PokerStars held the $5,200 Titans Event last weekend, which attracted famous players like Neymar “Neymar-jr” Jr. The talented soccer player narrowly lost the title to Dominykas Mikolaitis and finished second with $66,056. However, he isn’t a rookie on the felt, as he has competed in other poker tournaments in the past.
Neymar’s supporters are hoping that he will entertain them soon in various online and live poker events. The Brazilian player represented his nation in last week’s World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury after landing and cried as he left the pitch on a stretcher.
He underwent several medical tests that revealed he had sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear and a meniscus tear on his knee. Neymar’s injury ended his season since he might spend a year recovering despite signing a $219 million per year contract that will last for two years.
Neymar’s misfortune in the current soccer season seemingly inspired him to concentrate more on poker. He signed up for the $5,200 Buy-In Titans Event on October 22. But Neymar doesn’t shy off from risking huge stakes on poker as he plays for fun rather than to earn a living.
What Were the Top Players’ Awards?
- Dominykas “Mikensonas” Mikolaitis from Lithuania-$91,663
- Neymar “Neymar-jr” Jr. from Brazil-$66,056
- drew.derzh from Ukraine-$47,602
- Rajadannativ from Brazil-$34,304
- Christian from “WATnlos” Rudolph” from Austria-$24,720
- Benjamin “bencb789” Roller” from Austria-$17,814
- Stumpfed from Canada-$12,837
The Event’s Action
The latest Titans Event attracted 59 entrants who formed a $295,000 prize pool. This was an unusually small field as some regular players were resting after competing in the recent PokerStars European Poker Tours Cyprus Festival. Yet, only the leading seven players got a share of the pool.
Jesper8 reached the final table but didn’t cash. Stumpfed followed them in seventh place and took home $12,837.
Benjamin Rolle and Christian Rudolph got busted in sixth and fifth place, respectively, shortly after Stumpfed’s exit. Rajadanaativ’s run ended in fourth place with $34,304.
drew.derzh’s hope to win the top prize ended when they lost their chips and finished third. Their departure set up a tough battle of the blinds between Neymar and Mikolaitis.
Each of the two remaining players had secured at least $66,000. Yet, they competed for the title and an extra $35,000. Luck wasn’t on Neymar’s side as he was the runner-up and received a consolation prize, while Mikolaitis took home the $91,663 first-place prize.
Neymar’s Poker Adventure
The soccer bagged $23,884 after finishing third in the $1,050 Turbo Event of the January 2022 Winter Series. He later finished third with $125,678 in a $10,300 High Roller.
Neymar signed up for his first WSOP event in the 2022 WSOP $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship but didn’t cash. His persistence in the game bore fruit after a week when he finished 49th in the $1,000 Super Turbo Bounty tournament.
