Saturday, July 2, 2022 3:59 PM Local Time
Nacho Barbero Takes 2022 WSOP $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Bracelet Back to Argentina
The atmosphere more closely resembled a World Cup soccer match than a World Series of Poker (WSOP) final table.
It came down to Jose Ignacio "Nacho" Barbero against Fabiano Kovalski, Argentina versus Brazil, and the boisterous South American rail surrounding the final table inside the Bally's Event Center erupted in celebration whenever one of them took down a pot.
In the end, it was Barbero, already a poker icon back home in Argentina, who became a WSOP bracelet winner after taking down Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em, outlasting a starting field of 419 entrants to win a $587,520 top prize. He also collected 16 bounty chips for an additional $48,000
Barbero had 47 WSOP cashes dating back to 2006 and five final table appearances but had never managed to capture the elusive bracelet. When the last card hit the table and he had defeated Kovalski, he rushed into the arms of his friends, a giant Argentinian flag draped over the rail, as he celebrated a dream come true.
"It feels amazing. I'm so happy. Literally, my dream in poker was to win one. It's amazing," Barbero said following his win. "I've been coming since 2007, I think, or 2005. So many close ones and never could close it out. And, finally."
Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Earnings |
| 1 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | $587,520 |
| 2 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | $363,116 |
| 3 | Ilya Nikiforov | Estonia | $254,791 |
| 4 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | $181,667 |
| 5 | Maria Ho | United States | $131,655 |
| 6 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | $97,002 |
| 7 | Rainer Kempe | Germany | $72,683 |
| 8 | David Mzareulov | Azerbaijan | $55,401 |
| 9 | Paul Chauderson | United States | $42,970 |
Final Table Action
Barbero went on a late rush at the close of play on Friday to take a massive chip lead over the final six players and wasted no time in adding to his advantage. He forced Andrew Lichtenberger all in from the small blind, and Lichtenberger called with ace-seven from the big. Barbero, holding nine-eight, paired his eight on the flop and "LuckyChewy" couldn't catch up to finish in sixth place.
Maria Ho, who was also looking for her first bracelet, attracted her own large rail, but her day was cut short when she found herself all in with king-ten against Kovalski's pocket sevens. Kovalski flopped a set, and the popular poker ambassador and commentator fell in fifth place.
Barbero knocked out Dutch poker legend Rob Hollink in fourth, his ace-eight staying out in front of Hollink's king-jack. He also finished off Ilya Nikiforov, outdrawing the Estonian with ace-seven against ace-eight by hitting a seven on the turn.
That set up a heads-up match between Barbero and Kovalski. It wasn't quite Neymar vs. Messi, but a large contingent of South American media came to capture the action. Barbero had a chip lead of around 17 million to Kovalski's 8 million. The end came when Barbero limped in from the button, Kovalski jammed, and Barbero called with king-queen of clubs. Kovalski, with king-deuce, couldn't catch up to finish as runner-up. He took home $363,116, an incredible result after beginning the day with just 425,000, less than two big blinds.
Brazil's Fabiano Kovalski
South American Pride
Barbero became the fourth Argentinian to win a WSOP bracelet, joining 2020 Main Event champion Damian Salas, Ivan Luca, and Andres Korn. His fellow countrymen on the rail were there to celebrate and party all the way.
"The South American rail is the best. All of my friends came. The vibe was amazing," Barbero said. "I felt like I wasn't going to lose any hands, and it kind of went like that, actually. Ran super pure and everything went perfect."
For someone with such a large volume of poker experience, Barbero plans to celebrate the bracelet the only way he knows how: by jumping right into another tournament. He's already planning to play the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, which he calls one of his favorite events.
An actual celebration will have to wait a while. "I've been really focused. I haven't gone out. I've just been very focused on trying to win something because I had a really rough month. I don't know if I'm going to celebrate, but maybe tomorrow night," he said.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of Event #67. Stay tuned throughout the rest of the 2022 WSOP for all the action from Paris and Bally's. Click here to see what other tournaments are taking place right now.
