Dominant Performance: Pedro Neves Crushes On Way to WSOP Monster Stack Bracelet

Pedro Neves arrived at the final table of the 2024 World Series of Poker Event #38: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em as the odds-on favorite, as he had almost twice the stack of the second in chips, Aaron Johnson. He still had to eliminate his last six opponents on Day 5 to claim his first-ever WSOP bracelet, and he managed to do so, keeping his chip lead until the end.

Out of a field of 8,704 entrants that created a prize pool of $11,619,840, Neves claimed the first-place prize of $1,098,220 and the gold bracelet, while Johnson took second place for $732,329. Despite having one of the shortest stacks at the beginning of the final day, Jerry Maher finished in third place for $550,920.

WSOP Event #38: $1,500 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em Final Table Results

Winner’s Reaction

Before he won his first WSOP bracelet, Pedro Neves was mostly known for his online results and his second-place finish in the 2023 PCA for $1,183,037. “This is completely different compared to PCA,” Neves said moments after his win. “I dreamed about the bracelet since I started watching poker when I was 14 or 15. It feels great.”

Since Day 4, it felt like Neves could not escape victory as he arrived on Day 5 “with 40% of the chips” and a massive chip lead after he won a 90,000,000 chip pot when there were 19 players left. However, this comfortable situation added a bit of pressure on his shoulders: “Every one of my friends thought that I already won it, but there was so much work to do today. So it was a difficult night, but I was focused, and I think I played my best game.”

Final Day’s Action

Only seven players came back on Day 5, hoping to win the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet. But it wasn’t an easy task for the shortest stacks, as they only had 15 big blinds while Pedro Neves had almost 90 blinds.

Shortly after the restart, Jerry Maher was the first player to find himself at risk with queens. But Brian Roff, who called him, had queens as well, so they just split the pot. Guangming Li was more fortunate as he doubled up with ace-queen against Tim Reilly’s ace-king. Left with three blinds after this hand, Reilly thought he was going to multiply his stack by three or four after he shoved with ace-jack, was called three times and flopped two pair. However, Li hit a better two pair, and Reilly was the first player eliminated on the day, finishing in seventh place for $188,660.

Reilly was followed to the payout desk by Roff in sixth place for $244,137 after running his ace-nine into Neves’ ace-jack. But between Reilly and Roff’s eliminations, Jose Carlos Brito was lucky enough to double up.

Maher doubled up as well with aces, but when Li shoved with tens just before the first break of the day, he was called by Brito with ace-seven and eliminated in fifth place for $318,077 after Brito hit the ace on the river.

After the break, very little action was reported for an hour and a half until Brito three-bet all-in with king-ten and was called by Neves with ace-king. The board didn’t help Brito, and his tournament came to an end in fourth place for $417,213.

Maher (3rd place – $550,920), who survived all the way to the Top 3 with his small stack, was eventually eliminated with jack-ten against Neves’ sevens, leaving Neves with 80% of the chips in play when the heads-up play began. He even extended his lead after he hit a runner-runner flush to crack Johnson’s kings, but Johnson immediately doubled up to come back in the match.

When he found himself at risk for the second time, Johnson was on his way to double up again after he hit a straight on the turn. But the river gave a flush to Neves, who was crowned the winner of the 2024 WSOP $1,500 Monster Stack.