Patrick Khayat raised to 25,000 from the under-the-gun position and was called by Gianluca Speranza in the big blind.
The flop came , Speranza check-called the 25,000 continuation bet of Khayat.
They both checked through the on the turn to the on the river. Speranza check-raised to 225,000 when Khayat bet 40,000. Khayat considered all his options for a while and then called. Speranza flipped open for the flopped top two pair and Khayat mucked his hand with regret showing on his face.
Joao Simao has had a flying start into 2018 after reaching multiple final tables and more than doubling his earnings on the live circuit to shoot up all the way to $2 million in cashes, claiming the fifth place on the Brazilian all-time money list. The 29-year-old partypoker ambassador from Belo Horizonte, who now lives in Florianopolis / Brazil, is married to Luiza Pillar Simão. Luiza is also playing poker as well, representing partypoker team ladies and team online, and made the trip over to Barcelona.
When asked about his recent run-good, he had the following to say. “For sure I have luck also, but I spent the last 18 months in the hospital with my kids and I couldn't play too much, but I could study and I am sure that I improved my game a lot during this time. After such a hard situation, you are happy with everything and I am sure that my mental game is stronger than ever. I also feel very comfortable to play in the high stakes games.”
While the online tables used to be his main realm, Simao has since found the transition. “I used to play online a lot, and not any high stakes live. In Brazil the live tournaments don't have a big buy-in, and I travel so far. It is hard, I have two kids, and my wife at home, so I just travel when I can bring my family together.”
That bond seems to have given Simao wings, and his results of the current year are as follows:
Event
Final Position
Payout
MILLIONS Germany €25,500 Super High Roller I
2nd place
€251,250
MILLIONS Germany €25,500 Super High Roller II
4th place
€110,000
MILLIONS Germany €2,700 Warm Up
29th place
€6,500
MILLIONS Germany €5,300 Main Event
4th place
€280,000
Latin American Poker Championship Punta del Este $5,300 High Roller
2nd place
$50,000
Latin American Poker Championship Punta del Este $1,100 Main Event
4th place
$60,000
MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona €51,000 Super High Roller
6th place
€160,000
During the $5,300 High Roller in Punta del Este, there was a special twist on the final table and his mental game was put to the test, as Luiza was there and finished in third place. “I had my wife on the Super High Roller final table and also one of my horses from my stable and very good friend. I don't want to exploit those guys, I like my wife and my friend very well. It was very tough to play, but as we said in every break, our honesty is more important than everything.”
And indeed down to the last three, Joao and Luiza clashed with the better end for Joao. “Unfortunately I had to bust my wife, it wasn't fun but it's part of the game.” There was no adjustment needed for the strategy according to the Brazilian poker pro. “My strategy was the same, but my wife knows my game very well, she knows what I am doing. It is tough to play with her, I don't like to play with friends or horses at the same table. But I am happy that we made this final table together.”
Speaking of horses, not the farm animals are referred to, but a rather ambitious project in his home country, where several poker pros are providing coaching in poker schools. The Simao's run the “Massari Poker School” and actively work on growing poker in Brazil.
“Of course it is the biggest to grow poker in our country, There are three steps: Bring new players, make the players start to play for real money and keep them playing for a longer term. When you start to coach, no matter if it's online or live, make sure to give some advice. I feel very well about it and I am sure that's important to grow poker as a game.”
In order to provide coaching lessons, Simao realizes the necessity to stay on top of his game all the time and study himself.
“To teach, you need to study, I always like to do that and no matter what, I try to do my best. I have thousands of students in Brazil and need to study hard to know exactly what I am teaching, it keeps me improving my game and I don't get lazy any time.”
On top of that, partypoker has been very active in supporting this pursuit of growth and co-sponsored several events in South America.
