Vinicius Lima takes down 2019 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event

The 24-year old pro outlasted a record-breaking field of 1,415 entries.

“I was very fortunate to have good energy with me and ran good at good times”

The 2019 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event is the biggest-ever main event ever taking place in the Borgata Casino. It surpassed the 2011 WPT Borgata Poker Open which had 1,313 entrants.

The field in the event got down to the final six at the end of January, but due to WPT's delayed final table, the deal at the final table only started on the 13th of March at the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

Starting with a short stack, Vinicius had a lot to do in order to become the champion, but he was able to turn the table around and eventually close out the event. “I was very fortunate to have good energy with me and ran good at good times, and when I was all in, I held up," Lima told WPT reporters after the tournament. "I just battled and was very fortunate to have won this thing. It’s surreal and unbelievable.”

Despite the quick first elimination of Ian O'Hara (6th; $154,734) it took the players almost ten hours to get things done. After O'Hara's departure, it took an additional 115 hands for the remaining five to reduce to four. It was Lima, who shoved from the small-blind with king-eight suited against Daniel Buzgon in the big, who had 11 blinds left and made the call with ace-nine suited. Lima was able to spike a king on the flop and took down the pot. Buzgon got 5th, good for $202,942.

Brandon Hall was next to go, after running into the pocket jacks of Lima's, with pocket deuces. The pocket deuces weren't able to outdraw the better starting hand and Hall was out in 4th place which earned him $268,810.

Lima took no break, and he soon scored his third knockout. He busted Joseph Di Rosa Rojas with ace-six in a blind-on-blind confrontation. Rojas walked away with a $359,555 consolation prize after finishing 3rd.

The heads-up started with start-of-day chip leader David Farah having 34 million against Lima's 22 million. However, Vinicius was able to chip up and by the final hand, Farah had only 6 big blinds. He shoved all-in with nine-five suited and busted against the king-jack suited of Lima's on the board that read: J52K.

The young pro took down the title and the $728,430 coming with it, while Farah received $485,611 for his runner-up finish.

Final results