Brazilian Stock Car Racer Thiago Camilo Also Has a Drive for Success in Poker

By Kevin Taylor

Thiago Camilo might not be a known name here in the United States, but he is well known in his home country of Brazil. Camilo has been competing as a stock car race driver for nearly 20 years in Brazil, starting in 2001. He is a three-time winner of the Corrida do Milhao, and recently he has also been fueling his competitive fire with poker. He has $250,000 in live tournaments earnings, mostly in Brazil, but he already has two cashes this year here at Seminole Hard Rock. Camilo told us that there are actually many similarities between stock car driving and poker. 

“Both sports are similar because in stock car, you need to know about your competitors and their strategy, and here in poker it’s the same. The stock car has 12 races per year, and when I’m not competing there, I play poker because it’s a pleasure to compete. I play because it’s fun, and for recreation,” said Camilo.

Camilo told us that he wasn’t even planning to play in this event originally. He was vacationing in the US when his friend, poker pro Andre Akkari told him about this event. He is in the top 50 here on Day 3, so it looks like it was a great decision for Camilo!

“I was on vacation here in Miami, and I decided to play this event because Andre Akkari is my friend and he told me about it. So I played it, and I’m doing good so far. I have a good stack and that’s it, I’m so happy to still be here,” said Camilo.

Poker has been blowing up in Brazil, a country known for their passion for all sports. Camilo told us that the games in Brazil are becoming tougher and tougher to win.

“The game now has progressed in Brazil. It has evolved, and here it is about the same I think. Poker is too big in Brazil, I’m not sure specifically here in Florida, but in general poker is so big year-by-year, and it’s at its biggest for me now,” said Camilo.

When asked what winning a WPT title would mean for Camilo, he gave a very measured answer. He explained how winning this poker tournament would be different for him than winning a stock car race in Brazil.

“It’s a dream for sure. When you compete professionally, you have an objective. When you play other sports you play for other objectives, and for poker, it’s more of a dream for me. It’s different for me,” said Camilo.

He carried on, reflecting on the years he has put into the game, saying, “I started playing poker 10 or 15 years ago, and it’s my dream to win a big tournament. I’ve won tournaments on the internet, but live is very different. I know the WPT is a big series, and it’s my dream to win this tournament, or even bigger ones.”