Brazil’s Carlos Augusto ‘gutAoAllin’ Martins wins Sunday Million Anniversary 19 for $391K
Find out what happened in the 19th edition of the Sunday Million Anniversary.
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Here’s all you need to know about the Sunday Million Anniversary 19 (April 6-8, 2025)
The tournament, which marked another year of the world’s most iconic weekly online poker event, attracted 28,444 entries at $215 each and paid out a total of $6,000,000 in prizes. For the finalists, it was a long marathon that lasted three days. But for the ultimate champion Carlos Augusto “gutAoAllin” Martins – who took home an astonishing $391,436.39 – the journey to the title began long before…
Interview and article by Sergio Prado, Live Events Manager for PokerStars in Brazil.
THE BEGINNING IN POKER
“I started playing poker like most people do nowadays – at 19, playing home games with friends back in 2010. That’s when I first got to know the game, started watching poker broadcasts on TV like the WSOP, WPT, High Stakes Poker, and Poker After Dark,” said the player from Umuarama (Paraná), who now lives in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul).
“The following year, I started working as a dealer to save money for my first deposit on PokerStars. I also found a few bonuses on poker sites at the time, got into it, and decided to go pro without knowing what being a professional player meant.”
Before long, Guto was playing $2.50 Sit & Go tournaments on PokerStars. It was through these 180-player tournaments that he joined his first poker team.
“One of the regulars was the owner of a small team. He invited me to join – I was looking to learn more, so I agreed to split half my profits in exchange for coaching. I think it was a fair deal. That laid the foundation for my career in Sit & Gos. I put in a lot of volume – played about 60 to 70 thousand games. Then I eventually transitioned to MTTs (multi-table tournaments).”
A LIFE-CHANGING DECISION
At that time, Guto had to make a huge life decision: to drop out of university.
“I talked with my mum and dad, and asked for one year to try and make it work. I only had three months of bills covered, had to move out on my own because I needed a better environment to work in. Then, just as my savings were running out, I won a tournament! From there, things slowly started falling into place. It was a steady progression – no major breakthrough at that point.”
THE SUNDAY MILLION VICTORY
But eventually, the breakthrough came. A Sunday Million title is something every poker player dreams of – and for this Suits Poker Team pro, the victory was even more meaningful.
“It’s a real turning point – not just financially. Winning the Sunday Million Anniversary has a huge impact. It’s something every poker player chases. Not just for the money – it’s about seeing your name at the top of the most important tournament, the one you watch others play every Sunday. It’s very special. I really feel grateful – like things happened exactly as they were meant to.”
With an average buy-in (ABI) of $15 to $20, Guto doesn’t usually play the Sunday Million regularly. He sticks to a strict bankroll plan and only plays in special editions or if he qualifies through satellites. For the 19th Anniversary special, he intended to play and was planning to buy in directly. But he was pleasantly surprised when he opened his PokerStars chests.
“I checked and saw I’d received a Spin & Go ticket and a special $215 ticket. I was planning to play anyway, so I used the ticket for the first entry and had planned to re-enter during Max Late Registration if needed. But I didn’t need to – I made it through Day 1 comfortably, Day 2 went well, and things just flowed. On the final day, there were 32 players left and I was in 19th place.
“The first pay jump was already more than my biggest career cash. I kept hitting small milestones throughout the day. It was magical – things just clicked, and I wanted to be at peace with my decisions, to play in a way where I wouldn’t second-guess myself. And I think I did that perfectly – every decision, up to the last hand, I felt very calm. And it all worked out.”
LOOKING AHEAD
And work out it did – in a way that changes any player’s career and life. Naturally, thoughts of the future soon followed…
“My job isn’t done. I still have a lot I want to achieve. But this is definitely a turning point – both financially and personally. It’s a huge win, the kind every poker player dreams of. I think it can open many new doors for me. Now that the financial pressure is gone, which can really weigh on a poker player who relies on variable income, I think I’ll be more at ease. This gives me stability and financial health to perform better and keep chasing results.”
