Paraguayan Marcelo Mereles Wins PPT Megamente High Roller in First Circuit Appearance

Paraguayan player Marcelo Mereles won the Megamente High Roller at the Paraná Poker Tour in Maringá, taking home R$ 80,000 in his first appearance on the circuit. The tournament, which carried a R$ 5,000 buy-in, drew 67 entries and marked the largest buy-in event ever held in PPT history.

The event was a late addition to the final stage of the year’s schedule, with an extra day built into the structure aimed at improving playability. Mereles told the tour he had been traveling back to Paraguay when he learned about the series by chance and decided the timing felt like a signal.

Key facts

Final table depth and ranking implications

The final table included several regular PPT competitors. Matheus Lima and Dieferson Montrezol exited in the early phase, while event co-owner Alexandre Matsumoto finished fifth. Andressa Lincoln recorded a meaningful third-place result, earning R$ 36,000 and collecting points in the tour’s player ranking race.

Bruno Santos arrived at heads-up play as chip leader and had an opportunity to close out the title when his AQ was all in against Mereles’s A7. Mereles hit a 7 to survive, then built on that momentum to secure the trophy.

How Mereles navigated the final table

Mereles entered the final table seventh in chips and described a patient climb. He cited an AQ versus KQ confrontation as the hand that established his position at the table, then shifted to pressuring medium stacks and winning smaller pots. He called the heads-up phase balanced before the decisive all-in swung the match in his favor.

Final table payouts

1º Marcelo Mereles (Paraguai) – R$ 80,000
2º Bruno Santos – R$ 60,000
3º Andressa Lincoln – R$ 36,000
4º Emerson Nunes – R$ 29,000
5º Alexandre Matsumoto – R$ 22,000
6º Giancarlo Reis – R$ 17,000
7º Matheus Lima – R$ 13,000
8º Dieferson Montrezol – R$ 10,500
9º Andre Cabrini – R$ 8,500

What the result signals for the PPT

The Megamente High Roller’s debut attracted a field that mixed established Brazilian regulars with an international winner, reinforcing the Paraná Poker Tour’s reach beyond its regional base. For video poker players and tournament fans tracking Brazilian circuit results, the event offers a benchmark for how the tour is expanding its high-buy-in schedule heading into the next season.

Mereles said he was happy with the experience and pleased to bring the trophy back to Paraguay, describing the stop as a pleasure and noting that the series had caught his attention at the right moment.

Source: Mundo Poker – https://mundopoker.com.br/parana-poker-tour/ppt-paraguaio-marcelo-mereles-rouba-a-cena-e-vence-o-megamente-high-roller-em-sua-primeira-vez-no-circuito/