Brazilian national Thiago Nishijima topped a field of 989 players to claim his first bracelet and $546,843. In addition, Nishijima, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, became the third Brazilian gold bracelet winner in history, following Alexandre Gomes (2008) and Andre Akkari (2011). He had plenty of supporters cheering for him throughout the final table.
"This is truly the dream of every poker player in the world," Nishijima said. "I have to thank all of the Brazilians....having them all here makes a big difference. With my confidence, with wanting to play good, and not wanting to let them down. I know they helped me to win today."
The final table, which is described by WSOP reporters as "the wildest final table of the 2015 WSOP", included players from 6 different countries (Austria, Brazil, England, Greece, Taiwan, and the United States). The biggest star, however, was 2012 WSOP Main Event runner-up Jesse Sylvia - who was eliminated in third place.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS: Some of the more notable players who cashed included former gold bracelet winners - Harry Thomas (14th), Eric Baldwin (15th), Barry Hutter (31st), Jason Lester (49th), Brian Rast (52nd), John Reading (76th), Tristan Wade (82nd), John Gale (86th), and Chris Drombrowski (92nd).
Winner info:
Name: Thiago Nishijima
Birthplace: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Age: 36
Current Residence: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Marital Status: Engaged
Children: None
Profession: Professional Poker Player
Number of WSOP Cashes: 17
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 3
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories: 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 3rd Place (2010)
Total WSOP Earnings: $1,060,481