Joao Simao Secures Fourth WSOP Bracelet with $50,000 PLO High Roller Victory

Joao Simao made history at the 2026 World Series of Poker by winning the $50,000 PLO High Roller event, securing his fourth career WSOP bracelet and earning $1,368,700. This victory pushed his total recorded earnings to $20,580,469, extending his lead as the winningest Brazilian tournament poker player of all time. Simao defeated Santhosh Suvarna heads-up in a thrilling final showdown.

The tournament drew 110 entrants, creating a prize pool of $5,225,000. Simao's journey to the top was marked by several key moments. He earned his first bracelet in a WSOP Online $1,111 charity event in 2021, took down a $5,000 no-limit hold’em/pot-limit Omaha tournament at the 2022 WSOP, and set a new career best at WSOP Paradise in 2025 with a victory in the $150,000 Triton Poker collaboration event, earning over $3 million and the hardware.

This latest win earned Simao 1,020 Card Player Player of the Year points, pushing the Brazilian into the top 50 in the yearlong race presented by CoinPoker. Suvarna’s second-place finish puts him inside the top 100, and Yuri Dzivielevski’s final table appearance elevated him into the top 30.