“I feel very comfortable to talk about partypoker. It is easy when you have to talk good things about someone who is doing it right. As a player, I am very proud and happy about what partypoker is doing. It is changing a lot in poker all over the world, live or online, it is growing a lot and creates a big competition. For me it is great to be a part of the team and they are very open to us ambassadors and listen to us, ask us what they should do to improve.”
After his final table finish in the €50k Super High Roller, Simao had other priorities than jumping right into the €100k. “I have my kids and my wife here and I just want to enjoy Barcelona, take a day off. I slept really bad this night, so that's it.”
After some time away from the tables, Simao entered the Main Event twice on Day 1a without success before bagging up 2.755 million chips for Day 2 and will be back in action tomorrow, April 13th, 2018.
Angelo Solinas raised to 27,000 from the button. Marcelo Silva was up next to act in the small blind and he decided to three-bet to 65,000. Michael Sklenicka quickly folded. Solinas four-bet to 155,000 and Silva called.
The flop came , Silva check-called the continuation bet of Solinas.
The turn brought them the , once again, Silva check-called another bet by Solinas.
The river completed the board with the , Silva checked for the last time. Solinas now shoved for about 200,000. Silva tanked for a while but called in the end. Silva tabled for an overpair. Solinas had the better of him though as he showed for the rivered straight.
After Silva paid Solinas his double-up, Silva was left with only 25,000. He went all-in the next hand but split the pot and soon after that he busted, unfortunately.
The tournament floor has welcomed the players to the casino. The button will start in seat 1 and the dealers have been instructed to shuffle up and deal if they have three or more players at their tables.
The €10,300 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Grand Final Barcelona Main Event in the beautiful Casino Barcelona is set to continue at noon with Day 1c. With an amazing amount of €10,000,000 guaranteed, it is expected that the two flights today will be filled with many hopefuls trying to get their hands on a share of that prize pool!
Day 1a and 1b saw a total of 488 entries and 133 of those entries have made it through to Day 2 already. As the tournament allows players to put their best stack forward, some of those 133 players might join the field again today to try and build an even better stack.
The first of two starting flights today starts at noon local time. As with the new structure, players will start with 1,000,000 in chips for their €10,300 buy-in. For the players who take their seat in the first level, they will start with a small blind of 5,000, a big blind of 10,000, and a button ante of 5,000. Twelve levels of 45 minutes each are scheduled for today and players can reenter once during each flight. The registration and reentry period is open for six levels till approximately 17:00. Players who don’t make it through to Day 2, Friday, April 13th, can always choose to reenter through Day 1D which is scheduled to start at 17:00 local time.
Main Event Day 1 Level Structure
Level
Duration
Small Blind
Big Blind
Button Ante
1
45
5,000
10,000
5,000
2
45
5,000
10,000
10,000
3
45
6,000
12,000
12,000
4
45
7,000
14,000
14,000
5
45
8,000
16,000
16,000
6
45
10,000
20,000
20,000
7
45
10,000
25,000
25,000
8
45
15,000
30,000
30,000
9
45
15,000
35,000
35,000
10
45
20,000
40,000
40,000
11
45
25,000
50,000
50,000
12
45
30,000
60,000
60,000
Starting from today, the PokerNews live reporting team will be here, as usual, to provide you with all the Main Event action from the floor!
Tournament Day
Date
Further Information
Day 1a
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 @ 12:00
93 out of 338 players advanced to Day 2
Day 1b
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 @ 17:00
40 out of 150 players advanced to Day 2
Day 1c
Thursday, April 12, 2018 @ 12:00
45 min Levels, Single Re-Entry, Late Registration 6 Levels approx. 17:00
Day 1d
Thursday, April 12, 2018 @ 17:00
45 min Levels, Single Re-Entry, Late Registration 9 Levels approx. 00:30
Day 2
Friday, April 13, 2018 @ 13:00
60 min Levels, 8 Levels Total Scheduled
Day 3
Saturday, April 14, 2018 @ 12:00
60 min Levels, 8 Levels Total or Down to Final Table