And who knows? Maybe more results are just around the corner at the next SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker). Guto already had plans to play the series, but in a more cautious way.
“Now everything’s changed. I’m not going to go overboard – I’ll play where I feel comfortable, where I believe I can perform well. It’s an important series, and I plan to be there every year, giving it my best shot. And maybe I’ll bring another title home for Brazil.”
Even though his career has been focused on online poker, live tournaments might also be on the cards now. “Within the next six months to a year, I want to play a BSOP.”
But before that, Guto will have time to enjoy his Sunday Million 19th Anniversary win – a victory he dedicated to several important people in his life.
“The Suits crew supported me massively – there were 50 people watching me on Discord. It really is like a family. I know it sounds cliché, but I’ve never seen anything like what people do in this team – they’re incredible human beings.
“I want to thank my mum, who always supported me, and my two dads – I have a stepfather who is also like a dad to me. He’s the one who never let me give up, always had my back, always kept me going. And also Roger Dots – he’s the one I really need to thank from the bottom of my heart. He started with me, brought me into poker, went through all the tough times with me. He stuck it out during all the hard phases. Yesterday, he was there with me, sweating every hand. It’s crazy to think that someone who stood by you during the roughest times is also there for the best moment. It was a coronation – pure magic.”
TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP
One of the biggest online tournaments of the year wrapped up on Tuesday, April 8, an epic conclusion that saw “gutAoAllin” top a 28,444-entry field after three days of play.
The enormous $215 buy-in event came with a whopping $6 million in the prize pool, and a huge chunk of that was chopped up by the final four players. While gutAoAllin earned $391,436 and the title, it was actually “KkkEndriK” of Vietnam who banked the most, collecting $436,013 for their runner-up finish.
gutAoAllin took a big chip lead early on the final table after a gutsy three-bet bluff with Q♦ 8♦ ended up beating the A♣ 10♣ of ninth-place finisher “Rsaxo66”. The rungood continued when “Ayronn” jammed pocket sevens into their pocket aces, eliminating Ayronn in sixth.
Stacks evened out four-handed before KkkEndriK took the lead, just in time for a deal discussion. It didn’t work out that time, nor the second and third times the clock was paused. By the fourth deal chat, KkkEndriK had amassed a healthy lead and was therefore in the best position to secure the largest payout.
Once a deal was done, we lost the UK’s “desbone13” in fourth – A♥ 9♥ against KkkEndriK’s A♦ J♣ – and another Brazilian, “AT_prodotico”, in third (K♥ 4♥ against KkkEndriK’s pocket aces). As AT_prodotico had a bigger stack the eventual winner at the time of the deal, they secured the second largest payout: $395,760.
The heads-up battle lasted for around 45 minutes before gutAoAllin got the best of it, winning with top pair against KkkEndriK’s busted flush draw.
You can watch all the action from the final day here.
Neymar fired three bullets into the SMA19
Just about all the PokerStars Ambassadors played this one but it was soccer icon Neymar Jr who ran deepest, busting in 615th place for $1,381 — an impressive run from one of the most famous footballers on the planet.
Other notables to enjoy decent cashes include Denys “SantaZzz” Chufarin (20th – $10,360), Dara “SlowDoke” O’Kearney (37th – $6,721), and Niklas “Lena900” Astedt (200th – $2,789).
Sunday Million Anniversary 19 results
Dates: April 6-8
Buy-in: $215
Entries: 28,444
Prize pool: $6,000,000
1. gutAoAllin (Brazil) – $391,436*
2. KkkEndriK (Vietnam) – $436,013*
3. AT_prodotico (Brazil) – $395,760*
4. Desbone13 (UK) – $331,509*
5. Brizionz13 (New Zealand) – $155,400
6. Ayronn (Austria) – $110,774
7. Kepalas89 (Lithuania) – $78,964
8. RhoNin9 (Austria) – $56,288
9. Rsaxo66 (Lithuania) – $40,124
ABOUT THE SMA 19
Sunday, April 6, 2025.
