Vieira Wins 14th WCOOP Title, Bruschi

The 2026 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) on PokerStars has produced a pair of milestone results, with two of the most decorated players in series history adding to their career totals.

Vieira Breaks Through in PLO8

Portugal's Joao "Naza114" Vieira secured his 14th career WCOOP title with a victory in WCOOP 59-H: $1,050 PLO8. The win ended a run of near-misses for Vieira, who had recorded a series of runner-up finishes earlier in the championship before closing out a final table.

The event drew a field of 121 entries. Vieira defeated Estonia's Markku "markovitsus" Koplimaa in heads-up play to take the title and a first-place prize of $27,202.

With the result, Vieira moves into a share of second place on the all-time WCOOP title list. He is level with Niklas "Lena900" Astedt, Denis "aDrENalin710" Strebkov, and Patrick "pads1161" Leonard, each of whom has 14 career WCOOP victories. Only Benny "RunGodlike" Glaser sits above them, having extended his record to 17 titles during the current series.

Why the PLO8 Format Matters

Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Split Eight or Better, commonly shortened to PLO8, is a split-pot game in which players compete for both a high and a low half of the pot. A qualifying low hand requires five unpaired cards ranked eight or lower, which means many pots are divided between two players.

Because the low half is frequently in play, PLO8 rewards players who can read both halves of the board and avoid getting quartered, a situation where an opponent holds the same low and a better high. In a typical PLO8 tournament, hand selection leans toward coordinated hands containing an ace and low cards, since these can compete for both halves. This is a general strategic principle rather than a fixed rule, and the correct approach varies with stack depth and table dynamics.

Bruschi's Second Title of the Series

Brazil's Renan "Internett93o" Bruschi continued a strong championship by winning WCOOP 55-H: $1,050 NL 2-7 Single Draw. It was his second title of the 2026 series, following an earlier victory in WCOOP 20-H: $530 NL Wednesday Surprise Mystery Bounty.

In the mystery bounty event, Bruschi collected $31,686, made up of $10,846 in prize money and $21,200 in mystery bounties. His win in the 2-7 Single Draw event added $16,715.

The two results bring Bruschi to 11 career WCOOP titles, placing him among the top 10 players in the history of the series. He has also won 12 SCOOP titles, with six of those coming in 2026.

A Quick Look at 2-7 Single Draw

No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw is a draw variant in which the lowest five-card hand wins, with aces always playing high and straights and flushes counting against the player. Each player receives five cards and may replace any number of them once before the final betting round.

Because the game is played no-limit, the betting structure allows for large pressure bets, and position is especially valuable since acting last provides information about how many cards an opponent has drawn. A common strategic theme is that drawing fewer cards generally signals a stronger made hand, though players can and do mix in deceptive draws. As with all poker variants, these are tendencies rather than certainties, and opponents adjust.

A Series Defined by Record Chasing

The 2026 WCOOP has been notable for how many of its headline results involve the same small group of long-time online professionals. Glaser's record 17 titles, Vieira's move into a tie for second, and Bruschi's climb into the top 10 all reflect careers built over many years of high-volume online tournament play.

For observers, the more interesting question is how these leaderboards will look by the end of the series. With several high buy-in events still to be decided, the margin between the top handful of players remains narrow enough that a single deep run could shift the standings.

Both Vieira and Bruschi have now secured wins in the current series, and both remain active across multiple formats. Their results underline a broader trend in modern online poker: the most successful players tend to be those who can compete across no-limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, and mixed or draw games rather than specializing in a single variant.