As anyone who's been paying even the slightest attention knows, Brazilians got off to a great start during SCOOP 2016, winning four early titles and several more since. Past Sunday Warm-Up finalist FLBonatto was in position to become one of them. Then came a nightmare scenario at the final table of SCOOP 2016 Event #4-M where pocket aces went from big favorite for a monster pot to a 6th-place bust when the board made three of a kind for the other player's K-J. Tonight, FLBonatto got a rare second chance and made the most of the opportunity - though not before surviving a major scare at the hands of a determined and resourceful opponent.

The Day 1 field for Event #16-M came in at 5,980 players, building a $5,980,000 prize pool split down the middle between bounties on everyone's head and payouts for the top 765 finishers. They played 28 levels before pausing for the night, with Team PokerStars Pro's own Chen-An Lin among them. He stayed in the top 10 for much of the early going after Day 2 kicked off at 1pm ET and even flirted with chip lead briefly. Eventually, though, he fell just short of a chance at the title in 14th place, earning a $1,330.35 payout and another $2,406.48 in bounties.

Not long after Lin's elimination, Sweden's TanTanSWE won a significant pot to break the bubble. The Swede's [Kc] [Ks] held up against noeschi's [Ad] [Qh] and muggsyboges's [Ac] [Jh] in a three-way pot. muggsyboges was left with 406K - a little more than three big blinds - but noeschi exited in 10th place ($1,779.05, plus $2,681.20 in bounties). With that, these nine players got the last leg of the tournament underway at 8:16pm ET:

Seat 1: schamixx (8,482,581 in chips)
Seat 2: TanTanSWE (9,201,078 in chips)
Seat 3: Christ1508 (4,322,568 in chips)
Seat 4: FLBonatto (3,337,232 in chips)
Seat 5: muggsyboges (406,193 in chips)
Seat 6: Dan "Danny98765" Smith (9,998,330 in chips)
Seat 7: AzEsmLolli (2,175,120 in chips)
Seat 8: trzcinsky (11,763,462 in chips)
Seat 9: Alex "lynskey99" Lynskey (10,113,436 in chips)

Like the NBA player the WCOOP 2014 finalist's screen name comes from, muggsyboges' stack was quite short compared to everyone else in the game after that bubble hand. The Canadian player opened the action on the second hand of the final table by moving all-in for 376K, just a touch over three big blinds, with [Kh] [7c]. That was dominated by lynskey99's [Ks] [Qh], and when neither player improved on the [6h] [Ad] [8h] [9s] [Jd] board, muggsyboges dribbled away in 9th place ($2,392.00 + $1,983.98 in bounties).

Christ1508's stack had been worth 36 big blinds when the final table began on the 60K/120K/15K level. Between making two bets and folding on the turn of the table's first hand, paying out blinds and antes through two full levels, and being unable to pick up a big win, the Brazilian was down to 2.7M and just 17 big blinds. Holding [Ac] [5c] in the small blind, Christ1508 three-bet for all of those chips after schamixx opened for 336K in the cutoff. schamixx called with [As] [8c] and caught two pair on the [2s] [Ah] [8h] flop, leaving just a 3.7-percent chance to find new life with a runner-runner straight. The [2h]-[4s] turn and river didn't do the trick, and Christ1508 checked out in 8th place ($3,737.50 + $2,273.34 in bounties).

That win left schamixx just a few big blinds behind trzcinsky for the chip lead, and the Austrian player looked a good value to lock it up tight after calling a raise in the small blind with [Ad] [Td] and flopping two pair. schamixx check-raised and then called when FLBonatto made it three bets and 7.5M to go with [Ah] [Kd]. Big Slick had just a 15.4-percent chance to win the hand there, but after the [Kh] came on the turn the chance of losing fell to just one in 20. The [7h] on the river gave FLBonatto the 16.6M-chip pot and left schamixx with 2.7M. But schamixx immediately doubled through lynskey99 and was right back in the game.

The next bustout came not from a short stack desperately trying to stave off elimination, but from Dan "Danny98765" Smith trying to seize an opporunity to build a stack. FLBonatto opened the hand for 462K in the cutoff and Smith, whose mile-long resume includes past TCOOP, Sunday Million, and Super Tuesday wins, called on the button with [As] [5s]. trzcinsky came along from the big blind with [6c] [2c] and led for 897K after making a six-high straight on the [3s] [4s] [5h] flop. That chased FLBonatto away but Smith raised to 2.2M and called after trzcinsky made it three bets all-in. He was 39.7 percent to win on the flop, but the [Qd] turn and [4c] river were no help and Smith hit the rail in 7th place ($6,727.50 + $2,515.39 in bounties).

After almost an hour of half of poker, the field was down by three and trzcinsky and FLBonatto were separated by just a fraction of an ante at the top of the leaderboard with 15.3M chips each, with Sweden's TanTanSWE in third at 10.5M. A past Sunday Warm-Up finalist and three-time Super Tuesday finalist with one SCOOP 2016 final table already on the resume, TanTanSWE was looking to improve on a fifth-place finish in Event #7-H. But after losing three pots in the blinds, the Swedish player was in the small blind once again with 4.6M left, 4.3M in the pot, and a [6d] [Js] [7c] [Ah] board with [5d] [4d] in the hole. Having checked and induced a 1.1M-chip bet from trzcinsky, TanTanSWE now raised all-in on the semi-bluff. trzcinsky called immediately with [7d] [7h] for a set of sevens and won with a full house on the [Jc] river, and TanTanSWE exited in 6th place ($9,717.50 + $2,475.73 in bounties).

Alex "lynskey99" Lynskey, the MicroMillions 7 winner whose past final table appearance include WCOOP 2014 , Sunday Warm-Up, and two Super Tuesdays, was pinned between schamixx and trzcinsky now, and with a shorter stack to boot. An opening finally came after trzcinsky folded in the cutoff, and lynskey99 opened all-in for 3.8M with [Kd] [Jh]. Chip leader FLBonatto called as a 55.9-percent favorite with [Td] [Th] in the big blind and got the pair to hold up on a [Qs] [8h] [Ac] [Qd] [4h] board, sending lynskey99 out in 5th place ($12,707.50 + $3,308.30 in bounties).

Already comfortably in the lead with 26.4M, FLBonatto added a little more four hands later after opening with [Qc] [8c] and having AzEsmLolli three-bet with [4h] [4s] on the button. FLBonatto raised again and AzEsmLolli called all-in, just missing a flush and losing to a pair of queens after the board came [6h] [3h] [Qh] [5d] [As]. With that, AzEsmLolli finished in 4th place ($16,893.50 + $845.68 in bounties).

