Friday, 29th March 2024 13:00
Home / PSPC / Peru’s Sebastian Gaviño wins Platinum Pass as Akkari’s Road To PSPC breaks all South American records

Peru’s Sebastian Gaviño is our latest Platinum Pass winner, taking down the Akkari’s Road To PSPC Main Event and outlasting thousands of players in the process.

Akkari’s Road To PSPC–which had an affordable R$350 (~$83) buy-in–attracted an incredible 4,142 entries, making it the largest tournament in the history of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) and the biggest ever held on South American soil.

A record-breaking turnout in Brazil

All those entries created a R$1,203,320 (~$287,456) prize pool, which was then distributed between the top 624 players.

Sebastian Gaviño: #chipporn

Ultimately it was 24-year-old Peruvian player Sebastian Gaviño who finished in the top spot, earning R$132,570 (~$31,670) plus a Platinum Pass to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) 2020, worth an additional $30,000.

Gaviño has been playing poker since 2014 when he started joining his friends down a local poker club near his house and fell in love with the game. He then started playing live and online tournaments and came to the BSOP Millions with one goal: to win the Platinum Pass.

“I really wanted to win the Platinum Pass to the PokerStars Players Championship in Barcelona, and thank God, my dream came true,” Gaviño told PokerStars Blog’s Sergio Prado. “This victory is the best thing that has happened in my life. So far I had not lived anything like it.”

The path to the title at Akkari’s Road To PSPC was arduous and ended with a heads-up victory over Brazilian Gabriel Santos. If you’ve never been to the BSOP, trust us when we say that the atmosphere on the sidelines of a big final table is akin to a football match, with the rail cheering, singing and encouraging both players.

With his Platinum Pass in hand, Gaviño will be entitled to a buy-in for the PSPC 2020 (worth €22,500), six nights of accommodation for him and a guest at a five-star hotel, airport transfer, custom promotional material from the PSPC, and €1,250 for expenses.

Gaviño’s dream come true

Gaviño was honored to receive his prize from the hands of the tournament’s host André Akkari and world champion Chris Moneymaker, two of the most popular PokerStars Ambassadors. He now has eight months to prepare for the biggest tournament of his life.

“I’m going to watch a lot of videos and keep studying so I can get ready for the challenge in Barcelona,” he said. “It won’t be easy to face the best in the world, but after going through this huge field I feel more confident.”

Thanks to PokerStarsBlog.br‘s Sergio Pradio for his reporting. Photos by the great Carlos Monti.


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