Brazil's Pride and Joy: Bruno Politano
Born Oct. 15, 1982, Bruno Politano is the pride and joy of Ceará, Brazil. Politano, who studied at Colégio 7 de Setembro in Fortaleza, Brazil, currently ranks 98th on the Brazilian all-time money list with $110,054 in live earnings. His poker prowess comes as no surprise when you consider he’s friends with some of his homeland's best poker players, such as Andre Akkari, Maria Mayrinck, and Thiago Decano.
Prior to his deep run in the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event, Politano’s biggest cash was for $47,493 for a third-place finish in the 2013 Brazilian Series of Poker Main Event (BSOP) in Florianópolis. Other significant finishes include eighth in the Latin American Poker Tour IV Sao Paulo R$5,000 Main Event for $27,206 and seventh in the 2011 BSOP High Roller for $10,594.
In 2011, Politano notched his first WSOP cash when he placed 148th in a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $2,548. In 2014, Politano returned to Las Vegas and earned two more cashes prior to the Main Event – 17th in Event #39 $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $20,148 and 135th in Event #58 $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Mixed Max for $2,708.
As for his Main Event run, Politano began the Day 1c minefield as one of the many hopefuls in the field. He managed to finish the 2,571 survivor 474th in chips with 66,800 and while he managed to make it through Day 2c, he did so with just 72,400 – good for 1,134 of 1,864 players. Politano chipped up slightly to 110,000 on Day 3, which put him 598th out of 746 players.
Politano’s patience paid off on Day 4 when he was able to increase his stack twentyfold to 2.289 million, which put him in fifth out of 291 players. He maintained his status on Day 5 as he chipped up to 5.475 million – good for fourth out of the advancing 79 players – and on Day 6, he navigated his way to the top 27, sixth in chips with 11.625 million. Politano's patience has served him well and might just lead to a seat at poker’s most prestigious final table.
Here's a look as Politano’s WSOP résumé prior to the 2014 Main Event:
Total WSOP & Circuit Earnings: $22,696
WSOP Bracelets: 0
WSOP Cashes: 2
WSOP Earnings: $22,696
Circuit Rings: 0
Circuit Cashes: 0
Circuit Earnings: $0