Several Brazilians have had the honor of being able to claim “I’m a champion” after taking down the PokerStars Sunday Million since the tournament’s start in 2006. Cardroom Poker Team player Barbara Akemi joined the illustrious bust list on this Tuesday night, the last day of February 2023.
The Brazilian player, who used by the handle “baakemi,” wowed viewers over the whole Final Day broadcast on her Twitch channel, turning her initial $109 investment into a massive big hit of $92,281. Barbara is the first Brazilian woman to win the Sunday Million, beating out a field of 10,662 entrants.
She entered Day 3 with the third-largest stack among the 90 players still in the game and rode it to a very successful finish. Around 2,500 fans watched as Barbara won enormous hands on the semi-final table, giving her a massive chip lead going into the final table.
As a result, Akemi was grabbing pots in rapid succession and applying pressure to her opponents, who she was only raising pre-flop. Barbara’s stack was increased thanks to a pre-flop all-in with QQ versus KK. The board read 67TAQ, and a queen on the river put her ahead.
Her chip stack grew larger and larger, and the strain on the ICM grew accordingly. If there was another saving river during the 4-handed game, Barbara would be eliminated. Her A5 straight on board 4JQ32 defeated “Starosta’s” 88, making her the undisputed champion.
The Brazilian annihilated her three opponents in the 3-handed, who were all but vying for second place. Some of them even folded, but Akemi’s superiority was too much for their stack. With 63 versus K5 preflop, she eliminated “REDHEAD1134”.
With a chip stack lead of 10 to 1, Barbara needed just two hands to eliminate her last opponent, the Thai “NOEXITNO,” from the tournament. She returned his push with KJ, defeating the Asian’s Q8, which sent her chat group into an uproar of passion and a frenzy.
