Brazilian football superstar Neymar is currently out of action having suffered an ankle injury in late November while playing for Paris St. [Removed:361]. Like many people do when they find themselves recuperating, Neymar Jr. has hit the tables at PokerStars, and has bought into a few Winter Series events. It appears Neymar's poker prowess is on par with his silky football skills judging by his incredible performances in a pair of high-stakes events.
Neymar is used to rubbing shoulders with football's elite but found himself in different company in the Winter Series 40-H: $1,050 8-Max Turbo. Some 192 players bought in, and the world's most expensive footballer almost outlasted them all.
Top tier grinders, including Chris "ImDaNuts" Oliver, Christian "WATnlos" Rudolph, and recent EPT Online Main Event champion "WhatifGod" all busted before Neymar, the latter bursting the final table bubble.
Matters did not get any easier for the Brazilian at the final table because Neymar battled with such luminaries as Patrick "thebigdog09" Brooks, Jens "Fresh_oO_D" Lakemeier, and fellow Brazilian Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi.
Neymar eventually fell in third place for a $23,884, leaving Ivan "zufo1" Zufic to defeat Niki "RealAndyBeal" Jedlicka heads-up for the title and the $39,675 top prize.
Winter Series 40-H: $1,050 [8-Max, Turbo] Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan "zufo16" Zufic | Mexico | $39,675 |
| 2 | Niki "RealAndyBeal" Jedlicka | Austria | $30,783 |
| 3 | Neymar Jr. | Brazil | $23,884 |
| 4 | Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi | Brazil | $18,531 |
| 5 | thaddaus29 | Austria | $14,378 |
| 6 | Jens "Fresh_oO_D" Lakemeier | Austria | $11,155 |
| 7 | Patrick "thebigdog09" Brooks | United Kingdom | $8,655 |
| 8 | dbdai1 | Germany | $6,715 |
Neymar Dazzles in a $10K High Roller
Full of confidence from his deep run in a $1,050 buy-in Winter Series ev
ent, Neymar jumped into the Winter Series 68-H: $10,300 8-Max High Roller alongside 82 of the world's best poker tournament players. His first bullet did not go to plan, and he crashed out in 49th place. Bullet number two, however, was a different story.
After Laszlo "omaha4rollz" Bujtas burst the money bubble after falling in tenth, and Talal "raidalot" Shakerchi was eliminated in ninth-place, Neymar reach another Winter Series final table. Actually, he did more than reach the final table, he navigated his way to another third-place finish, hitting the post again against top competition.
Ole "wizowizo" Schemion was the first of the eighth finalists to crash out. Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani joined Schemion on the rail before Matas "NoTilit" Cikinas and Andrey "Anjeyyy" Novak dusted off their chips to leave only four players in the hunt for the High Roller title.
Those four became three when "uwintakeit" of Canada saw their tournament end abruptly. The remaining trio of players were now guaranteed a six-figure haul for their efforts.
This is where Neymar was cut down, his third-place finish coming with a $125,678 payday. An incredible performance from the Brazilian, we are sure you will agree.
Christoph "26071985" Vogelsang was the last man standing in this High Roller event. The talented German defeated Christian "WATnlos" Rudolph heads-up and received the $224,025 top prize, leaving Rudolph to lick his wounds with $167,794 heading to his PokerStars account.
Winter Series 68-H: $10,300 [8-Max, High Roller] Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christoph "26071985" Vogelsang | United Kingdom | $224,025 |
| 2 | Christian "WATnlos" Rudolph | Austria | $167,794 |
| 3 | Neymar Jr | Brazil | $125,678 |
| 4 | uwintakeit | Canada | $94,132 |
| 5 | Andrey "Anjeyyy" Novak | Ukraine | $70,505 |
| 6 | Matas "NoTilit" Cikinas | Lithuania | $52,808 |
| 7 | Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani | Brazil | $39,553 |
| 8 | Ole "wizowizo" Schemion | Austria | $29,625 |
Will We See Neymar Again During the Winter Series?
Neymar is expected to be out of action for another week, which means there is every chance we will see his alias at the PokerStars Winter Series tables. With the trio of Winter Series Main Events taking place on January 9, it would not be surprising to see him in the field of the $5,200 buy-in $2 million guaranteed High Main Event. Watch this space.