Mark it on your calendar. Don’t make plans. Get a good night’s rest beforehand.
The Sunday Million Anniversary 19 has a $215 buy-in and a whopping $6 million already in the prize pool, making it the biggest event of the year on PokerStars.
And this year’s anniversary event comes with more ways to qualify than ever, so if $215 stretches your bankroll, don’t sweat. You have ample opportunity to win a seat and play for the millions in prizes and hundreds of thousands up top.
All roads in the Sunday Million Season lead towards the Anniversary on Sunday, April 6. Each week in the lead-up PokerStars is giving away tickets to the event – $300K’s worth – ensuring players of all bankrolls and experience levels get a shot to play.
You could even win more than one ticket as players are allowed up to five re-entries, with late registration open for 24 hours and 15 minutes, closing at 13:20 ET on April 7.
Learn more about the Anniversary tournament and find out what happened last year here.
KEY INFO:
SUNDAY MILLION ANNIVERSARY 19
Date: Sunday, April 6, 2025
Buy-in: $215
Guarantee: $6 million
Late reg: Open until 13:20 ET on April 7
Re-entries: Up to 5
WIN ENTRY VIA SUNDAY MILLION SEASON
The second annual Sunday Million Season will run from February 23 to April 8, 2025. This series invites players into the arena to battle for mega prize pools ($18.7 million guaranteed across 70 tournaments), exclusive prizes, and valuable leaderboard points every week.
It’s an epic journey towards the Sunday Million Anniversary 19 and its mouth-watering $6 million guaranteed prize pool. With more opportunities to qualify for the Anniversary than ever, each episode could bring you closer to that golden ticket.
SEASON TICKET MACHINE – $300K TO BE GIVEN AWAY
There’s $300,000 worth of tickets to the Sunday Million Anniversary to be given away throughout the Sunday Million Season.
To be in with a shot of winning tickets all you have to do is Opt-in via Challenges in the PokerStars client and play one tournament per week. The more tournaments you play the more entries into the Ticket Machine raffle you’ll have.
That means you could not only win your way into the $215 Anniversary where you’ll play for a share of $6 million.
The iconic online poker tournament
For 20 years, the Sunday Million has cemented itself as online poker’s most prestigious regularly scheduled tournament; the one that every player dreams of winning.
Affectionately referred to as the Milly, the Sunday Million has consistently broken online poker records, kickstarted countless poker careers, and been a permanent fixture on our weekend schedules since it was first named back in June 2006.
It’s the event that moves with the times and adapts to players’ wants, from changes in the buy-in to switching to a progressive knockout format and, more recently, Mystery Bounty special editions.
Becoming a Sunday Million champion is iconic. Becoming a multiple Sunday Million champion is the stuff of legend.
Check out the full timeline of the Sunday Million.
How to get ready
The Sunday Million is–first and foremost–an extremely fun tournament to play. There are huge fields, massive prizes, and the excitement that comes with playing such an iconic event.
You certainly don’t need to hit the books beforehand in order to enjoy a deep run.
But it certainly won’t hurt your chances either. And over the years, PokerStars Learn has published some excellent strategy articles to help players make the most of this particular tournament.
Let’s go through some of them.
SUNDAY MILLION – EARLY GAME STRATEGY
So you’ve got your ticket to the Sunday Million. You’ve prepared mentally, are well rested, have some snacks on hand, and the game is about to start.
Now that it’s go-time, how should you approach the early game strategy? In this article, we are going to talk about just that.
Read: Sunday Million – Early Game Strategy
The early stages of any tournament requires a particular strategy
SUNDAY MILLION – MID GAME STRATEGY
In this article, we move to the middle stages pre-money and talk about what to expect there.
How do you adjust to varying stack sizes? What kind of players should you look out for?
