GMB - How does the rest of the world see
the Brazilian poker market?
André Akkari - I think it is
seen as a powerful nation, a growing market. I have a lot of friends outside
the country, in the United States, Canada, throughout Europe. They all ask
about poker: 'How is poker there?' Everyone knows that ETA is a fever here,
which is growing a lot, and the rest of the world is not growing as much as
Brazil. We are happy with this recognition.
How do you feel being one of the biggest
names in Brazilian poker?
I feel mega happy, honored and motivated to continue the work, travelling
all over the world trying to be the best ambassador posible, along with other
guys who do the same job I do.
And how is the technical quality of
Brazilian players today?
I think in the last two years we've had a sharp turn in game improvement. There
wasn´t so much technical information or material in Portuguese, but as courses,
articles, magazines, coachings and schools were being born, poker began to
improve. Nowadays the level is better, it Is still worse than other powerful
nations like the United States or Germany, but it is in a growing curve of
improvement. So I think over the next five years we can become a great poker
nation.
Do you see yourself as the main name of
Brazilian poker for many years?
Technically I'm not the best player in Brazil, but, I'm a guy who tries to
work on several fronts. I try to be the best player I can be, to work in front
of the legitimacy of poker as a sport, in the public relations of the sport
with Brazilian society. So I can do it for a lot of time and this whole
combination makes a good formula.
Do you think that passing the gaming law
in Brazil can help to consolidate poker as a sport in the country?
I think so, especially if you look at poker with the right prism, skill,
sport of the mind, what póker really is. Regardless of poker, the gaming law
helps the country a lot. It helps tourism, places the country on the heights of
other powerful nations around the world. We lose space because there is no
gaming and all the great countries of the world have. So trying to be like
these countries will be something positive for us. And if that happens andpoker
is seen in a special way, I think it will still blow up a lot more.
And what about the poker business? You
that the sport will still generate many opportunities for those who wish to
invest?
Yes. In the last ten years I've been making big investments in poker as a
company. Group media, courses, classes, payment methods, etc. I can imagine
that with regulation this will increase much more.
Source: GMB
Author: Pedro Henrique Feitosa
