(Sponsored) From the very top of Christ the Redeemer statue high on the summit of Corcovado Mountain to the warm waves lapping at the sandy shore of Ipenena Beach, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the South Hemisphere’s great tourist destinations.
This fabulous waterside city is set among spectacular landscapes and known all over the world for its vibrant culture, beautiful beaches, and iconic landmarks like Corcovado and the Sugarloaf Mountain.
Rio de Janeiro is also famous for its annual exuberant and colourful carnival – often known as the world’s largest street party.
During carnival season, millions flock to the city to enjoying dancing in the street, exotic costumes and a sizzling street food scene.
Visitors to the city can enjoy all sorts of activities from watching football at the Maracana Stadium to sunbathing on some of the world’s most glamorous beaches.
One thing that is less easy to enjoy however is playing in casinos.
Traditional casinos are not legal in Brazil. Locals can enjoy options like horse and sports betting instead.
Lotteries are also popular and some forms of bingo and slot machines have recently been legalised.
But the country has no legal tolerance of betting on traditional casino games like roulette and blackjack.
For more than 70 years, the law has banned gambling for real money on games of chance.
Poker in Brazil
However, one big classic game that is allowed in Brazil is poker– played everywhere; that’s because poker in Brazil is officially categorized as a game of skill.
Poker is unregulated, and there’s a thriving scene in Rio, largely due to the fact how accessible online poker is.
Card games are extremely popular in South America generally.
Poker is often thought of as the king of the card games. Yes there is luck in the draw and the deal of the cards but there is also a large amount of strategy and skill involved in consistently winning poker hands.
The poker players who rely solely on luck are destined to lose over the long-term.
Because poker games are classed as games of strategy it is legal to play them for money in Brazil.
This means there are dozens of dedicated poker rooms across the country and the city of Rio has several of its own.
Most varieties of the game can be enjoyed if you shop around but most dedicated tables offer either Texas Hold’Em or Omaha.
Poker’s popularity
As one of the few legal opportunities to gamble in Brazil, poker is currently enjoying a surge in popularity.
The total number of poker players in the whole country has increased from thousands to millions in the last generation.
Brazil has even held several of the world’s largest poker tournaments over recent years. These include the Latin American Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.
Famous Brazilian poker stars include WSOP gold bracelet winners Alexandre Gomes, Felipe Ramos and Andre Akkari.
These players have each won more than US $3 million in their poker careers. In 2024 Rio plans to host the biggest ever poker tournament to be held in South America.
The 15-day King Series of Poker will offer guaranteed prizes of more than US$7 million across more than 70 events.
High-roller players are expected to flood to the event – particularly as there will be no taxes on the winnings.
The event will be held in and around the Barra da Tijuca area and centred on the Grand Rio Sheraton.
Where to play in Rio
Major Rio poker events are traditionally held in one of the glossy hotel venues. But regular poker players normally play in one of the more affordable poker rooms dotted around the city.
These include specialist venues like the all-night River Texas with its popular cocktail bar and The Rio Poker Club which features affordable buy-ins of around BRL100, or less than US $25.
Online Poker in Brazil
Brazil is now one of the world’s largest poker markets. The legal situation means players can play online without restrictions.
So, thousands of Rio card players can satisfy their enthusiasm for poker by playing online. In fact, since 2003, the popularity of playing poker online has grown and grown right across all of Brazil.
More and more poker internet sites and apps have appeared to cope with the surge in demand across Brazil.
It’s now possible to find all the popular poker varieties, like Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha, at low-stakes online tables that are available to play at any time, day or night.
So online or offline poker is now a major sport in Rio – and the rest of the country.
That’s why players around the world logging into an online poker site often find themselves up against several players from Brazil – whatever time they are playing.