After two hours and 17 minutes of poker, the blinds and antes were at 150K/300K/17.5K and the final table had been reduced to three players with plenty of chips. FLBonatto led the way with 28.3M, with trzcinsky at 17.2M and schamixx about 10 big blinds behind that. There was room to play three-handed, and everyone took advantage where they could for the next hour. trzcinsky won an early pot worth 9.3M from FLBonatto, calling bets before and after the [8h] [Ac] [Js] flop before raising on the [Tc] turn to run FLBonatto off. That left schamixx stuck between the two big stacks where the Austrian player fought to win a fair share of the pots but couldn't find any real traction. After 50 minutes schamixx finally found a spot to get in as a favorite, moving all-in for 8.1M from the small blind with [Ah] [8s] and getting a call from FLBonatto with [Ks] [Qc]. But FLBonatto took the pot with a pair of queens after the board came [9c] [Tc] [Qd] [5h] [6s], and schamixx was gone in 3rd place ($24,667.50 + $6,684.58 in bounties).

Slaying the phoenix

FLBonatto had been in a similar situation not long ago in Event #4-M, holding the chip lead with six players left, only to lose a monster pot with pocket aces against K-J. Now it was just one opponent to get past, with FLBonatto holding 45M chips to trzcinsky's 14.7M. So when trzcinsky suggested they chop the money down the middle or "I'll rise like a phoenix," the Brazilian was having none of it and play resumed with the scheduled prizes on the line.

That casual remark looked for some time like it might turn into a second straight SCOOP disappointment for FLBonatto, starting nine minutes in when trzcinsky limped on the button and then three-bet all-in with [Ac] [5c] after FLBonatto raised in the big blind with [Ad] [Jc]. trzcinsky went from being a 2-to-1 underdog to a 99.5-percent favorite on the [5s] [5h] [9h] flop, and that 23M-chip pot was the start the Polish player needed to extend the heads-up portion of play to an hour and 40 minutes.

FLBonatto remained ahead by that margin until just after the midnight ET break. trzcinsky called a raise out of position and then another FLBonatto bet on the [8s] [As] [Ts] flop before coming over the top of FLBonatto's stab at the [5d] turn. trzcinsky took down the 16.7M-chip pot right there and was the new chip leader - only by three big blinds, but still the leader. More of that aggression out of position four hands later led to another win on the turn when FLBonatto folded, and a failed two-barrel bluff in a small pot a few hands after that had the Brazilian reeling with just 17.3M chips.

trzcinsky was on the verge of landing a knockout blow. Then came a min-raise on the button, a call, and an action flop that left the opening. trzcinsky had almost every draw in the deck with [Js] [9s] on the [Ts] [Kc] [8s] flop, enough to be a slim favorite over FLBonatto's two pair, tens and eights, with [Th] [8d]. The [Jc] turn muddied the picture to exactly 50-50 as a bigger two pair became another winning possibility for trzcinsky, but FLBonatto caught a break - and the 34.7M-chip pot - when the harmless [2h] fell on the river.

The return to the chip lead was brief, but FLBonatto was back in the game. For 25 minutes the Brazilian fought a battle of attrition as trzcinsky put the pressure back on, reclaimed the lead, and whittled FLBonatto's stack back under 20M again. Then FLBonatto flopped trips and rivered a full house, getting value from a check-raise to move into a small lead before rivering two pair out of position in another pot and getting paid on a 6M-chip bet.

After all that, FLBonatto was back in the driver's seat with 42M chips. trzcinsky was anything but out and won several large pots after that point, but by the next break FLBonatto was still in the lead with 43.5M. Three minutes after they came back both players would make a pair on a [6s] [8c] [Th] flop. trzcinsky went for the check-raise with [Ks] [6h] and needed another king or six after FLBonatto called with [Ah] [Td]. Neither the [2s] turn nor the [Ac] river fit the bill, and the hard-fought duel came to its conclusion.

trzcinsky's effort earned the Polish player $34,833.50 for second place, plus another $6,231.30 in bounties. As for FLBonatto, the memories of Event #4-M were brought back vivdly before being vanquished by the soothing balm of a SCOOP champion's watch, the winner's prize of $46,772.57, and an extra $9,620.07 in bounties. Kudos to both players for putting on a very entertaining show and earning every penny of their prizes.

SCOOP-16-M ($109 NL Hold'em, Progressive Super-Knockout) results
Entrants: 5,980
Total prize pool: $598,000 ($299,000 regular prize pool, $299,000 bounty prize pool)
Places paid: 765

1. FLBonatto (Brazil) $46,772.57 + $9,620.07 in bounties
2. trzcinsky (Poland) $34,833.50 + $6,231.30 in bounties
3. schamixx (Austria) $24,667.50 + $6,684.58 in bounties
4. AzEsmLolli (Russia) $16,893.50 + $845.68 in bounties
5. Alex "lynskey99" Lynskey (Australia) $12,707.50 + $3,308.30 in bounties
6. TanTanSWE (Sweden) $9,717.50 + $2,475.73 in bounties
7. Dan "Danny98765" Smith (Canada) $6,727.50 + $2,515.39 in bounties
8. Christ1508 (Brazil) $3,737.50 + $2,273.34 in bounties
9. muggsyboges (Canada) $2,392.00 + $1,983.98 in bounties

The 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker is nearing the midpoint of the series and Event 15 switched things up. A little No Limit Hold'em tournament but instead of the blinds increasing each level, it was the antes. The medium buy-in version of the event drew a couple thousand entries with Zagazaur picking up his first major online title in the end.

The $82 buy-in tournament attracted 1,581 players and each had three re-entries available to them if they busted out during the late registration period. There were 474 additional entries for 2,055 combined entrants to create a prize pool worth $154,125. Easily surpassing the $100,000 Guarantee.

The tournament was put on pause after Level 28 and remaining players returned for Day 2 to find the next SCOOP champion. The unique structure meant players had plenty of room to make moves and they were in no hurry to mix it up or get fancy with speculative hands.

Four hours after the restart, the tournament was closing in on the final table when former SCOOP champion (and Sunday Million winner) Nelson "FeCoNiCuZn" Maccini joined Team PokerStars member Marc-Andre "FrenchDawg" Ladouceur on the rail.

The final table was formed when izkusi outkicked trisgraudi with [ad][kc] versus [ac][js], big slick holding to gather the remaining players as one. Zagazaur was the sole COOP winner among them, a title earned as the 2015 SCOOP 31-M champion, but srxakgirona's list of credits include a Super Tuesday win, a SCOOP third place finish, and a WCOOP runner-up result.

Seat 1: Zagazaur (4,765,803 in chips)
Seat 2: MagiosnicaA (1,272,551 in chips)
Seat 3: viktorrz (1,380,397 in chips)
Seat 4: izkusi (2,945,490 in chips)
Seat 5: Zoukki (1,528,545 in chips)
Seat 6: srxakgirona (1,294,326 in chips)
Seat 7: Abrvalk998 (5,547,842 in chips)
Seat 8: M Cunha G (1,281,325 in chips)
Seat 9: niclassen18 (533,721 in chips)

Blinds: 5/5 with 18K Ante

niclassen18 gets tricked, eliminated in 9th

The Ante Up format made for slow action and the pre-flop betting was a little different than normal. A lot of limping followed by huge bets, the first elimination came along those lines.

