According to industry representatives, in 2000 there were a few hundred participants and very few places to practice this sport (poker is considered a mental sport). Today, the industry has millions of players in the country.
The numbers vary over the years, but it is estimated that currently the sport has more than 5% professionals, who are dedicated exclusively to poker, while that percentage even grows considering semi-professionals.
Poker is the most popular card game in the world and the growth of the last few years can be directly linked to the popularization of one of its main forms of play: Texas Hold'em. Originally created in the USA, the style became popular in intense way through disputes and offline tournaments, being quickly exported to other countries from the improvement of the internet.
Nowadays, some championships also count on stages of online classification that complement the physical and increase the number of competitors. In addition, more and more tournaments are available for all levels exclusively online.
Currently, Brazil is considered one of the main countries related to poker. The country is one of the five with more players in the world and the Brazilian Championship of Poker (BSOP) is the biggest event in Latin America and the second of the planet.
When it was created in 2006, the BSOP had only a hundred participants. The number has multiplied in the last decade and in 2015 the record reached 3,866 players in the final stage of the tournament, which passes through all regions of Brazil.
For purposes of comparison, the BSOP distributes prizes with similar or even higher values - depending on the year - to those offered by CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) in relation to the Brazilian championship.
To meet this demand in Brazil, there are numerous clubs and bars that offer the sport as na extra attraction. In addition, more than 200 clubs dedicated exclusively to poker are already estimated throughout the national territory and the number in the next few years should only increase.
For the industry representatives, there is no sign that shows a decline or slowdown in poker growth. The next few years should see an even greater increase in the numbers of specialized venues and online and offline player of this sport of cards.
Source: GMB / Carta Campinas
