Christian Rico leads as SiGMA Poker Tour launches in Brazil
The SiGMA Poker Tour celebrated the launch of its inaugural event yesterday, delivering an exciting start to a five-day dazzler. An opening satellite event marked the beginning of the main event. The sultry notes of a saxophone mingled with the hum of a packed club, while a dancing hip-hop band got things off to an entertaining start.
Held at the Monte Carlo Poker Club in Sao Paulo, players flocked to the tables to battle it out for a highly coveted seat at Thursday’s table for the main event – and with a guaranteed 250,000 prize pool to play for, the game was on.
Chip leaders emerge as day one wraps up
Despite a turbulent start that saw him lose his stack, Christian Rico fanned the embers towards the end of the night, returning to the table and pulling into the lead with a respectable stack of 483,000 chips to fuel a second round today. Joao Vitor and SPT ambassador Drea Karlsen round off the top 3 with 404,000 and 335,000 chips respectively.
ITM, just seven survive, returning on the 13th for Day 2. The top 3 are followed by: Samara Alexandre, Alberto Murilo, Deniz Anselmo, and Sebastiao Realino.
SiGMA Poker Tour draws global talent and local buzz
The SiGMA Poker Tour’s first event is being held from the 9th to the 14th in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is expected to attract a sizable turnout, with world-class poker players, including SPT ambassadors John Arne Riise and Drea Karlsen. Delegates from the BiS SiGMA Americas event, which took place earlier this week, are also expected to join the fray, lured by high-stakes action, exclusive side events, and plenty of glamour.
“I’m excited to be an ambassador for SPT because of the amazing people I’m working with. A lot of live poker is about sitting down, meeting new people, and hopefully having the patience to stay calm and not rush things. But most of all, my aim is to have fun,” enthused John Arne Riise, who despite a strong start bowed out in the final two tables.
Speaking to SiGMA ahead of the game, Drea Karlsen was equally ready for a win, sharing her strategy for getting in the right mindset – “Today is Main Event day, and I’m ready to play. I warmed up with a hot bath and a good breakfast – I’m feeling great and ready to crush it. I’m chill, focused, and set to go, so watch out… I’m coming for your chips!” It’s a strategy that clearly works, as she now heads to day 2 in third place.
Today’s event is followed by a flurry of activity over the next few days. Highlights include the Main Event, as well as a number of side events, including the EGT Platinum Friday for BiS SiGMA Americas Platinum ticket holders, SiGMA Divas, a meet and greet with the SiGMA Poker Tour ambassadors, and the start of the first-ever edition of the Hendon Mob Latam Championship on the 12th.
Read more about their entry into the Latin American market in an exclusive interview with Roland Boothby, Head of Partnerships at GPI/The Hendon Mob for issue 32 of SiGMA Magazine.