It began with five limpers tossing in a virtual red bird 5 before niclassen18 moved all-in for 386,696. MagiosnicaA called the shove from the small blind, viktorrz let go of his big blind, and action was on izkusi. The initial under-the-gun limper.

izkusi moved all-in over the top and MagiosnicaA abandoned his 386K without a fight. A fight which would have been tough to win when the table saw izkusi was holding [as][ah] against [js][6d]. niclassen18 missed the [qd][td][tc] then added flush and straight draws on the [kd] turn to give him a chance. The [6s] river was a blank and niclassen18 was eliminated from the Ante Up final table after an hour of grinding.

M Cunha G also runs into aces, eliminated in 8th

It was the same theme, same result for M Cunha G after another long stretch of little action and small pots. This time we saw a limp by the first six players at the table, all coming along for the minimum ride until it reached M Cunha G in the small blind.

The Brazilian shoved with [qc][9s] and the move might have worked if Zagazaur wasn't sitting in the big blind with [ad][ac]. M Cunha G picked up the hint of a save on the [qh][td][jc] flop but couldn't finish it off as the board completed [4h][2c] to send him out in 8th place for $2,697.

MagiosnicaA anted down, eliminated in 7th

MagiosnicaA left a lot of chips sitting in the middle when niclassen18 was knocked out and then watched as his chip stack quickly dropped down. Not blinded out, but anted down at the pace of 40,000 per hand.

He was sitting with only 13,000 and was the fifth limper into the pot. victorrz checked his "small blind" and izkusi raised it up to 155,555 from the big blind. MagiosnicaA called all-in when the rest of them let their hands go and was in trouble with [8c][5d] against [qd][qc].

MagiosnicaA needed a lot of help and found a little on the [js][9h][6c] flop. He missed his gutshot draw on the [2c] turn then whiffed the four-out save when the [5c] river sent him out in 7th place.

Zoukki can't drive 55, eliminated in 6th

Zoukki was the shortest stack at the six-handed final table but it's all relative. He was sitting with 11 antes which he put in the middle after izkusi raised to 165,000. srxakgirona and Abrvalk998 let their blind hands go and izkusi called with [th][td].

Zoukki was in trouble with [5s][5d] and couldn't find a set on the [js][jc][6c] board then was drawing dead when izkusi binked the boat thanks to the [tc] turn. Zoukki was drawing dead and collect $5,394 for the 6th place finish.

srxakgirona outkicked and outflopped, eliminted in 5th

Even with plenty of chips in the game, srxakgirona took a chance when he saw an ace and shoved for 1.6 million holding [ad][8s]. Zagazaur was sitting in the small blind and called with the much bigger ace [ac][qs].

They both hit the [qd][8d][6d] flop and srxakgirona added a flush draw to his middle pair. The [6h] turn was no help and he was gone in 5th place after the [2s] river.

Zagazaur stays hot, Abrvalk998 eliminated in 4th

Six hands after srxakgirona was knocked out, Abrvalk998 took a shot of his own and moved all-in for 1.3 million with [jh][th]. Zagazaur was once again in a position to send a player off the final table and shipped in over the top with [ad][9d] to isolate.

The board ran dry for Abrvalk998 and he was gone in 4th place when it finished [8c][5d][2c][kc][9s]. Abrvalk998 had a nice run but had to settle for $9,877 for the effort.

Seat 1: Zagazaur (15,829,865 in chips)
Seat 3: viktorrz (862,621 in chips)
Seat 4: izkusi (3,857,514 in chips)

Blinds: 5/5 with a 70K Ante

viktorrz can't beat the leader, eliminated in 3rd

Two hands after Abrvalk998 hit the rail, viktorrz put in his third position stack from the button. His [kd][2c] looked pretty good at the three-handed table but it was Zagazaur in the small blind trying to send out his third straight player.

He called with [as][3c] and viktorrz couldn't find either of his two live cards as the board came [tc][8h][7h][7s][5c]. Kickers played and viktorrz was knocked out in 3rd place to set the heads-up match for the title.

Seat 1: Zagazaur (16,832,496 in chips)
Seat 4: izkusi (3,717,504 in chips)

Blinds: 5/5 with 70K Ante

Zagazaur wins marathon heads-up to take Event #15-M crown

Three hours.

That's how long it took to play out a match that was insanely deep stacked with only the antes climbing. Three hours into the match and there were very few big pots but izkusi was able to chip away at the lead. The two eventually realized what was on the line and made a deal to chop up the remaining prize pool leaving $2,000 behind for the winner.

Three hours twenty minutes into the match and Zagazaur rebuilt had rebuilt his lead when they both hit a flop. They both checked before the [9d][3d][2s] flop and Zagazaur checked again, which turned into a check/raise all-in after izkusi bet half of his stack.

The shove was called and izkusi had kicker issues with his top pair [9h][5d] against Zagazaur's top pair [9c][8d]. The board ran out [as][td] to put the matter to rest and Zagazaur earned his first major online title for nearly $25,000.

SCOOP-15-M ($82 NL Hold'em Ante Up) results
Entrants: 2,055 (1,581 Entries, 474 Re-Entries)
Total prize pool: $154,125
Places paid: 270

1. Zagazaur (Czech Republic) $22,818.65*
2. izkusi (Poland) $20,337.57*
3. viktorrz (Russia) $13,871.25
4. Abrvalk998 (Ukraine) $9,887.11
5. srxakgirona (Mexico) $6,935.62
6. Zoukki (Finland) $5,394.37
7. MagiosnicaA (Bulgaria) $3,853.12
8. M Cunha G (Brazil) $2,697.18
9. niclassen18 (Faroe Islands) $1,541.25
*Reflects the results of a two-way deal that left $2,000 in play for the winner

Another day, another big advance for the Brazilians. Although Brazil did not win a bracelet, they sure as heck came close in Super-KO Event #16-L. Three Russians and two Brazilians were among the final nine in Event #16-L. Brazilians have been absolutely obliterating the 2016 SCOOP this spring, so it's no surprise to see Brazil represented at this final table. The narrative in #16-L followed the re-hot Brazilians: would the "Brazilian Storm" continue to wreck havoc, or would it be up to the Russians to stop another Brazilian march toward the winner's circle? In the end, the Brazilians were defeated and the demoralizing Russian winter of discontent thawed out to create a spring season of jubilant rejuvenation.

If it weren't for MrMishkaHU, I might be writing a story about Brazil's tenth bracelet winner. However, the Russian entered the final table as the big stack and pretty much set the tone right away after busting someone with pocket Aces. Call it foreshadowing, but that first major hand at the final table indicated that it was going to be Russia vying for the title instead of Brazil. The Brazilian storm passed... momentarily. MrMishkaHU knocked out both fellow Russians at the final table en route to the SCOOP win. As expected, MrMishkaHU also claimed the most knockout bounties in the tournament with an additional $2,203.20 in prize money earned in this special Progressive Super-KO format.

