When Brazilian poker star Andree Akkari sits down at the felt in Barcelona, he feels something different. It’s not superstition, he insists—“I’m 100% not superstitious”—but it is the pull of an environment that makes him sharper, calmer, more alive.

“This is the place where I feel good,” he said during PokerStars European Poker Tour Barcelona 2025. “Barcelona is one of those places where you play poker and it’s not just about poker. You go to the beach, you play volleyball or pickleball with friends, you eat amazing food, stay in an incredible hotel. When that kind of environment surrounds a tournament, my brain works better—I feel much better. That’s why I’ve done well here in the past.”

I always choose buy-ins where the price excites me, but the risk doesn’t hurt me. That “good feeling” keeps Akkari smiling even in moments where others might crumble. He laughed when asked about his seemingly eternal good mood. It isn’t just personality, he explained—it’s a decision he made 20 years ago.

“I never play tournaments I shouldn’t play financially,” he said. “I always choose buy-ins where the price excites me, but the risk doesn’t hurt me. I knew if I kept doing that, even when things didn’t go my way, I’d still be smiling. I wouldn’t feel the pressure. I wouldn’t put my family at risk.”

That mixture of discipline and perspective colors not only his poker career but his life. Akkari has been married for 27 years and proudly mentions his two daughters. “If you’re not happy sitting in an incredible hotel in Barcelona on a Wednesday at 2 p.m., playing cards in front of the beach… nothing’s gonna make you happy,” he said. “Sure, sometimes I lose a flip or get unlucky, I’ll complain for 15 minutes. Then I push myself to forget it and see reality. I have two beautiful daughters, a beautiful wife—how could I complain?”

Building Poker in Brazil

Beyond the tables, Akkari has become one of the catalysts for the explosion of poker in Brazil. As a long-running ambassador for PokerStars, he has seen the game grow from backroom curiosity to mass pastime. And yet, he insists, the peak hasn’t arrived.

“Every year people ask if this is the max, if poker has reached the peak in Brazil,” he said. “And every year I say no. There are still so many people hearing about the game for the first time. They don’t ask me what it is anymore—they ask how to start, how to manage a bankroll. The interest is still growing.”

He believes the key is storytelling. “Content is the best initiative,” he explained. “More media, more videos, more vlogs—show people the life of a poker player. The amateur’s story is often more exciting than the professional’s—taking a vacation with friends or family, playing cards, having fun. Once people experience the magic of holding two cards and sweating a flop, you don’t need to do much else. Poker sells itself.”

For Akkari, the game is also the ultimate networking tool. “Poker is the most social game in the world. You sit with nine people from all over, and that table might bring you a business partner, a lifelong friend—even a husband or wife. That doesn’t happen if you show up at a soccer field and ask to join in, but in poker, you buy in and suddenly you’re part of something.”

Balancing Family and the Grind

Still, he admits the life of a pro is not easy. When he began his career nearly two decades ago, he had two newborn daughters and finances were tight. “I missed birthdays, I missed school events,” he recalled. “But I told myself I was doing it for them. As success came, I realized balance was essential—giving everything I could while also protecting time with my family.”

That balance, he says, is fragile because poker never stops. “There are tournaments online and live all the time. If you want, you can play every day and forget everything else. You have to be smart. You have to evaluate, every day, how much attention you’re giving to the parts of your life that matter.”

The One Trophy Missing

Akkari’s résumé is vast: more than 50,000 tournaments played, nearly 300 victories, a World Series of Poker bracelet, and a trophy case full of major online titles. But one gaping hole remains.

“I’ve never won an EPT main event,” he said with conviction. “I’ve been so close so many times—final tables, deep runs, even fifth place finishes here in Barcelona. But that’s the one I want. That’s my dream.”

He credits Brazilian pros both for pushing him and for keeping him connected to the game’s latest strategies. “They’re my friends, and they’re putting the game on another level. We talk, we review hands, we push each other to improve. That’s what keeps me chasing it.”

Beyond Poker

Even as his poker life thrives, Akkari has not stood still away from the felt. He co-owns business ventures, including the global esports company FURIA, and has recently become hooked on pickleball, which he plays daily.

“If I wasn’t a poker player, I’d probably be chasing pickleball full-time,” he admitted with a grin. “But honestly, poker isn’t going away, and I know I’ll play until my last day. Two days before an event, sometimes I think, ‘Do I really want to do this again?’ But then I arrive, I touch the first card, and I fall in love all over again. I don’t want to stop.”

For now, Barcelona remains the city tied to that ongoing love affair—where the beaches and food sharpen his mind, and where his greatest unfulfilled goal still lies waiting. “I will win one main event,” Akkari said confidently. “It’s just a matter of time.”