João Nunes

João Nunes

Before he started playing poker, João Nunes played professional basketball, with a successful 14-year career that included appearances for the Portuguese senior and under-21 sides. He picked up poker from teammates he’d met from North America, and decided to take a shot at making the switch to poker pro after retiring from the court.

He helped set up a website and online community back in 2004, and it’s since gone on to become one of the most important poker portal sites in Portugal. It also proved João to be a man dedicated to the development of poker is his homeland, and he gained even more exposure when he began commentating on broadcasts of the European Poker Tour (EPT) for major TV networks. João then turned his attention to the live domestic circuit by helping to set up the PokerStars Solverde Poker tournament series. It’s been a huge success so far, with thousands of players from across the country taking part, and there’s little doubt that João’s hard work was a key factor in the EPT’s decision to add a Portuguese stop to their annual schedule of events. João was even a Tournament Director at numerous major tournaments up until 2009, but he’s now focussing on becoming a winning player himself. He’s already posted some impressive results around the world, with the highlight so far being a top 125 finish at the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) for a cash of $15,000.   

Already one of the most important names in Portuguese poker, João will now be hoping to make an impact with a major win that surely can’t be too far away. He represents Team PokerStars Pro and you can find him playing online with the screen name ‘jomane’.

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