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Montenegro’s “ZaCafu” began the $80,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event final table at 888poker with a commanding chip lead, holding more than double the stack of any rival. Less than 90 minutes later, they had converted that advantage into outright victory, never relinquishing top spot throughout the session.
The tournament’s guarantee had recently been trimmed from $100,000 to $80,000 following weeks of overlays, with the ongoing FIFA World Cup cited as a possible factor in reduced turnout. Despite the change, this edition still overlaid, though 744 entrants kept the shortfall smaller than in previous weeks.
Day 1 concluded with eight players remaining, most of the major mystery bounties already claimed. Brazil’s Joao “joao_mathias” Mathias had banked an $8,000 bounty before reaching the final table, while a $3,200 bounty still in play influenced how finalists approached key decisions.
Sweden’s “BananUlla” fell first in eighth place, losing a short-stacked all-in with ace-king to “Oldnall’s” queen-three after the board delivered a surprise straight. “Georgian23” exited next in seventh, their pocket eights no match for “SERGI0BR’s” flush and “ZaCafu’s” turned set.
“joao_mathias” departed in sixth, handing over the remaining $3,200 bounty to “yriy3” after losing a race. “Oldnall” and “SERGI0BR” followed in fifth and fourth, both eliminated by “ZaCafu” and “yriy3” respectively, before Brazil’s “Paulada85” bowed out in second-to-last, unsuccessfully bluffing into “ZaCafu’s” trip aces.
Heads-up saw “ZaCafu” holding a commanding chip lead over “yriy3,” which they converted into the title when “yriy3” couldn’t improve beyond a single pair. “yriy3” earned $8,745 for the runner-up finish, while “ZaCafu” collected $8,301 for the win, turning a $109 buy-in into a hefty payday.