Saturday, July 2, 2022 3:00 PM Local Time
Fabiano Kovalski Eliminated in 2nd Place ($363,116)
Nacho Barbero limped from the button and Fabiano Kovalski moved all in out of the big blind. Barbero snap-called to put Kovalski at risk.
Fabiano Kovalski:
Nacho Barbero:
Barbero had his opponent dominated and, if he could hold, would secure victory and his first WSOP gold bracelet. The flop kept him ahead as did the turn. The river saw Barbero let out a yell and run over to his rail to celebrate. Kovalski, meanwhile, came into the day as the short stack and was able to spin that up to a second place finish, an impressive accomplishment.
| Nacho Barbero | 25,140,000 | 6,400,000  |
| Fabiano Kovalski | 0 | -6,400,000  |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:48 PM Local Time
Level 33 started
Level: 33
Blinds: 200,000/400,000
Ante: 400,000
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:41 PM Local Time
Barbero Turns Rags Into Riches
On the first hand of heads-up play, Fabiano Kovalski raised to 600,000 and Nacho Barbero called.
Both players checked down the flop and turn. The river came the and this time Barbero led for 700,000.
Kovalski took his time before sticking in the chips to call, but mucked when Barbero showed for flopped trips to take the pot.
| Nacho Barbero | 18,740,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Fabiano Kovalski | 6,400,000 | -1,700,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:35 PM Local Time
Ilya Nikiforov Eliminated in 3rd Place ($254,791)
Nacho Barbero raised to 600,000 on the button, then called when big blind Ilya Nikiforov shoved for his last 2,800,000.
Ilya Nikiforov:
Nacho Barbero:
Nikiforov remained in front on the flop, but the on the turn gave Barbero a pair and left Nikiforov drawing to an eight on the river to stay alive. He didn't connect with the and was eliminated in third place.
Barbero and Fabiano Kovalski are now taking a quick break before the start of heads-up play.
| Nacho Barbero | 17,040,000 | 2,940,000 |
| Fabiano Kovalski | 8,100,000 | 400,000 |
| Ilya Nikiforov | 0 | -4,200,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:34 PM Local Time
Rob Hollink Eliminated in 4th Place ($181,667)
Nacho Barbero opened to 600,000 on the button and Rob Hollink moved all in out of the small blind. Barbero called with the bigger stack to put Hollink at risk.
Rob Hollink:
Nacho Barbero:
Barbero was marginally ahead and maintained the lead on the flop and turn. The river sealed the deal, sending Hollink out of the tournament in fourth place.
| Nacho Barbero | 14,100,000 | 2,600,000 |
| Rob Hollink | 0 | -3,250,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:30 PM Local Time
Maria Ho Eliminated in 5th Place ($131,655)
Maria Ho moved all in from the cutoff and was called by Fabiano Kovalski with the bigger stack out of the small blind.
Maria Ho:
Fabiano Kovalski:
Ho was flipping for her tournament life but fell way behind on the flop. The turn left her drawing dead prior to the meaningless river, sending her to the rail in fifth place.
| Fabiano Kovalski | 7,700,000 | 2,500,000 |
| Maria Ho | 0 | -1,875,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:28 PM Local Time
Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra Wins Fifth WSOP Bracelet in $10K PLO-8 Championship ($611,362)
Eli Elezra
Poker Hall of Famer Eli Elezra earned his fifth World Series of Poker bracelet early Saturday morning when he took down Event #63: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for $611,362. Elezra defeated Chino Rheem during heads-up play to deny Rheem his first bracelet.
Elezra, who was made famous by his appearances on productions like High Stakes Poker and who just last year was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, dominated a final table that included defending champion Josh Arieh (7th - $83,920), Ken Aldridge (5th - $146,242) and Robert Cowen (3rd - $271,219).
Read the full recap on PokerNews
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:25 PM Local Time
Level 32 started
Level: 32
Blinds: 150,000/300,000
Ante: 300,000
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:25 PM Local Time
Kovalski Has Alligator Blood
Fabiano Kovalski raised to 800,000 from under the gun, then called when Nacho Barbero put him all in for his last 1,825,000.