The low version of SCOOP Event #16-L $11 NL Progressive Super-KO attracted 18,887 runners. The total prize pool was $188,870 and half of it -- $94,435.00 -- was devoted to KO bounties. The top 2,475 places got a cut of the regular portion of prize pool. First place paid out $10,198.80.

Event #16-L was scheduled as a two-day event. Only 141 players made the cut and advanced to Day 2. Croatia's DEJO1986CR bagged up the most chips at the end of Day 1 with 5.5M. Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker went deep in this Super-KO event, but the champ busted late in the day. Moneymaker finished in 195th place.

With 18 players remaining on the final two tables, Russia's MrMishkaHU took command of the chip lead with 30M, or twice as much as the trio in the chase pack with 14-15M stacks. The players on the two tables were not shy about wanting to throw down and rumble, so the field quickly evaporated from 18 to 10 in a flash. Before anyone knew it, each table was five-handed and action was hand-for-hand. The U.K.'s Grimeyyyy took a shot and missed an attempt to double up with [As][3d] against PhilLaak3991's [Ad][Kh]. Both players flopped an Ace, but PhilLaak3991 won with a better kicker. PhilLaak3991 earned the bounty for busting Grimeyyyy, who bubbled off the final table in tenth place.

SCOOP-16-L - Final Table Chip Counts:
Seat 1: MrMishkaHU (38,044,907)
Seat 2: edyvpakistan (12,944,011)
Seat 3: baronov710 (5,439,948)
Seat 4: sportdrug (31,281,066)
Seat 5: PhilLaak3991 (27,054,603)
Seat 6: xavante89 (14,871,222)
Seat 7: PsyTas (22,665,050)
Seat 8: Giant_Santos (16,410,613)
Seat 9: GiMMeyALL (20,158,580)

The final table commenced during Level 56 with blinds at 250K/500K and a 62.5K ante. Russia's MrMishkaHU was the big dog with the deepest stack at 38M and the richest bounty (and only bounty in excess of four figures). Fellow Russian baronov710 clung onto the short stack with 5.4M. This final table included three Russians and two Brazilians. Would the Russians fend off the Brazilians? Or would someone else sneak in the backdoor and snatch the bracelet?

PINK NOISE: GiMMeyALL eliminated in 9th place

Do you believe in fate? Or symbols? Or hokey superstitions? It's Friday the 13th, but the first bustout at the final table could not have been scripted better. It could also be a harbinger of doom, or possibly foreshadowing the future.

One of the feeble stacks earnestly tried to double up, but unfortunately got stomped by a monstrous hand from Godzilla-stacked MrMishkaHU. Shorty GiMMeyALL open-shoved for 4,527,069 with [Ac][Th] and it seemed unfair, but the well-endowed Russian ambushed the Finnish player with [Ad][Ah]. The board finished up [Qh][8s][3c][As][6s]. Pocket Aces held up for MrMishkaHU, who won the pot with a set of Aces against GiMMeyALL's pair of Aces. Finland's GiMMeyALL became the first player to exit the final table. Ninth place paid out $566.61 and GiMMeyALL also earned an additional $370.41 in bounties.

And the rich get richer... MrMishkaHU notched $187.73 for the bustout and his own bounty increased to $1,225.51.

THUNDER PEEL: baronov710 eliminated in 8th place

The button didn't even rotate around the table for a half-orbit before we saw a second bustout. One of the three Russians bid adieu. baronov710 came into the final table as the short stack seeking for an opportunity to keep the dream alive. baronov710 dodged the first round of executions, but could not avoid his inevitable fate when it was time for his number to get rung up. Tough break too, because baronov710 got it all-in preflop with the best of it... [Ac][Td] vs. [Qd][5s]. Like that scene from The Big Lebowski, "Sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you." baronov710 got eaten by a Queen on the flop and that's all she wrote.

In the battle of the blinds, edyvpakistan shoved for 29,488,022 with [Qd][5s], but shorty baronov710 woke up with [Ac][Td]. It was almost too good to be true...until the dreaded flop. The board finished up [Qs][8c][2c][3d][6c] and edyvpakistan dragged the pot with a pair of Queens. baronov710 was dunzo in eighth place. The Russian earned $849.91. Russia's edyvpakistan banked $169.73 for picking off fellow Russian baronov710, and edyvpakistan's own bounty jumped to $309.99.

With seven remaining, MrMishkaHU still led with 45.6M and Brazil's Giant_Santos was the shorty with 16.8M.

DEAD WILD CAT: xavante89 eliminated in 7th place

Seven-handed played out the longest than any other segment at the final table. For some peculiar reason, no one could get knocked out until Level 60. Three hands into the new level, we saw the first of two bustouts... including one of the Brazilians. xavante89 open-shoved for 8,043,399 with [Ad][9s] and edyvpakistan re-shoved with [Ac][Qd]. Everyone else bailed. xavante89 was in trouble with a dominated Ace. The board ran out [Qs][8d][2c][Td][6d]. edyvpakistan flopped a pair of Queens to win the pot. Brazil's xavante89 was knocked out in seventh place, which paid out $1,416.52. Now, only one Brazilian remained. Another bounty for edyvpakistan, who collected $185.21, and their own bounty jumped to $495.19.

ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE: PsyTas eliminated in 6th place

Six-handed only lasted five hands before we had another bustout. PsyTas bombed it all-in for 6,433,723 with [Js][Th] and MrMishkaHU called with [Kc][Tc]. The board did not help PsyTas, which ran out [6h][4s][4c][2h][Td]. The Czech Republic's PsyTas was knocked out in sixth place, which paid out $2,360.87. MrMishkaHU shipped another bounty and banked $201.41, whereas his own bounty increased to $1,426.92

With five to go, PhilLaak3991 led with 54.5M followed by edyvpakistan (48.7M) and sportdrug (31M). The two shorties were roughly even: Giant_Santos (27.4M) and MrMishkaHU (27.2M).

SATAN GAVE ME A TACO: Giant_Santos eliminated in 5th place

The last Brazilian standing busted when Giant_Santos made a final stand with [Ah][2h] but got beat down by PhilLaak3991's [As][Kc]. PhilLaak3991 opened to 2,750,000, Giant_Santos dive-bombed it all-in for 23,868,254 and PhilLaak3991 insta-called. The board finished up [Qc][Js][3s][Jd][6c]. Neither player improved, but PhilLaak3991 won the pot with a pair of Jacks and a Ace-King-Kicker. Giant_Santos was dunzo in fifth place, which paid out $3,305.22. Although Brazil did not win another tournament, they finished fifth and seventh in this event for an impressive feat.

PhilLaak3991 banked $331.80 for sending Giant_Santos home, whereas PhilLaak3991's own bounty increased to $796.48.

