Brazil as a nation is no stranger to sporting greatness, largely courtesy of the historical exploits of A Seleção. Indeed, with the latest edition of the World Cup now firmly on the horizon, fans are flocking to new betting sites to place a bet on Brazil lifting the trophy once more in Qatar.
It is not all about football though. Whilst Neymar and co. have been working their magic on the green turf of the football pitch, Brazilians have also been hitting the news headlines elsewhere – most notably on the green felt of the poker table.
Brazilian players have been registering huge wins both online and in real-world tournaments for some time now, and the signs are that this trend may well continue. Here we take a look at the nation’s top five live earners.
Yuri “TheNERDGuy” Dzivielski
A mixed-game magician, 30-year-old Dzivielski is the first Brazilian to win two WSOP Bracelets – his first coming in 2019 with victory in the $2,500 Mixed Omaha8/Stud8 and his second when mastering a 4,356 field to bag the $400 PLOSSUS online event.
Boasting live earnings of around $5 million, he sits top of the all-time Brazilian money list and doesn’t look like being shifted from his position any time soon.
Alexandre “Allingomes” Gomes
Now 40 years of age, Alexandre helped set the stage for what was to follow when becoming Brazil’s first WSOP bracelet winner in 2008. Picking up $770,540 for mastering a field of 2,317 in the $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event that year, Gomes bettered that sum when bagging $1,187,670 in the Bellagio Cup V of 2009.
Fast forward to 2022 and Gomes continues to cash with regularity, taking his all-time live earnings to an impressive, $3,720,975.
Felipe Tavares Ramos
Rather than spectacular wins at the major festivals, Ramos has amassed his impressive tally of $3,022,033 with a steady stream of smaller successes – his biggest live cash coming when grabbing $220,471 for a fifth-place finish in a Super High Roller event in 2018.
Also counting a mixed chess/poker victory on his CV, games player Ramos is also lucky in love – his other half being TV presenter Natalie Hof Ramos.
André Akkari
Sitting in the fourth spot is 47-year-old Andre Akkari. Emerging on the scene in 2006, Akkari’s big breakthrough came in 2011 when claiming top spot in the $1,500 No Limit Holdem event at the WSOP. That success was good for $675,117 which, as of 2022, remains the biggest of his live career.
Far from being a one-trick pony, Akkari is also well known in the esports realm, as the co-owner of the Furia Esports team.
Bruno Volkmann
Rounding out the top five is online and live terror, Bruno Volkmann. One of the world’s most feared online players, Volkmann’s relentless stream of final table appearances saw him become the number 1 ranked online player in the world in 2021.
Whilst the bulk of his earnings have come online, his lofty position in this list proves he is also no slouch in the live arena. Picking up $687,100 for a runners-up finish in the $10,000 MILLIONS South America event of 2019, these days Volkmann can be spotted topping up his $2,490,475 in live earnings in many of the season’s nosebleed high-roller events.
