Aloisio Dourado finally sealed the deal at the World Series of Poker, capturing his first gold bracelet after years of effort and near misses. The Brazilian player outlasted a record-setting field in Event #23: $1,500 Badugi to win $138,114 and erase the sting of his runner-up finish from 2023.
Good to know
- Dourado defeated 533 opponents to take home his first WSOP bracelet.
- The 2025 $1,500 Badugi event drew the largest field in its short history.
- Multiple WSOP regulars finished in the money, including Dan Zack and John Monnette.
Back in 2023, Dourado came painfully close to winning a bracelet in the eight-game mixed event, only to fall short heads-up against Shaun Deeb. His pocket queens lost to back-to-back tens during the no-limit hold’em round, ending a run that nearly secured his first title.
Two years later, Dourado returned to the WSOP and made another deep run, this time in a single-draw event. He made it back to heads-up play—only now, he walked away with the win.
After the tournament, Dourado told reporters, “It means a lot to me. I’m feeling very fortunate to be here, to be able to play and to be able to fly from Brazil three years in a row, trying to win a bracelet.”
A Deep and Talented Field
The third edition of this Badugi bracelet event brought in 534 entries, surpassing the 2023 record. The top 81 finishers made the money, with several well-known names in the mix. Among them were Dan Zack (32nd), Ryutaro Suzuki (29th), John Monnette (18th), David “ODB” Baker (17th), Matthew Wantman (15th), and Andrew Brown (8th).
The event generated a total prize pool of $1,561,140, adding even more weight to the eventual victory.
Staying in Control on Day 3 and Clearing the Win
Dourado entered the final day with the chip lead among the remaining seven players. He immediately built on that advantage by eliminating Matthew Schreiber in seventh place with a strong seven-high Badugi. Although Dominick Sarle picked up momentum by sending both Anthony Arvidson and David Margolis to the rail, Dourado stayed focused.
He later knocked out Jonathan Glendinning in fourth place and pulled ahead as three-handed play continued. James Newberry fell in third when Dourado’s three-card five outdrew his three-card six, bringing the match down to Dourado and Sarle.
The heads-up battle began with Dourado holding a big lead: 9,650,000 to Sarle’s 3,700,000. The margin only widened from there. On the final hand, both players patted before the last draw. Sarle revealed J
8
6
A
, but Dourado tabled a winning 6542 to claim the bracelet and deny Sarle, who earned $92,058 for his second-place finish.
Final Table Results 2025 WSOP Event #23: $1,500 Badugi
| Result | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Aloisio Dourado | $138,114 |
| 2 | Dominick Sarle | $92,058 |
| 3 | James Newberry | $61,061 |
| 4 | Jonathan Glendinning | $41,462 |
| 5 | David Margolis | $28,838 |
| 6 | Anthony Arvidson | $20,558 |
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