Carnival, tango – and poker? The easy-to-learn and difficult-to-master card game has millions of fans worldwide. Latin America is on the rise.
After an 8 year break it returns Latin American Poker Tour returns in 2024. At the start, the gamblers will compete against each other in Panama in April. Events in Mexico will follow in August. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are the other stops in the tournament series in autumn, where stars of the poker scene and young talents take up the cards.
Football greats have proven enough that a game that is based primarily on statistical probabilities and the personality traits of the other players can also be perfectly compatible with the Latin American temperament. The Brazilian star player Ronaldo is one of the most famous poker fans. He has had time to work on his game, especially since his departure from active football.
Neymar Jr. is another football hero who takes up the cards with passion beyond the pitch. In 2019 he took part in the Brazilian Series of Poker, among other things.
Poker fans all over the world finally became aware of the talents from Latin America when the Argentine Damian Salas Was crowned world champion in Las Vegas in 2021. The studied lawyer, who joined in 2007 Online Poker started, he succeeded the German champion Hossein Ensan at the World Series of Poker. In the final duel against the American Joseph Hebert, Salas needed 173 hands until he secured the bracelet and a pot of 1 million US dollars.
The top position in the world ranking was occupied by a Latin American poker professional for the first time in 2023. Argentinian José Ignacio “Nacho” Barbera is the most successful Latin American poker player with more than $17 million in prize money. He holds the Latin American Poker Tour record with three titles.
As much as people from Mexico to Paraguay like to gamble, gambling, which officially includes poker, is strictly regulated in many Latin American countries. If you want to gamble on vacation, you should familiarize yourself with the local laws in advance. Just like in Germany, permits for legal casinos are granted by the state.
Argentina is a gambling stronghold with around 60 locations where people can legally pick up cards, roll dice and bet on horse races. The largest casino in the country is the Casino de Tigre in a suburb of Buenos Aires.
In Brazil we say be careful. Although there are plenty of poker fans here, there are no official casinos here. Most gamblers therefore make a detour across the border to Uruguay in order to get their hands on the cards without any legal problems.
The country, which has only 3.3 million inhabitants, is very gambling-friendly. In the Capital Montevideo can be gambled in the same way as in the elegant resorts. The top address is the Conrad Resort & Casino Punta del Este, which is considered one of the best addresses in Latin America. Stars like Cher and Julio Iglesias have already performed here.
There are also first-class resorts in Chile and Peru. When it comes to poker, Latin Americans prefer to play Stud Poker and Hold’Em, although the differences between the individual variants can be learned quickly in the online casino.
Street parties and large parades are part of life in Latin America. The best known is the carnival, although it varies from country to country.
The carnival celebration in Oruro, Bolivia, is one of the oldest in the world and recognized as an intangible world cultural heritage. The 3,700-meter-high town, which makes a living from silver mining, was once a place of pilgrimage for the indigenous Andean inhabitants. To this day, Carnival has been preserved as a mixture of indigenous and Catholic culture.
El Carnaval de Barranquilla in Colombia is also part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage. The end of winter and the approach of spring are celebrated with a flower fight, parades, dances and fire eaters. Spanish, African and indigenous influences make the festival a unique experience.
Water plays a big role in carnival, especially in Ecuador and Peru. However, everywhere it is primarily about the joy of life and the connection between old and new cultures.
A bit of gambling is also on the agenda for many visitors. This connects Latin America with the most famous carnival in Europe, in Venice. The world’s first casino was founded there in the 17th century to get the noble gamblers off the streets and offer them a suitable place to play under the supervision of the authorities. At the same time, masks ensured a certain degree of anonymity.
The costumes haven’t changed much since then, although entry into the casino is now open to anyone who follows the rules.
The same applies worldwide. The fun of the game knows no national borders. This is proven once again at the Latin American Poker Tour.
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2024-04-03 18:29:07
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