Big Win for Renan Bruschi in WPT World Online Championships Mini Main Event

Kaycee James

11 months ago

Renan Carlos Bruschi may have won the Mini Main Event of the WPT World Online Championships but four of the final nine all secured huge paydays.

Renan Carlos Bruschi has picked up his first WPT World Online Championships title after winning the $1,050 Mini Main Event. (Image: Partypoker)

Play started on September 9 with Liviu-Rodrig Bartha leading the way. However, with more than $758,000 up top and the stacks relatively deep, anything was liable to happen and happen it did.

Within 30 minutes of the $1,050 Mini Main starting, the first player was heading for the exit. That elimination caused a domino effect that eventually led to the final four cutting a deal.

Sick Start with Sixes for Balodis

Germany’s Tobias Koerper started as the short stack and never improved his position. After dropping to 5.5 big blinds, he pushed all-in from the cutoff with AT. Arturs Balodis called on the button with pocket sixes and that was all she wrote for Koerper after the blinds folded.

A T9A put the German ahead, but the 6 on the turn put Balodis back in front. The 3 on the river gave Balodis a flush and, with that, Koerper was sent to the rail in ninth place.

That hand gave Balodis enough momentum to take the chip lead, something that would go on to give him the biggest payout of the tournament.

Ravil Tlimisov, Romans Voitovs, and Janis Loze followed Koerper to the rail over the next hour of play, before Freek Scholten’s demise left four in contention. It was at this point a deal was discussed. With more than $500,000 in prize money separating fourth and first, a chip-chop was agreed.

When the talking was done, Balodis had locked up $535,268. Former chip leader Bartha banked $472,866, leaving Renan Carlos Bruschi and Nichita Verbitchii to pick up $454,582 and $339,606, respectively.

Bruschi Banks WPT World Online Championships Title

With money locked up and $50,000 still left to play for, things opened up. Liviu-Rodrig Bartha pushed the pace but ran into kicker troubles when his AQ lost out to Bruschi’s AK. Bartha was out a few hands later, leaving Bruschi to bulldoze his way to the title.

Arturs Balodis was next to fall before a slice of luck allowed Bruschi to get the victory over Nichita Verbitchii. In the final hand, Verbitchii turned a straight with 86 but fell into a trap when Bruschi rivered a full house.

With the board showing 74854, Bruschi check-raised all-in with pocket eights. Verbitchii called and quickly saw the bad news. That brought the WPT World Online Championships Mini Main Event to an end and gave Bruschi another $50,000.