Fabiano Kovalski:
Nacho Barbero:
The Brazilian was dominated but leapt into the lead on the flop, hitting a pair of eights. The board ran out and Kovalski doubled yet again.
The next hand, Barbero raised to 525,000 and Kovalski called in the big blind. The flop came and Barbero continued for 400,000. Kovalski then shoved all in for 3,725,000 and Barbero folded after a brief tank.
After beginning the day with just over 400,000, Kovalski is now up to more than 5,000,000.
| Nacho Barbero | 11,500,000 | -3,000,000 |
| Fabiano Kovalski | 5,200,000 | 3,900,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:22 PM Local Time
Andrew Lichtenberger Eliminated in 6th Place ($97,002)
Action folded to Nacho Barbero in the small blind who raised enough to put big blind Andrew Lichtenberger all-in. Lichtenberger snap-called for his last 1,500,000.
Andrew Lichtenberger:
Nacho Barbero:
Barbero took the lead on the flop, hitting a pair of eights. Lichtenberger couldn't connect with the turn or river and became the first casualty of the day.
On his way to the payout desk, Lichtenberger forgot the bounty chips he had accumulated and had to be called back to the table.
"He's so rich," Maria Ho joked.
| Nacho Barbero | 14,500,000 | 2,275,000 |
| Andrew Lichtenberger | 0 | -2,500,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:15 PM Local Time
Kovalski Doubles Through Nikiforov
Ilya Nikiforov opened to 500,000 from under the gun and action folded to Fabiano Kovalski in the big blind, who moved all in. Nikiforov made the call to put Kovalski at risk.
Fabiano Kovalski:
Ilya Nikiforov:
Kovalski was behind but did have two live cards. The flop changed nothing but the turn did give Kovalski an open-ended straight. He did not need it, however, as he paired up on the river to secure the double up.
| Ilya Nikiforov | 4,200,000 | -675,000 |
| Fabiano Kovalski | 1,300,000 | 875,000 |
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:04 PM Local Time
ELI ELEZRA GETS HIS FIFTH | CRACKING DOWN ON CHEATERS | Day 32 Highlights | WSOP 2022
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:00 PM Local Time
Start of Day 2
Cards are in the air for Day 2 of Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em. Blinds today start at 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 big blind ante.
Saturday, July 2, 2022 2:00 PM Local Time
Level 31 started
Level: 31
Blinds: 125,000/250,000
Ante: 250,000
Saturday, July 2, 2022 12:19 PM Local Time
Nacho Barbero Headlines Final Six on Day 2 of Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em
After 30 levels of play on Day 1, just six remain from an initial field of 419 in Event #67: $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold'em at the 2022 WSOP at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. Leading those six is Argentinian poker pro Nacho Barbero. He will face stiff competition, however, from a stacked final table that includes two bracelet winners in the form of Andrew Lichtenberger and Rob Hollink as well as Women in Poker Hall of Famer Maria Ho.
Those well known poker names are joined by Ilya Nikiforov, sitting in second in chips and very much a contender for the bracelet, as well as Brazilian Fabiano Kovalski who, sitting on two big blinds, has his work cut out for him.
In general, the remaining players have very shallow stacks, with the average being less than 20 big blinds. That should make for a breakneck and entertaining pace of play.
Action resumes at 2 p.m. PDT today, Saturday July 2nd on the feature table in Bally's at which point the final six will play down to a winner. As always, the PokerNews live reporting team will be on site to provide comprehensive coverage as this event comes to a conclusion.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Nacho Barbero | Argentina | 12,225,000 | 49 |
| 2 | Ilya Nikiforov | Estonia | 4,875,000 | 20 |
| 3 | Rob Hollink | Netherlands | 3,250,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Andrew Lichtenberger | United States | 2,500,000 | 10 |
| 5 | Maria Ho | United States | 1,875,000 | 8 |
| 6 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | 425,000 | 2 |