Aloisio Dourado Leads Unofficial Final Table After Day 2 of Record-Setting $1,500 Badugi
Limits: 50,000-100,000
The largest-ever Badugi tournament is nearing its conclusion, as an action packed Day 2 of Event #23: $1,500 Badugi of the 2025 World Series of Poker whittled the 98 survivors of the 534-entrant field down to just one table of seven players. Aloisio Dourado walked out of the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas tonight as the chip leader of the survivors, having bagged 2,980,000 chips, good for 25 big bets at the start of Day 3.
Dourado is the sole Brazilian on an otherwise US-dominated table, which is going to divide the biggest prizes of the $708,885 prize pool. Dourado only had two WSOP cashes to his name before this event, but notably, they were both six-figure ones. With a runner-up finish in an eight-game and a deep run in last year's Main Event, Dourado will be aiming to close this one out to capture his first ever bracelet and keep this remarkable statistic going, as only the champion will walk away with the six figure prize of $138,144.
Meanwhile, WSOP regulars Dominick Sarle and Matthew Schreiber sit in second and third on the leaderboard with 2,525,000 and 2,095,000, respectively . Both already have mixed game bracelets, and are looking to capture their second piece of WSOP jewelry. Schreiber will be especially hungry for success after getting second in the $1,500 Dealer's Choice event a few days ago.
Unofficial Final Table Seating
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Schreiber | United States | 2,095,000 | 17 |
| 2 | David Margolis | United States | 1,275,000 | 11 |
| 3 | James Newberry | United States | 1,935,000 | 16 |
| 4 | Anthony Arvidson | United States | 1,290,000 | 11 |
| 5 | Jonathan Glendinning | United States | 1,270,000 | 11 |
| 6 | Dominick Sarle | United States | 2,525,000 | 21 |
| 7 | Aloisio Dourado | Brazil | 2,980,000 | 25 |
Day 2 Action
Day 2 started 17 spots away from the money, and a little over an hour into the day, Andy Jeh became the official bubble boy, after Jason Gola, Esther Taylor, Yuri Dzivielevski, and Hollywood star James Woods had already said their goodbyes.
Many poker powerhouses made the money. Among those who departed before the final three tables were Brian Yoon (78th - $3,000), Phillip Hui (57th - $3,000), Ben Yu (42nd - $3,317), and 2022 Player of the Year Daniel Zack (32nd - $4,054).
John Monnette (18th - $5,602) and David "ODB" Baker (17th - $6,879) made it to the redraw but did not add a badugi bracelet to their impressive collections. Day 1 chip leader Ray Fishman had a strong start of the day, but hit a wall at the final three tables and was eventually eliminated in 13th ($6,879) as the last player to miss out on the final two tables.
Arthur Morris and Andrew Brown were the last 25K Fantasy picks remaining when the final twelve were reached. After a strong start, Morris was busted by eventual chip leader Dourado in tenth ($8,688). Brown claimed the title of most valuable Fantasy pick for this tournament, but became the final elimination of the night when he bubbled the unofficial final table, getting paid $11,276 for eighth place.
The final seven have locked up ten buy-ins, with the first bust-out of Day 3 receiving $15,030. However, all players will be dreaming of the six-figure first-place prize that comes with becoming only the third-ever WSOP Badugi bracelet winner.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $138,114 |
| 2 | $92,058 |
| 3 | $61,061 |
| 4 | $41,462 |
| 5 | $28,838 |
| 6 | $20,558 |
| 7 | $15,030 |
The last table will resume play Saturday, June 7, at 1 p.m. local time. The blinds will be 30,000/60,000 with limits of 60,000/120,000. All levels will remain 60 minutes long, and a break will take place after every two levels. Day 3 is the final day of the tournament, ensuring a winner will be crowned.
Who will be crowned champion in the biggest badugi tournament ever held? Tune back in to PokerNews tomorrow to find out and not miss any of the WSOP action.