Thursday, 28th March 2024 09:50
Home / Features / Eight Brazilian players to look out for during the BSOP Online

Not a week goes by where we don’t tell you about the superb scores enjoyed by Brazilian players on PokerStars. With the Brazilian Series of Poker now taking place online (April 3-6), you can expect that trend to continue.


You won’t find a country more passionate about poker than Brazil.

Attending a live final table in Sao Paulo is akin to watching the national football team play in the World Cup. The fervour displayed by crowds on the rail is incredible.

The support for Brazilian poker players is the same when they play online too, as we see an outpouring of support from the community every time a player enjoys a huge score.

That’s why we’re looking forward to an online tournament series built around the Brazilian spirit.

The Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) is taking place online from April 3-6 (open to players from around the world), and here are some Brazilian poker players you should look out for.


Brunno “botteonpoker” Botteon

Being ranked no.1 in the world for a poker-passionate nation like Brazil is an enormous achievement. Brunno “botteonpoker” Botteon is currently the country’s top dog in online poker, according to PocketFives, and is ranked no.5 in the world at the time of writing with $2.5 million in career winnings. His 2020 has been incredible so far with two close calls in big Winter Series events (a second and a third for $196K and $265K, respectively) and multiple High Roller Club victories.

Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha

One of the top names in Brazilian online poker has to be reserved for Pedro “PaDiLhA SP” Padilha. We interviewed Padilha last year after he took down a World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) title in a $1,050 PKO for $192K, and he’s since won $600K online to take his total earnings up to $6.1 million. He’s a consistent crusher in the highest buy-ins on PokerStars.

Pedro Padilha at the 2019 WSOP

Pedro “pvigar” Vinícius Garagnani

The second Brazilian player to currently rank in the world’s top 10 on PocketFives is Pedro “pvigar” Vinícius Garagnani (no.2 in Brazil, no.8 in the world at the time of writing). With Winter Series, WCOOP and High Roller Club titles under his belt, Garagnani has racked up $2.87 million in online cashes. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

João “INeedMassari” Simão

One of the most recognisable faces in Brazilian poker (particularly on the high roller circuit) belongs to Joao “INeedMassari” Simao. He’s been at this for years, amassing $3 million in live winnings and more than $9 million online. While he doesn’t play on the virtual felt as prolifically as he used to, Simao has WCOOP and SCOOP titles on his mantle, as well as wins in just about every other major online tournament you can think of.

João Simão

Kelvin “kelvin_fp:ar” Kerber

Currently ranked third in Brazil and 16th in the world (according to PocketFives), Kelvin “kelvin_fp:ar” Kerber has been playing online poker for a decade, in which time he’s chalked up $4.1 million in earnings. He’s won everything from $7.50 buy-in SCOOP events to $2,100 High Roller Club tournaments. He also took down the BSOP Main Event in 2016, turning ~$500 into ~$125K.

André “AAkkari” Akkari

We couldn’t write a list of Brazilian players to look out for without mentioning arguably the nation’s greatest ambassador (and a PokerStars Ambassador, to boot). André “AAkkari” Akkari has inspired a generation of Brazilian poker players with his live events and training camps, and his influence shows no signs of waning. Akkari has $3.6 million in online winnings, plus $2.6 million won live.

Andre Akkari

Fabiano “kovalski1” Kovalski

Fabiano “kovalski1” Kovalski broke out on the world stage back in 2018 when he took down a $1,050 WCOOP event for an enormous $310K score, his largest to date. In total, he’s cashed for $4 million online over a decade-long career and currently ranks 11th in Brazil (according to PocketFives).

Alex “AAAArthur” Brito

He’s the man of the moment. Alex “AAAArthur” Brito’s incredible Sunday Million 14th Anniversary win for $1.1 million last week–not to mention the incredible tale behind it (click here to read our interview)–was about as uplifting as poker stories get. If you find yourself sat at the same table as “AAAArthur” during the BSOP Online, remember you’re playing against the reigning happiest guy in all of poker.

Alex “AAAArthur” Brito spun a $4 satellite into $1.1M by winning the Sunday Million 14th Anniversary edition (photo by @Juh.fotografias)


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