Brazil has really dominated on the online felt over the past 12 months, with its flag lining the top finishing positions in PokerStars tournament lobbies like crowds at the Maracanã Stadium during a soccer match.

In May 2022, players in Brazil won an incredible 62 titles throughout the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) 2022 series, almost double that of its closest competitor, the UK.

Then, in September 2022, Brazilians crushed the competition once more during the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), winning 70 titles to the UK’s 42.

Not only are Brazilian players putting up exceptional results, but the game is also booming across the country with new players getting introduced to poker every day.

That’s why PokerStars introduced the Fenômeno tournament in October 2022. 

ABOUT THE FENÔMENO ON POKERSTARS

The $109 buy-in daily tournament was designed to be Brazil-friendly, most notably in its starting time: 17:00 BRT (16:00 ET / 21:00 BST).

It’s proved to be incredibly popular since its introduction, and not just with players in Brazil. The Fenomeno is open to all players worldwide who can play in the global player pool.

As its popularity increased, Fenomeno guarantees were bumped up, and a special Sunday version with a higher guarantee was added.  

And in December 2022, a lower buy-in version named the ‘Mini Fenomeno’ with an $11 buy-in was also added to the daily PokerStars schedule.

Both the Fenômeno and Mini Fenômeno begin at 17:00 BRT every day. The Fenômeno’s guarantee fluctuates during the week from $30K-$50K, while the Mini Fenômeno is a $15K GTD during the week. Sunday guarantees are always bigger for both events ($125K and $30K).

You’ll also find some special edition Fenomeno tournaments running throughout the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) 2023.

Fenômeno Dates & Timings

The  $109 Fenômeno is played at 17:00 BRT (16:00 ET / 21:00 BST) each day:

• Monday to Saturday – the guarantee fluctuates from $30K-$50K
• Sunday Fenômeno – $125K GTD

The $11 Mini Fenômeno is played at 17:00 each day:

• Monday to Saturday – $15K GTD
• Sunday Mini Fenômeno – $30K GTD

HOW TO ENTER THE FENÔMENO ON POKERSTARS

You can buy in directly to both the $109 Fenômeno and $11 Mini Fenômeno on the day of the event using your PokerStars funds.

But players can also qualify for both events for a fraction of the price.

For the $109, there’s a daily freebuy satellite plus direct buy-in satellites that start from just $5.50.

And for the Mini Fenômeno, direct satellites begin from just $1.10.

BEST OF BRAZIL

There are so many talented poker players in Brazil that it would be impossible to list them all.

So let’s start at the top.

Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani

Pedro “pvigar” Garagnani sits atop the pecking order, currently ranked the no.1 player in Brazil according to PokerStake. 

Garagnani has won just about everything there is to win in online poker. Two WCOOPs. A SCOOP. A Winter Series title. A Turbo Championship. Multiple High Roller Club victories. Eleven six-figure scores from 2020 onwards. 

All of that adds up to almost $11 million in online cashes, and he grabbed the world no.1 spot on in 2021 before being named the Online Poker Player of the Year.

Read our interview with Garagnani where he tells us his goals for the future and what life is like at poker’s highest stakes.

Rodrigo “seijistar1” Seiji

Rodrigo Seiji has been a poker professional for 16 years now, climbing his way from the bottom rung of the poker ladder to the very top of the high-stakes scene. For years the 36-year-old has been crushing online behind the PokerStars screen name “seijistar1”, winning WCOOP, High Roller Club and Titans titles on his way to more than $4 million in online cashes.

Check out our interview with Seiji where he talks about life among the Brazilian high rollers, his live poker success, and more.

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Other interviews with Brazilian superstars:

Andre Akkari – Team PokerStars Pro

Yuri “theNERDguy” Dzivielevski – Brazil’s all-time money winner

Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha – Almost $13M in online cashes

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