Twelve and twelve. Monday's win pulled Renan Bruschi level on WCOOP and SCOOP titles, leaving him with 24 trophies across PokerStars' two big online series — a run that started in 2022 and has not slowed since.
The facts: an all-Brazilian heads-up and a deal before the trophy
The title came in Event #81-H, a $1,050 no-limit hold'em with 104 entries. It came down to two Brazilians: Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi against Alisson Piekazewicz. They struck a deal before playing the heads-up, took $21,189 each, and then played out the trophy, which went to Bruschi. Gabriel Tavares was also at that final table, busting ninth for $3,789.
It is his 12th career WCOOP and his third of this edition. The other two are the interesting part: #20-H, a $530 Mystery Bounty ($31,686), and #55-H, a $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw ($16,715). Three titles in one series, in three games with almost nothing in common.
Why it matters: the record is about range of games, not volume
The easy read is "he plays everything, so something lands". The accurate read is different. A Mystery Bounty, a draw tournament and a high buy-in hold'em event demand three separate skill sets: in a Mystery Bounty the elimination prize warps ICM and makes you call off in spots that would be errors in a normal event, while in a draw game the field is ten times smaller and much of it plays that format two weeks a year.
That is the usable lesson for anyone who is not a series professional: the cheapest edge on the calendar sits in the formats almost nobody studies. You do not need to learn 2-7 Single Draw to use it — just read the schedule of any series and notice that the odd-looking events draw smaller fields and less-prepared players than the hold'em event at the same hour and the same buy-in. That is table selection applied to the calendar instead of the lobby.
And there is a second detail worth more than the trophy: the deal. Splitting the money before heads-up and playing the title separately is not a lack of ambition — it is separating two decisions most players merge. One is financial: cutting the variance of a single duel for a sum that is large relative to your bankroll. The other is sporting. Players who misplay this spot tend to refuse the deal out of pride and take on risk their roll could not carry. Doing it Bruschi's way means knowing in advance how much money counts as "a lot" for you.
That number — how much is a lot — is the one worth working out before you sit down. Over in the club, it is one of the conversations that comes up most.