In a dogged and one-sided affair the visitors, thanks to a string of Maik Taylor reflex saves, hung on to earn their seventh point of a promising campaign.
Before kick-off, Bruce had said he was prepared for a physical battle at the Britannia Stadium, the Birmingham players however didn't seem aware of Stoke's rough and tumble approach.
The visitors were being hustled out of possession at every opportunity and Stoke's forward line of Vincent Pericard and Mamady Sidibe were proving a real handful.
And it was no surprise to see Stoke's first chance come from Sidibe's mere presence.
The striker was hauled down on the edge of the box and Peter Sweeney's resulting free-kick found Darel Russell unmarked in front of goal.
But with the goal gaping and with the time to pick his spot, the midfielder took a wild air shot and the Blues were left off the hook.
The Potters had asserted a real hold early on and were creating chances almost at will, Sweeney coming closest in the eighth minute.
The Scotsman nodded narrowly over after getting on the end of Luke Chadwick's pinpoint centre.
After a full-blooded first-half, despite Stoke's dominance, both teams trotted into the break level-pegging, Birmingham were however nursing a few more bruises for their efforts.
The second half resumed in the same rugged manner with Potters boss Tony Pulis obviously calling for more of the same in his half-time team-talk.
But with only 14 minutes of the second half gone, the home side were almost left paying a heavy price for their gloves-off style.
Dave Brammer's reckless wild lunge at Fabrice Muamba inside his own box, left referee Richard Beeby with no alternative other than to point to the spot.
But Mikael Forssell's attempt to convert his second spot-kick in the space of three days was quickly thwarted when City stopper Steve Simonsen got down well to his right.
The Potters' reply was swift and almost effective. Pericard worked a neat opening for Sweeney who lashed wide, when the Birmingham net should have bulged.
Sidibe was next to be granted a sight of Taylor's goal by the visitors' flimsy rearguard.
The towering frontman muscled his own path through and let rip with a rocket which left Taylor nursing a sore right hand.
Stoke began to pour forward and should have sealed a deserved win right at the death.
Taylor was again called on to come to his side's rescue when he was forced to tip an 89th minute goalbound Sweeney free-kick around the post.