Antonio Santichio is the new BSOP Winter Main Event champion, outlasting a field of 1,315 entries to win the R$5,000 buy-in tournament and take home R$850,000 after play concluded on Monday, July 28, 2026, at WTC Sheraton’s Golden Hall. Santichio, a player known throughout the Brazilian scene for his humble, friendly demeanor and frequent appearances in high-roller events, closed out the tournament in style, defeating runner-up Alexandre Arantes in a heads-up battle that lasted just three hands.
Santichio Claims BSOP Winter Main Event Title
For a player who has spent much of his career mixing it up in the game’s toughest high-roller fields, the BSOP Winter Main Event title represents a different kind of achievement. Instead of a smaller, faster structure loaded with seasoned specialists, this was a marathon against more than a thousand opponents, many of them recreational players chasing a life-changing score of their own.
Santichio’s run to the title was built on patience as much as aggression. According to PokerNews Brasil, the champion pointed to an early double-up on the first day of the tournament as the moment he began to feel unstoppable, a feeling that carried him all the way to the final table and beyond.
A R$5,000 Buy-in Draws a Massive Field
The BSOP Winter Main Event carried a R$5,000 buy-in, a price point accessible enough to draw a huge crowd of 1,315 entries. That turnout built a prize pool substantial enough to pay R$850,000 to the winner alone, with the remainder of the top nine finishers also collecting six-figure paydays.
A field of that size is a reminder of just how much momentum the BSOP brand continues to generate in Brazil. Large turnouts like this one put pressure on every player at the table, since surviving day after day against over a thousand opponents demands both card sense and endurance.
Golden Hall Sets the Stage for BSOP Winter
The tournament played out at WTC Sheraton’s Golden Hall, a venue that has become a familiar home for major Brazilian poker series. The BSOP Winter installment adds another chapter to a stop that regularly draws large fields and produces deep, competitive final tables.
Series like BSOP Winter give players across Brazil a chance to test themselves against a mix of grinders and recreational entrants without needing to travel abroad, and the size of this Main Event field suggests the series’ popularity is only growing.
Final Table Payouts Reward a Deep Run
Reaching the unofficial final table paid off handsomely for the nine remaining players, even for those who fell short of the title. Runner-up Alexandre Arantes earned R$560,000 for his second-place finish, while Renato Lordao took third for R$388,000 and Luiz Hota rounded out fourth for R$289,000.
The remaining spots were equally lucrative. Ewerton Figueiredo finished fifth for R$214,000, Daniel Mendonca sixth for R$160,000, Ricardo Souza seventh for R$120,000, Wilkens Monteiro eighth for R$92,000, and Wildmmer Ribeiro ninth for R$73,450, a payout ladder that reflects just how deep the R$5,000 buy-in field ran.
Wilkens Monteiro’s Stunning Reversal
Few storylines from the final table stood out quite like the fall of Wilkens Monteiro. He arrived at the final table as the chip leader, the kind of position that often signals a strong chance at the title, only to bust in eighth place for R$92,000.
Tournament poker has a way of humbling even the players who look most in control, and Monteiro’s finish is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change once the stacks get shallow and the pressure at a nine-handed final table sets in. His early lead ultimately counted for little once the eliminations began in earnest.
Ace-Jack Holds Up to Seal the Title
The championship came down to a three-hand heads-up battle between Santichio and Arantes, a brief but decisive stretch that ended with one memorable confrontation. Santichio’s A♦J♣ ran into Arantes’ 8♦8♣ on a five-card board of Q♥7♠3♥K♥9♥, and the ace-jack held to end the tournament.
It was a classic race between an overpair and two overcards, the kind of situation any student of the game will recognize from a quick look at the poker hand rankingswhere a pair remains a favorite against overcards until the board changes the equation. In this case, no help arrived for Arantes’ pocket eights, and Santichio’s hand held from start to finish to claim the trophy.
Santichio’s Quiet Confidence Pays Off
Speaking after his win, Santichio, quoted by PokerNews Brasil, said the tournament felt like his from very early on. He explained that after doubling his stack on the first day, he already sensed the trophy belonged to him, a confidence that stayed with him through every stage of the event.
That mindset, paired with a demeanor that has made him a well-liked figure in Brazilian poker rooms, helped carry Santichio through a grueling field of 1,315 entries to the biggest title of his BSOP Winter run. For a player better known for high-roller appearances, the R$850,000 Main Event victory adds a new and significant chapter to his growing resume.