JAGERMEISTER PIE: sportdrug eliminated in 4th place

Four-handed went quick. Nine hands later we had yet another bustout during a cooler. Aces versus Big Slick. And yes, Aces held strong and sportdrug got smoked. MrMishkaHU kicked off a raising war with a raise to 2.5M, edyvpakistan re-raised to 6,875,000, sportdrug shoved for 17,678,776, and MrMishkaHU bailed, and edyvpakistan snap-called. sportdrug trailed with [Ah][Kd] against edyvpakistan's [As][Ad]. No superlative miracles for sportdrug, just misery and despair when the board ran out [5d][3s][2h][7d][Kh]. Germany's sportdrug earned a $4,249.57 payday for a fourth-place finish. edyvpakistan picked up a bounty worth $260.91 and edyvpakistan's own bounty increased to $756.09.

With three to go, PhilLaak3991 led with 74.3M, followed by edyvpakistan's 60.5M and MrMishkaHU's 54M.

ROLLINS POWER SAUCE: edyvpakistan eliminated in 3rd place

With two Russians among the final three, you almost expected an all-Russian head-ups match. Alas, the Russia vs. Russia bout occurred during three-handed action. And it wasn't pretty. Big-stacked MrMishkaHU snapped off PhilLaak3991's Jacks after hitting the flop so hard, he nearly fell through his computer screen.

edyvpakistan initiated the assassination attempt with a min-bet, PhilLaak3991 raised to 7,500,000, MrMishkaHU flat-called, edyvpakistan four-bet shoved for 46,823,618, PhilLaak3991 bailed, and MrMishkaHU called. Heads-up between the two Russians.

MrMishkaHU: [As][Qd]
edyvpakistan: [Js][Jh]

Jacks were ahead, but you knew it was coming. The flop was a brutal [Ks][Qs][Qh] and MrMishkaHU seized the lead with trip Queens. The turn was the [9s] and edyvpakistan caught a glimmer of hope with a gutshot draw. Alas, the [5h] spiked on the river and MrMishkaHU won the pot with trips. edyvpakistan busted in third place, which paid out $6,138.27. The Russian also earned an additional $756.48 in bounties.

A remorseful MrMishkaHU typed "Sorry" in the chat box. MrMishkaHU added another bounty to his growing collection. edyvpakistan's head was worth $378.05 and MrMishkaHU's own bounty was raised to $1,804.96

HEADS-UP: MrMishkaHU (Russia) vs. PhilLaak3991 (Hungary)
Seat 1: MrMishkaHU (142,244,951)
Seat 5: PhilLaak3991 (46,625,049)

MrMishkaHU held the obvious advantage. This battle went quick. Lasted a mere five hands or less than three minutes of real time. PhilLaak3991 won only one a single hand during that stretch. MrMishkaHU was simply... unstoppable.

TOTAL SOUL FUTURE: PhilLaak3991 eliminated in 2nd place; MrMishkaHU wins SCOOP bracelet

PhilLaak3991 saw an Ace and let it ride. He bombed it all-in for 32,253,574 with [Ah][5s] and MrMishkaHU could not have called faster with [Js][Jc]. The board ran out [Qs][9h][7c][3h][Jh]. MrMishkaHU rivered a set of Jacks to win the pot. PhilLaak3991 never improved and busted in second place. For a sensational runner-up finish, Hungary's PhilLaak3991 earned $8,026.97 plus nearly $800 in bounties.

Congrats to Russia's MrMishkaHU for winning Event #16-L. First place paid out $10,198.80 plus a premium champion's watch courtesy of Movado. Excellent overall day for MrMishkaHU, who also earned an additional $2,203.20 in bounties on a mere $11 investment.

SCOOP-16-L ($11 NL Hold'em, Progressive Super-Knockout) results
Entrants: 1,360
Total prize pool: $188,700 (Regular pool: $94,435; Bounty pool: $94,435)
Places paid: 2,475

1. MrMishkaHU (Russia) $10,198.80 + $2,203.20 bounties
2. PhilLaak3991 (Hungary) $8,026.97 + $796.48 bounties
3. edyvpakistan (Russia) $6,138.27 + $756.48 bounties
4. sportdrug (Germany) $4,249.57 + $521.81 bounties
5. Giant_Santos (Brazil) $3,305.22 + $663.60 bounties
6. PsyTas (Czech Republic) $2,360.87 + $402.82 bounties
7. xavante89 (Brazil) $1,416.52 + $370.41 bounties
8. baronov710 (Russia) $849.91 + $339.45 bounties
9. GiMMeyALL (Finland) $566.61 + $375.45 bounties

Visit the SCOOP homepage for a complete schedule of remaining events. Plus see who is on top of the Leader Board and in contention for Player of the Series.

Pauly McGuire is the author of "Lost Vegas" and a freelance contributor to PokerStars Blog.

Event 17 on the 2016 Spring Championship of Online Poker was one of the most anticipated tournaments on the schedule. A lot of players love heads-up action and Pot Limit Omaha brings out the action junkies. Combine them together with a small buy-in and you get a huge field. The tournament drew 1,836 players and ten matches later it was begood9999 adding a ninth title for Brazil this series.

The low buy-in version of the event created a prize pool worth $45,073 with the last 256 players getting paid. They would have to win the first three matches to get a piece of the money and play was halted with 64 players remaining. Team PokerStars member Chris Moneymaker was the only player to make the money but the 2003 WSOP Main Event champion fell out in the round of 16.

The quarterfinals rolled around, the ninth round of matches where the winner would book a place into the Final Four. Three of the eight players had previous success while the other five were trying for their first major online victory.

probirs was the most recent champion when he won SCOOP Event #9-M last May and Born2Ca$h was the only other SCOOP winner. His coming during the 2012 SCOOP 5-Card Draw event. ante-geia_AA doesn't have a COOP title to his credit but he did pick up $243,000 for winning a Sunday Million tournament in 2012.

begood999 defeated Born2Ca$h
Mucka Wasem defeated ante_geia_AA
probirs defeated TMaxx805
Pastello defeated mikmipa

Semi-final matches

Semi-final matches

The match between probirs and Pastello on Table 2 had on big hand in a short amount of time to book one seat in the final match. probirs dominated the first two levels until Pastello found a huge double when his two pair [as][kh][qd][5s] was good against [kc][jh][ts][7s] on the [ks][8d][2s][5d][4d] board.

It left probirs with only 2,600 and the match was over quickly.

The other match running on Table 1 wasn't nearly as fast. begood9999 and Mucka Wasem went after each other for more than 20 minutes. Ten levels of action with no huge pots or anyone putting themselves at risk.

begood9999 held the lead when he three-bet and Mucka Wasem called before the [qc][jh][9h] flop. begood9999 check/called 1,600 from Mucka Wasem then they both checked the [ks] turn. The [jd] river prompted begood9999 to bet enough to put Mucka Wasem at risk when he called to see the damage. His flopped set, rivered full house [ah][9c][9s][6d] was ahead of begood9999's [as][qh][jc][5s] until the unfortunate river.

That completed the semi-finals to pit begood9999 against Pastello for the title.

begood9999 earns another Brazilian title

The system reset the starting stacks and the two players kicked things off at the top of Level 1. And it wouldn't go a whole lot further.

