Meet Andre Akkari – Latin America’s eSports Ambassador

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Sept. 1, 2022: He may not be as well-known as other Brazilian celebrities, but since the mid-2000s, Akkari has been an outspoken ambassador for Latin American gaming. A professional poker player, eSports innovator and multi-talented entrepreneur, Akkari made waves on the international poker gaming scene and is now set on conquering the world of eSports.

A Professional On The Felt

Andre Akkari has been competing in elite-level poker for over 15 years. A member of Team PokerStars Pro Brazil, he hasn’t just competed in and won events at the Latin American Poker Tour, Brazilian Series of Poker and the European Poker Tour; he’s also competed several times at the most prestigious poker event in the globe – the World Series of Poker. As a professional player, Akkari has been a proud ambassador for poker in Latin America, and has spoken regularly in industry outlets such as PokerNews about the importance of representation

In fact, In 2011, Akkari claimed a coveted WSOP gold bracelet after going head to head against Nachman Berlin in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold ’em event. He also pocketed a cool $675,117 in the process. While the prize pot and bracelet didn’t go unappreciated, for Akkari, winning was a chance to represent Latin American culture and show the world that Brazilian players were not to be underestimated.

As only one of six Brazilian players to have ever won a bracelet at the WSOP tournament, Akkari made it his mission to make the international poker community less “blind” about “what is happening with (poker) in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina.”

To date, Akkari is ranked 4th on Brazil’s All-Time Money List of poker players, with total earnings coming in at $6,728,236 for online and live cash events combined.

“I Always Want To Do A Lot Of Things”

After a few years on the professional poker circuit, Akkari’s “hyperactive” mind turned to areas outside of the game. As someone known on the circuit for always having something interesting to say, whether that was about politics, poker strategy, or how the game itself created brilliant business people, he began diving into a diverse range of activities.

That soon led to the creation of several different businesses, including a dog hotel, a Japanese restaurant and even a poker training academy – all of which were successful. While his various ventures satisfied his need to “always want to do a lot of things”, the work involved in running them eventually took its toll on his wellbeing and time at the poker table.

Wesley, Akkari hired business managers to take on the day-to-day running of his portfolio, freeing up his time to focus on the things that mattered.

The eSports Empire

He returned to the game fill time in 2015, but another potential opportunity for diversification soon caught his eye – eSports.

In 2017, Akkari teamed up with Jaime “raizen” Pádua to launch FURIA, Brazil’s very own eSports organisation initially specialising in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Soon, the groundbreaking management model that Akkari helped to create put the Furia CS: GO league on a level playing field with international teams.

A move to Florida followed, opening up the floodgates for further investment by signing a US-based Apex Legends team to the organisation.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Akkaris has even grander ambitions for the organization, aiming to turn it into a globally renowned technology brand by entering the blockchain arena. Furia’s unorthodox approach has even seen Brazilian talent from a wide range of sports joining the books, including the UFC’s Livia Renata Souza, F1 reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, and chess Grandmaster Krikor Mekhitarian.