Read: Sunday Million – Mid Game Strategy
You’ve survived the early stages but you’re not yet at the bubble. What’s the best mid game strategy?
SUNDAY MILLION – BUBBLE STRATEGY
Here, we break away from the more generalized “stages” to talk about a specific point in the tournament, the bubble.
How can you use this stage to your advantage? Which players should you target? And who should you avoid?
Read: Sunday Million – Bubble Strategy
The bubble. A unique moment in any poker tournament
SUNDAY MILLION – FINAL TABLE STRATEGY
So you’ve won a satellite into the Sunday Million, made it through the early and middle stages, navigated the bubble like an expert, and now find yourself at the final table. Congratulations! What now?
Obviously, the intricacies of final table play can’t be covered completely in a single article, but let’s cover some of the essential basics here.
Read: Sunday Million – Final Table Strategy
The final table. Now the hard work begins.
How to follow the action
Even if you’re not playing in the Sunday Million Anniversary, doesn’t mean you can’t follow the action and cheer on your friends and favourite players.
Thankfully, there are many ways you can do it.
POKERSTARS LIVE STREAM
You’ll be able to watch cards-up coverage from the Sunday Million Anniversary 19 on the PokerStars Twitch and YouTube channels, with the award-winning broadcast duo James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton calling the action alongside the likes of Nick Walsh and Griffin Benger.
TUNE IN TO YOUR FAVOURITE STREAMERS
This is one tournament that no online poker streamer is going to miss.
So when Sunday, April 6 rolls around, simply open up Twitch or YouTube and you’ll have your pick of the biggest streamers in the game.
Make sure you follow them all so you know when they go live!
You’ll find links to all PokerStars Team Pro streamers below.
- Lex Veldhuis
- Benjamin “Spraggy” Spragg
- Fintan “easywithaces” Hand
- Parker “tonkaaaap” Talbot
- Lasse “WisternJL” Jagd Lauritsen
- Sebastian “peacendloove” Huber
- Felix “xflixx” Schneiders (German language)
- Rafael “GM_Valter” Moraes (Portuguese language)
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR YOUR COMEBACK
We hope reading through this article has got you as excited about the Sunday Million Anniversary 19 as we are.
Perhaps it has even inspired you to open your PokerStars client for the first time in a while and try to book your seat.
That’s a fantastic idea.
Because if there’s one online poker tournament you should play this year, it’s this one.
First of all, there’s life-changing money up for grabs. With $6 million guaranteed, this is the best-value $215 buy-in tournament you’ll find anywhere.
Secondly, you’ll be playing in one the largest editions of the most iconic online poker tournament ever held.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s your chance to add your name to the poker history books.
You could follow in the footsteps of 2022 winner “Blackbeaty”, who won $931K after a heads-up deal. “This win changes everything,” they told us.
Blackbeaty is the reigning champ
And Vanessa “Nifller” Kade, who won the Anniversary outright in 2021 for a staggering $1.5 million. “This is the best value tournament all year,” she said.
Read: Vanessa Kade reflects on $1.5M Sunday Million win: “This is the best value tournament all year”
Vanessa Kade: winner of the Sunday Million Anniversary in 2021
2023’s champ was Ricardo “RFN1986” Nagamoto who banked a cool million bucks for defeating a 39,500-entry field.
“It’s a very symbolic event with affordable value for many and you can find big poker stars in the field,” he told us. “Winning a regular Sunday Million would be an incredible feat. But winning the anniversary Sunday Million is indescribable.”
And last year’s winner of the 18th Anniversary was “CrossBreed17”, who emerged from a gruelling 90-minute heads-up battle to win a first prize of $1 million.
Start dreaming.
We’ll see you on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
MORE ABOUT SUNDAY MILLION ANNIVERSARY
SUNDAY MILLION TIMELINE | SUNDAY MILLION ANNIVERSARY RETROSPECTIVE
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