Damian Salas wins International leg of WSOP Main Event

A player from Argentina will now travel to Las Vegas to play for $1 million and the world title after victory in Rozvadov.

After two days of grinding online, travelling from Argentina to the Czech Republic during a Pandemic and defeating a tough final table, Damiam Salas is just one player away from being our World Champion. 

He defeated Brazilian Brunno Botteon heads-up to win the first leg of the $10,000 Main Event for $1,500,968 and a shot at glory. 

If the name sounds familiar, Salas came 7th in the 2017 Main Event for $1,425,000 the year that Scott Blumstein was crowned the champion. 

@WSOP Main Event International Champion Damian Salas! 🥳👑💥 pic.twitter.com/5bABc6SFTZ

— GGPoker - HOME OF ONLINE POKER'S LARGEST PRIZEPOOL (@GGPoker) December 15, 2020

Salas is a lawyer who told PokerNews he has no intention of playing poker professionally. Although this is a comparatively low key Main Event for many reasons in 2020, should he win the title at the end of the month it may lead to a mini-boom in Argentina for the game, much like it did for Joe Hachem in Australia in 2005.

One unusual footnote which may prove to be a poker trivia question in future years is that Chinese player Peiyuan Sun did not travel to play in the final table and thus took home 9th place prize. This meant that all the other players successfully laddered by at least $34,623 simply by showing up.

Salas will now travel to Las Vegas to play heads-up on December 30 against the winner of the US leg. They will play for $1 million added and the 2020 World Series of Poker Main Event title. 

*Player did not travel to the final table and was therefore awarded ninth place prize.