"Forget this story that Brazil is the country of football. Today Brazil is the country of poker." The phrase, said by Alex Brito, world champion of the modality and known as the “Brazilian Money Maker”, may not find any basis in reality. But it perfectly reflects the passion and enthusiasm of practitioners of the so-called mental sport.
“Addictive” is the adjective most often heard. And, although there is still a long way to go for poker to become a national passion like football, the number of interested parties increases every day. It is a market that moves billions. “There has been a boom in the last three years,” notes Alex Brito.
This multiplication of players and houses for the practice of the modality in Brazil has been happening in a political environment that favors the discussion about the liberation of casinos in the country.
It is estimated that 8 million people play poker in Brazil, mainly online. Of this total, around 80,000 people also frequent physical spaces dedicated to matches. The recognition of poker as a sport was fundamental for the popularization of the activity in Brazil.
In the last ten years, several tournaments have been held in Brazil, and there are several Brazilian players who have reached the world elite: Felipe Mojave, Rafael Moraes, João Simão, André Akkari, Josias Santos. In addition, personalities such as Paris Saint-Germain football player Neymar and even former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso helped bring the sport notoriety.
Neymar is often seen playing poker in his spare time, he gives tips on strategies and since 2021 he has been a cultural ambassador for a website that promotes the activity.
When it comes to poker houses, there are now options for all tastes – and pockets. Maxx Poker, the largest house in Latin America, with 70 tables and the largest physical space (4,000 m2), operates in a sumptuous building on Avenida Sumaré, in São Paulo. Every day, it receives about a thousand people. “In specific events, we receive 2,000 people a day,” says the company's CEO, Rafael Silva.
Maxx Poker pays out at least R$20 million in bets per year. Rafael is a former Santos football player and discovered in the cards another passion besides the ball and an alternative to get on with his life after he left the pitch. Passion for passion, he now works with poker.
Champion Alex Brito praises the space. “It's a big, prestigious house. It's Vegas style there, with good food and drinks,” he says. But he confesses that he really enjoys it in smaller spaces. “I don't just play for money. I love poker. I play for taste. And I love Pub Poker Blinders,” he reveals. “It's root poker there, you don't lose the essence. I sit down to play at 9 pm and get up at 4 am the next day to win R$600.”
The flagship of the Poker Blinders kitchen? Crazy meat. “Unreasonable meat”, laughs Vinicius Silva, owner of the space in partnership with his brother, Gabriel Taraio. Vinícius and his brother had been playing for some time, but they were not regulars in this type of space. “We would see those big clubs and think ‘we need a space to have fun and gather friends’. That’s how the idea of the pub came about,” he recalls.
The venue, located in Freguesia do Ó, has three game tables, a bar and a smoking area — which is occasionally converted into a space for barbecues. It receives up to 30 people per day.
In a noble region of Santo André, businessman Edson Barboza is getting ready to open DB Poker. “We will be the biggest and best house in the ABC region,” he says. “We will have ten tables available. In real time, we will be able to have up to 90 players. ABC people will be able to play poker close to home,” he explains.
Barboza does not play, but he saw in the activity a possibility of having a good financial return. He then met with three other partners to implement the idea. “We visited some houses and found that it is a gigantic world. I was a telecommunications entrepreneur until I started developing the project, where I use my management knowledge,” he says.
In common, those involved with the world of poker show a certain discomfort with the fact that many people still confuse the activity, which is legal, with the so-called games of chance, which are illegal. And they point out that the sport involves strategy and is mentally challenging, as are other games such as chess, for example.
“It's not a game of chance. Gambling is one where you have a 50% chance of winning or losing. Poker is considered a sport of the mind,” explains champion Brito. “In it, success depends 70% on technique, study. Only 30% depend on luck.” The fact is that Brazilians love games, whether football, truco, dominoes or poker.
Source: Gabriela Rölke - Istoé