There was little movement over the first two four-minute levels but begood9999 took command of the match in the third. He called an opening bet from Pastello to see the [jd][4h][3h] flop then check/raised to 753, a bet that was called before the [ts] turn.

begood9999 became the aggressor, leading out for 1,207 to get a call from Pastello before the [9h] river. begood9999 slowed down with a check/call of 2,776 and it turned out his [6c][5d][5h][2h] flush was good against Pastello's [kc][jc][9c][4d] two pair. It was a 9,800 chip swing to begood9999 to give him a commanding lead.

Seat 1: begood9999 (14,894 in chips)
Seat 2: Pastello (5,106 in chips)

Blinds: 40/80

The tournament lasted only 11 more hands before Pastello tried to double his way back into the match. There were three bets in the middle before the [6d][5h][2c] flop when Pastello made a pot-sized bet. begood999 hit the re-pot button and it was enough to put Pastello at risk.

Pastello: [9c][8h][7h][6s] - top pair, wrap draw
begood9999: [th][8c][5d][4d] - middle pair, gutshot

Pastello was ahead with a lot of outs to improve but the [tc] turn was not good for him. That left 13 outs to keep the match going but the [ad] river ended the tournament right there.

It was a quick match to wrap things up. Pastello earned $3,618 for winning ten out of eleven heads-up matches, a fine return on his $27 investment. begood9999 earned his first major online title, won eleven straight matches, and grabbed the ninth SCOOP title of the series for Brazil.

SCOOP-17-L ($27 PL Omaha Heads-Up) results
Entrants: 1,836
Total prize pool: $45,073.80
Places paid: 256

1. begood9999 (Brazil) $5,689.43
2. Pastello (Netherlands) $3,618.97
3. Mucka Wasem (Brazil) $1,810.16
4. probirs (Hungary) $1,810.16
5. Born2Ca$h (Canada) $1,007.85
6. mikmipa (Finland) $1,007.85
7. TMaxx805 (Russia) $1,007.85
8. ante_geia_AA (Cyprus) $1,007.85

Shaun Deeb made his 19th SCOOP final table appearance in Event #15-L, but pAtcAsh83 denied Deeb his sixth SCOOP title and then took the tournament down.

It was a lengthy tournament and final table since blinds stayed flat throughout the entire thing. The antes were always rising though. A total of 9,365 players signed up for the Ante Up event and it took two days to bring that number down to just one. 

pAtcAsh83 won $9,401.79 for the victory, but 1,260 players got a slice of the $63,869 prize pool. Most of that money was handed out during the three-hour-long final table.

The final table

Seat 1: andrei849 -- 13,872,589
Seat 2: fred_vasco -- 3,836,249
Seat 3: Damir87 -- 6,211,848
Seat 4: 2UmOg3 -- 3,754,537
Seat 5: pAtcAsh83 -- 20,754,835
Seat 6: rokla569 -- 22,525,040
Seat 7: self shine -- 4,548,633
Seat 8: shaundeeb -- 6,044,667
Seat 9: Madruguinha -- 12,101,602

Deeb scored the first double up of the final table with pocket queens, but the pocket pair didn't help out the next two players.

After a few calls, rokla569 raised to 525,025 and fred_vasco re-raised to 1.4 million from the big blind. rokla569 called and the flop came [3c][jc][6h]. fred_vasco bet 1.1 million and rokla569 moved all-in. 

fred_vasco called and showed [qs][qh] but rokla569 had the larger overpair with [as][qc]. The turn brought a [th] and a [7d] on the river ended fred_vasco's tournament. 

The Brazilian player won $494.96 for the 9th place finish while rokla569's lead grew to 27.6 million. 

Queens lost again the very next hand.

pAtcAsh83 raised to 677,312 from earl position and Madruguinha re-raised to 1.6 million from the cutoff. Damir87 moved all-in for 3.6 million and only Madruguinha called.

Damir87 turned over [qs][qh] and Madruguinha showed [ks][kc]. Damir87 was hoping for a third queen but the [4h][kh][kd] flop brought Madruguinha four kings instead.

Damir87 was drawing dead and got eliminated in 8th place. Damir87 won $702.57 for the finish while Madruguinha chipped up to 16.1 million. 

Ace high, aces low

selfshine scored a double up with ace-high but hit the rail with pocket aces. 

The first hand was a family pot until rokla569 raised to 525,412 from the button. selfshine moved all-in for 3.7 million from the small blind and the family pot turned into a bickering duo fighting for survival.

selfshine turned over [ah][9h] while rokla569 tabled [9s][ts]. The board ran [jd][6h][3s][qh][5c] and selfshine doubled to 8.5 million with ace-high. 

A few minutes later the bickering couple duked it out on the board again. selfshine raised to 511,860 from under the gun and rokla569 called from the big blind. The flop was a monotone [tc][4c][kc] and rokla569 check-raised to 2.6 million. selfshine moved all-in for 6.6 million and rokla569 snap-called.

selfshine showed [as][ah], but rokla569 turned over [7c][8c] for a flopped flush. A [ks] came on the turn to give selfshine some more full house outs, but the [jd] that came on the river wasn't one of them. 

rokla569's lead grew to 33.0 million while selfshine won $1,277.36 for the 7th place finish. 

Return of the queens

The final table had a few eliminations before it had its first flip.

rokla569 opened to 555,444 from under the gun and Deeb re-raised to 1.6 million. Madruguinha moved all-in for 9.8 million, rokla569 folded and Deeb called.

Madruguinha turned over [ts][tc] and Deeb showed [ah][qs] for a flip. 

The [5d][qh][9h][8s][kd] board brought Deeb a queen and Madruguinha was eliminated in 6th. The 6th place finish came with a $1,916.07 payday while Deeb chipped up to 23.3 million. 

The harder they fall

Deeb chipped up some more and briefly took the lead. Then he was the next to fall.

Deeb lost a chunk of his stack after he doubled 2UmOg3 up. Deeb called that all-in with [ad][qc], but 2UmOg3 had a dominating [ah][kd].

The hand left Deeb with about 20 million and they went all-in a few minutes later.

pAtcAsh83 raised to 712,344 from under the gun and Deeb re-raised to 2.0 million from the button. pAtcAsh83 made it 5.8 million and Deeb four-bet all-in for 18 million. 

pAtcAsh83 called with [qd][qs] while Deeb tabled [ad][5s]. The [9c][2c][3h][9d][7s] missed both players and pAtcAsh83's queens took the pot. Deeb won $2,554.77 for finishing 5th while pAtcAsh83 took the lead with 42.2 million. 

More for pAtcAsh83

andrei849 had been slowly dipping for some time. Then the Romanian player moved all-in for 5.8 million from under the gun. 

pAtcAsh83 called from the small blind and showed [7h][7s] to andrei849's [3s][3h]. 
The [4s][9d][5h][qd][6c] board brought no help for andre849 and the final table shrunk again. andrei849 got a $3,193.46 payday for finishing 4th while pAtcAsh83 got another bump to 50.0 million.

