Two years ago, Argentinian Rapper and PokerStars ambassador Alejandro “Papo MC” Lococo took down the €1100 Eureka Prague Main Event at EPT Prague 2022, earning nearly half a million dollars.
This year, Lococo had planned to return to Prague for the ongoing European Poker Tour in the Czech capital. However, a last-minute suggestion from Spanish poker pro Adrian Mateos changed his course. The Winamax Pro convinced Lococo to travel to the Bahamas instead to compete in the year’s most expensive tournament, the $1 million buy-in Triton Millions, as part of the WSOP Paradise festival.
That decision proved to be one of the best of his career.
The Argentinian superstar not only won his first Triton title and his first WSOP bracelet but also claimed one of the largest prizes in poker history—a staggering $12.7 million.
This is, in fact, the largest score ever recorded by a current member of Team PokerStars. In 2014, Daniel Negreanu, then a PokerStars ambassador, earned $8.2 million for finishing runner-up in the Big One for One Drop. Two years ago, Sam Grafton, another PokerStars ambassador, took down the Triton Invitational with a $5.5 million payout.
He’s more than just a talented player, he shows true ambition and determination, and we’re proud to have him represent our brand.
Lococo’s $12.7 million victory surpasses all of these, and PokerStars has confirmed that it is the biggest win ever by any of their ambassadors.
The Triton Million, held in partnership with WSOP Paradise, was an exclusive invitational tournament featuring pairs of one professional and one amateur player. Lococo participated as an invitee and was paired with Portuguese Winamax Poker pro João Vieira. The event drew 37 pairs of players, with 22 players opting to rebuy, culminating in a total of 96 entries.
Each entry required a $1 million buy-in, split evenly between the two players, with each contributing $500,000. This generated a staggering $48 million prize pool, of which Lococo claimed the lion’s share—a record-breaking $12.7 million. According to PokerStars, this is the seventh-largest payout in poker history and the second-largest in Triton’s history.
“We are so excited to celebrate this incredible accomplishment with Papo,” David Curtis, Head of Marketing Engagement Communications told pokerfuse on Papo’s win. “Securing a $12 million win, the 7th largest in poker history, is a testament to his exceptional skill. He’s more than just a talented player, he shows true ambition and determination, and we’re proud to have him represent our brand.”
From Rapper to Poker Champion
Known by his stage name “Papo MC,” Lococo is a freestyle rapper, battle MC, and a cultural icon in South America, boasting 2.6 million followers on Instagram, over 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube, and nearly a million followers on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite his fame in the music world, Lococo is far from a poker novice. He began playing professionally in 2016 and has achieved many milestones, including finishing just six places shy of winning the WSOP Main Event in 2021, earning over $1.2 million. He made another deep run in 2022, finishing 39th. Additionally, Lococo holds five EPT trophies.
In 2021, Lococo joined PokerStars as an ambassador, representing their play money platform—a first-of-its-kind partnership aimed at growing the operator’s presence in the South American market. He has also been a prominent promoter of PokerStars’ VR offering, now rebranded as Vegas Infinite.
Before this monumental victory, Papo MC had amassed $2.8 million in live tournament earnings. While his $12.7 million payout is extraordinary, it is common in high-stakes events for players to sell shares of their buy-ins, and Lococo was no exception, holding only a small percentage of himself. Even so, earning a cut of $12.7 million is a remarkable achievement.
However, Lococo’s win is not the largest by an ambassador representing an online poker operator. In 2019, then-GGPoker ambassador Bryn Kenney claimed a record-breaking £16.8 million payout at the Triton Million £1 million buy-in event. Kenney parted ways with GGPoker in 2020 and later launched his own poker platform, 4Poker.
