Politano finishes eighth at WSOP Main Event, Brazil rejoices

LAS VEGAS -- We're only 14 years into the 21st century, but saying Bruno Politano got Brazil excited about the World Series of Poker Main Event might be the understatement of the century.

The November Nine has seen rowdy supporters in the past. But rarely has the November Nine seen a group as unified in its support as the roughly 150 Brazilians who came to the Rio All-Suite Hotel to cheer on Politano on Monday night. They chanted and sang, giving the Penn and Teller Theater an aura more commonly associated with a soccer stadium than a poker room.

And while Politano wished he had done better than eighth place, he was all smiles as he gathered with his friends after his queen-10 failed to connect with the board, losing to Felix Stephensen's pocket sevens.

"For me, eighth place is not a sad moment," said Politano. "Of course I wanted to get the bracelet. I wanted to be a champion, but I feel like a champion because I have my friends, my family, everybody here."

While the money is nice (Politano earned $947,172 for his eighth-place finish), Politano insists he doesn't play poker for the money.

"Money is not that important to me," said Politano, who in addition to playing poker also owns his own business. "I don't play poker for this. I play poker for this," he said, gesturing to the throngs of friends and Brazilian media who surrounded him after his early exit.

He says poker is gaining acceptance as a mental game in Brazil, in part because of his performance at this year's Main Event. And if more Brazilians start playing poker as well as Politano did in this tournament, the WSOP November Nine may have to get used to boisterous crowds of Brazilians wearing yellow shirts, waving Brazilian flags, singing songs and chanting their support.

Politano finishes eighth at WSOP Main Event, Brazil rejoices is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.