Double, split, bust

rokla569's last three hands all involved all-ins, but none resulted in a double for the Serbian player.

In the first, rokla569 jammed for 13.3 million and 2UmOg3 called all-in with 10.2 million. Rokla569 showed [kh][qc] and 2UmOg3 took down the pot with [Ad][jd] after the board ran [td][7h][2s][7s][th].

rokla569 moved all-in for 2.8 million the next hand and pAtcAsh83 called. Rokla569 showed [ac] [jc] and had pAtcAsh83's [ad][2c] dominated. 

The [as][3s][js] flop was even better for rokla569 and then a [jh] came on the turn to fill him up. Only the final ace in the deck could deny rokla569 the double up.

River: [ah]

Players split the pot and then pAtcAsh83 finished rokla569 off the following hand. 

2UmOg3 raised to 800,000 and pAtcAsh83 three-bet to 2.3 million. rokla569 moved all-in for a bit more and pAtcAsh83 called.

Once again, rokla569 was in the lead with [ad][th] to pAtcAsh83's [kc][3c], but the [qh][6c][6s][3h][9s] board paired pAtcAsh83's three. 

rokla569 got a $4,790.19 for the 3rd-place finish and the tournament went heads-up.

Heads up

2UmOg3 -- 20,521,373
pAtcAsh83 -- 73,128,627

The two players fought for more than an hour. 2UmOg3 nearly got even with pAtcAsh83, but our champion quickly fought back and dealt a few blows to 2UmOg3.

Most of the hands didn't make it to a showdown, even the big ones. 

One of those hands cost 2UmOg3 about half his stack. It started small enough though. Both players limped in and checked when the flop came [9d][6d][6c]. 

A [kc] came on the turn and 2UmOg3 bet 488,000 when checked to. pAtcAsh83 raised to 2.2 million and 2UmOg3 re-raised to 4.1 million. pAtcAsh83 four-bet to 7.6 million and 2UmOg3 called. 

A [7d] completed the board and pAtcAsh83 moved all-in. 2UmOg3 folded and was left with 9.1 million.

2UmOg3 moved all-in for 7.5 million two hands later and pAtcAsh83 called.

2UmOg3: [kd][9c]
pAtcAsh83: [ah][9s]

The final board of the tournament read [jh][3h][5d][3c][4c] and ace-high took it down.

2UmOg3 won $6,865.94 for finishing 2nd while pAtcAsh83 took the title and $9,401.79.

SCOOP-15-L ($7.50 NLHE Ante Up) results
Entrants: 9,365
Prize pool: $63,869.30
Places paid: 1,260

1. pAtcAsh83 (United Kingdom) $9,401.79
2. 2UmOg3 (Brazil) $6,865.94
3. rokla569 (Serbia) $4,790.19
4. andrei849 (Romania) $3,193.46
5. Shaun "shaundeeb" Deeb (Mexico) $2,554.77
6. Madruguinha (Brazil) $1,916.07
7. Selfshine (Netherlands) $1,277.38
8. Damir87 (Austria) $702.56
9. fred_vasco (Brazil) $494.98

* CLICK TO REFRESH FOR LATEST UPDATES
* CLICK FOR SELECTED DAY 1B CHIP COUNTS
* 10 one-hour levels scheduled for today. Play ends ~12 midnight CT
* 63 players survived from 218 Day 1A entries (Day 1A chip counts)

11:00am: Day 1B awaits

Welcome back to the Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino for the second and final Day 1 flight of the Latin American Poker Tour Panama Main Event. 

This $1,500 buy-in tournament attracted an impressive turnout yesterday, with 218 entries total from which 63 players advanced to Saturday's Day 2. Given how Day 1Bs often tend to attract roughly twice what Day 1As do, we're already bracing for a huge total field and prize pool for this one.

The Frenchman Maxence Debar surged ahead of everyone last night to finish with a commanding lead, ending with 298,900 chips when no one else had even crossed the 200,000-chip mark. We'll see whether or not anyone can scale such heights today.

We'll also be expecting to see some of the same faces today whom we saw yesterday, as those who busted Day 1A can come back to try again. They'll be playing 10 one-hour levels again today, with late registration and the re-entry option staying available all of the way through the start of Level 7.

Things kick off at 12 noon local time -- that's Central Time -- so stick close starting then for live updates, chip counts, photos, and more as we continue to learn together who will be the next LAPT Main Event champion. 

Meanwhile, peruse our Day 1A coverage and look over the complete Day 1A chip counts. --MH

PokerStars Blog Reporting Team at LAPT9 Chile: Will O'Connor and Martin Harris. Photos by Carlos Monti. Follow the PokerStars Blog on Twitter: @PokerStarsBlog

There's talk these days in the surfing world of a "Brazil Storm". Don't take my word for it, you can look it up. Everywhere, from the New York Times to surfing blogs, is looking in the direction of Brazil and asking why their surfers are suddenly beating the sports best to become the best in the world.

For instance, late last year a Brazilian surfer won the biggest surfing title in the world, the first from South America to do so, and at a recent event in Australia four of the eight finalists were from Brazil. Not bad for a sport previously dominated by Australian, South Africans and Americans. Now they're forced to look at the Storm clouds brewing over 4,000 miles of Brazilian coastline. 

Well, there might be something similar happening in Brazilian poker. 

The Brazilian Storm: Crowds of players at the recent LAPT Brazil event

Brazil is a poker mad country. Arguably the likes of Andre Akkari and Felipe Ramos, and even as far back as Alex Gomes, the first Brazilian to win a WSOP bracelet, have something to do with that. But if a sceptic was prepared to claim they were outliers, exceptions, they might struggle to account for that has followed in their wake. 

For what has followed has been the proof of that storm, a new generation of players, taking their lead from Brazil's poker icons, with their own plans to take the game, well, by storm. Three of whom made themselves known by winning SCOOP titles this past week. 

Renato "renatomaiag" Maia, 24, grew up playing video games in his home town of Fortaleza. That would never provide an income though, at least not until he discovered poker. Soon he was playing it for fun, ten a little while later as a professional. 

"I love poker the feeling that it gives me - adrenaline, playing against great players, and winning. It's somewhat surprising. To me [it's about] excitement and joy." 

Renato "renatomaiag" Maia

Maia's win came in SCOOP 9-L, a final you can read about here. There's a common theme with players when it comes to COOP titles, that whether you're an amateur or a pro, it remains one of the game's most coveted prizes. 

"There is no comparison to feeling of winning an event tournament as SCOOP," said Maia, who credits his wife's encouragement for all of his success. "No doubt at all, this was my best result, [and] the joy is much greater, you can be sure of that."

Two years older than Maia, Wellington "Wellbr20" Montanholi has lived in Ourinhos since he was eight, a place that he describes as a small, peaceful city. As for himself, he goes by the description of an ordinary nice guy, outgoing and humble. 

