian rhythms blared through the speakers.
True to form, he marched to the beat of his own drum throughout Day 1a. The ever-entertaining Brazilian was involved at every opportunity, including cracking aces to send Dante Fernandes to the rail, and bagged 783,000 to finish third on the leaderboard.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alen Fillipi | Brazil | 1,260,000 | 210 |
| 2 | Leandro Zavodini | Brazil | 1,018,000 | 170 |
| 3 | Leonardo Rizzo | Brazil | 783,000 | 131 |
| 4 | Gregory Fabião | Brazil | 711,000 | 119 |
| 5 | Brunno Albuquerque | Brazil | 679,000 | 113 |
| 6 | Christian Poras | Brazil | 632,000 | 105 |
| 7 | Igor Peredo | Bolivia | 570,000 | 95 |
| 8 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | 559,000 | 93 |
| 9 | Fernando Santos | Brazil | 553,000 | 92 |
| 10 | Felipe Badotti | Brazil | 532,000 | 89 |
The field was packed with poker's elite, including many who have been competing fiercely in this year's Super High Roller addition to the series. Players such as Fabiano Kovalski (559,000), Pedro Padilha (419,000), Daniel De Almeida (261,000), Joao Simao (243,000) and Kelvin Kerber (36,000) all advanced through to Day 2.
Not everyone enjoyed the same success, as Alisson Piekazewicz, Ivan Luca, Viacheslav Balaev, Breno Drumond and Dennys Ramos can attest to. All of whom fell short of putting chips into a bag, and must now decide whether or not to try again in a different opening flight.
With three more starting flights remaining, each allowing one re-entry per flight, there are plenty of opportunities for players, new and eliminated, to enter the fray in the coming days.
Day 1b is the next available chance to join the field, beginning at 2:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, November 23.
BSOP Championship Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1b | November 23 | 2pm |
| Day 1c | November 24 | 2pm |
| Day 1d | November 25 | 2pm |
| Day 2 | November 26 | 2pm |
| Day 3 | November 27 | 2pm |
| Day 4 | November 28 | 2pm |
| Day 5 | November 29 | 2pm |
All starting flights will feature ten hour-long levels, with a 75-minute dinner break scheduled at the end of Level 6. Late registration will be available until the start of Level 9.
Players will start with a 100,000 stack, with blinds starting at 300/600 and a 600 big blind ante.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews, where you will get the latest updates, chip counts and major moments throughout the 2025 BSOP Championship.