"On the other hand, sometimes I'm a little stressed and lose my temper with the game! Ha, but I'm working on that!" 

Wellington "Wellbr20" Montanholi

After several years in the game Montanholi can count his win in SCOOP 1L (worth $24,000) as his best achievement - better than his previous best third place in the Sunday Storm. But now this Brazilian Storm, one which could now start breaking his way. 

"I worked very hard to get this title and I hope this is just the beginning."

Then there's Patrick "Nelepo10" Ulysséa, also 24, from Curitiba. "Home to a lot of good poker players." 

It's a place that Ulysséa loves and an ideal environment to learn the game, as he went on to explain, describing his SCOOP win as "the reward of much study and dedication." 

What does he mean by that? 

Well last year he moved back home, quit his job waiting tables, and dedicated all of his time to playing on PokerStars. It was a risk, but Ulysséa was determined, and also found a great source of help and advice. 

All my knowledge came from study with one of the best players in Brazil, Yuri "theNERDguy" Dzivielevski," said Ulysséa. "Poker changed my life."

All of which came before he won SCOOP 4-M this week, and a massive first prize of $209,000.  

"Obvious the money will help very much, but changing the way I live my life is the biggest thing that could happen. I've learned so much, and this title will make me study more and more to be the best that I can." 

Ulysséa credits his friends and family for the support they gave him. On that rests all of his success - those that supported him in life, and in poker. Funnily enough they just happened to be on hand to celebrate.

Patrick "Nelepo10" Ulysséa (back row, middle)

Congratulations to all three new champions - the making of a Brazilian Storm. We should expect more before this SCOOP season ends. 

We're the sixth of 15 days of SCOOP 2016. Here's the latest update with 42 of 165 tournaments (from 55 three-tiered events) now completed. 

Today's highlights:

* Nick "chilenocl" Yunis wins his second COOP
* 33 tournaments to be played out over the weekend

Round up of latest results

Nick Yunis's name was already on the list of players least likely to cause surprise at winning another COOP title. I suppose now we underline it. He earned his second in the 6-Max shootout, SCOOP 12-H, which was worth $95,040 to the Chilean and adds to his already glittering record of achievement. You can read Al Rash's report on Yunis's victory here.

Nick Yunis

Find details of those results, and all of those from the Championship on our SCOOP 2016 results page, which also features links to all final table reports. 

Coming up today

There's plenty coming up to keep players of any bank roll busy. Starting with what's in store today. 

SCOOP-18-L: $7.50 NL Hold'em, $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-18-M: $82 NL Hold'em, $150K Guaranteed
SCOOP-18-H: $700 NL Hold'em, $250K Guaranteed
SCOOP-19-L: $11+R NL Hold'em [Big Antes], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-19-M: $109+R NL Hold'em [Big Antes], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-19-H: $1,050+R NL Hold'em [Big Antes], $300K Guaranteed
SCOOP-20-L: $27 FL Omaha Hi/Lo [8-Max], $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-20-M: $215 FL Omaha Hi/Lo [8-Max], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-20-H: $2,100 FL Omaha Hi/Lo [8-Max], $100K Guaranteed

And over the weekend

Then the weekend starts in earnest, with a schedule to fill every waking hour. And the sleepy ones too. 

SCOOP-21-L: $7.50 PL 5-Card Omaha [6-Max, 1R1A], $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-21-M: $82 PL 5-Card Omaha [6-Max, 1R1A], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-21-H: $700 PL 5-Card Omaha [6-Max, 1R1A], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-22-L: $11 NL Hold'em [5-Stack], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-22-M: $109 NL Hold'em [5-Stack], $150K Guaranteed
SCOOP-22-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em [5-Stack], $300K Guaranteed
SCOOP-23-L: $27 FL Badugi, $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-23-M: $215 FL Badugi, $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-23-H: $2,100 FL Badugi, $75K Guaranteed
SCOOP-24-L: $215 NL Hold'em [8-Max, High-Roller], $150K Guaranteed
SCOOP-24-M: $2,100 NL Hold'em [8-Max, High-Roller], $300K Guaranteed
SCOOP-24-H: $21,000 NL Hold'em [8-Max, High-Roller], $500K Guaranteed
SCOOP-25-L: $7.50 NL Hold'em [6-Max, Ultra-Deep], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-25-M: $82 NL Hold'em [6-Max, Ultra-Deep], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-25-H: $700 NL Hold'em [6-Max, Ultra-Deep], $250K Guaranteed
SCOOP-26-L: $11 NL Hold'em [8-Max, Deep Payouts], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-26-M: $109 NL Hold'em [8-Max, Deep Payouts, Sunday Kickoff SE], $150K Guaranteed
SCOOP-26-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em [8-Max, Deep Payouts], $300K Guaranteed
SCOOP-27-L: $27 NL Hold'em [6-Max], $200K Guaranteed
SCOOP-27-M: $215 NL Hold'em [6-Max, Sunday Warm-Up SE], $600K Guaranteed
SCOOP-27-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em [6-Max], $1M Guaranteed
SCOOP-28-L: $27 FL Triple Draw 2-7, $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-28-M: $215 FL Triple Draw 2-7, $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-28-H: $2,100 FL Triple Draw 2-7, $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-29-L: $27 NL Hold'em, $200K Guaranteed
SCOOP-29-M: $215 NL Hold'em [Sunday Million SE], $1M Guaranteed
SCOOP-29-H: $2,100 NL Hold'em, $1M Guaranteed
SCOOP-30-L: $27 PL Mixed Omaha [6-Max, Turbo, Zoom], $25K Guaranteed
SCOOP-30-M: $215 PL Mixed Omaha [6-Max, Turbo, Zoom], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-30-H: $2,100 PL Mixed Omaha [6-Max, Turbo, Zoom], $200K Guaranteed

Check out the SCOOP 2016 homepage for more details. 

Playing to a finish today

The following events have already started and will play to a winner today. As always you'll find write ups of each published on the Blog shortly after their conclusion. 

SCOOP-15-L: $7.50 NL Hold'em [Ante Up], $50K Guaranteed
SCOOP-15-M: $82 NL Hold'em [Ante Up], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-15-H: $700 NL Hold'em [Ante Up], $200K Guaranteed
SCOOP-16-L: $11 NL Hold'em [Progressive Super-Knockout], $100K Guaranteed
SCOOP-16-M: $109 NL Hold'em [Progressive Super-Knockout], $300K Guaranteed
SCOOP-16-H: $1,050 NL Hold'em [Progressive Super-Knockout, Thursday Thrill SE], $1M Guaranteed

We'll have reports of every final table, with details, and links to those reports, available on our SCOOP coverage page.

Leader board

Päffchen keeps his lead, while James "Andy McLEOD" Obst's and vovtroy remain right behind.  

Check out the leader board for yourself on the SCOOP 2016 homepage, where you'll find the leaders in the low, medium and high categories, as well as what's at stake for the winners.