Earlier this month, a field of 878 players lined up for the 888 Poker Sunday Challenge. The $90 buy-in tournament that features one rebuy clipped its $100,000 guarantee by 12% as a result and, when all was said and done, João Vieira (pictured), who goes by Naza114here on PocketFives, came away with the win and cashed for $23,000. The Portuguese online poker player sits at #8 worldwide in the PocketFives Poker Rankings, down slightly from a high of #5 in July, and took time out of his busy day to talk with us.

By the way, if you’re from Vieira’s homeland, make sure to check out PocketFives’ all-new Portugal poker community. You can chat with local players and discuss anything and everything related to poker in Portugal.

PocketFives: We’ve seen members of PocketFives dominate the 888 Poker Sunday Challengeover the last few months. Can you walk us through how the tournament went in general?

João Vieira: I don’t recall completely how the beginning of it went, but I think it actually started badly for me. I lost a bunch of chips and then had to grind my stack back up again. It was on a Sunday and I probably was playing over 20 tables, but at a certain point in the session, I started noticing the tournament because my stack kept growing. I had some other deep runs, but started focusing more on this one like I always do whenever I have a tournament with a nice chance of getting really deep.

I created a huge stack with 25 or 30 players to go and was always among the chip leaders. I was able to identify some weak spots at the table and just grinded them the best I could until the final table. My strategy was the same once I got to the final table and I was able to put some pressure on my opponents and make smart decisions three-handed.

It all ended with a pretty tough call on the river heads-up. It definitely felt good to finally win at 888 and to get my third Triple Crown. I was really looking forward to both achievements.

PocketFives: You have over $2.3 million in tracked cashes in your PocketFives profile and are at #8 worldwide. Do these types of wins help your confidence or how do these types of scores affect your mindset and your already very successful poker career?

João Vieira: Wins definitely provide confidence and a feeling of getting the job done. Unfortunately, big wins don’t always happen and variance is part of my profession. You have to learn how to live without the big scores and big paydays. I’m happy for these larger scores, but even happier that I’ve been able to have a good start to my career with around $2.3 million in cashes without a score over $37,500. That makes me feel that whatever happens, if I keep working as hard as I have been, I will be able to get where I want to. This is just the beginning.

PocketFives: Does not having a single score over $37,500make your top 10 run in the PocketFives Rankings even more impressive?

João Vieira: Yes, I guess so. I feel like I have proven I belong here because I’ve managed to make these runs without a major score. I have had enough runs at major scores lately, which makes me truly believe those bigger scores will come for me as well. It’s just a matter of time. Like I said, this is just the beginning for me.

PocketFives: You’re one of the first Portuguese players we have interviewed in a while. How is poker viewed in Portugal (pictured) and what’s your take on the Portuguese poker scene?

João Vieira: Poker is still in its infancy here in Portugal, so it’s still growing in terms of popularity. It is starting to be recognized and known across society. I hope we keep going in the right direction. Even though we’re a small country, we have a bunch of pretty good players. We have talent around here and I’m certain you will hear a lot about us in the future.

PocketFives: What do you do away from poker? What other interests do you have?

João Vieira: I played professional basketball for four years, so I always try to find time to play as often as I can. I try to watch the NBA as much as I can too. I work out regularly and usually spend a lot of time reading. I like writing as well, even though I’m no Mark Twain. I like politics and try to volunteer as often as I can. You have to know where you came from and not forget those who might need your help.

PocketFives: You played professional basketballfor four years?

João Vieira: I have been playing basketball since I was seven years old. I got passionate about it really fast. It was love at first sight, you know? I worked really hard, spent endless hours working on my game, and was pretty much a gym rat in my teenage years. The hard work paid off and I was invited to start practicing with my local professional team at age 15. Even though our country isn’t that good at basketball, it was still a heck of a challenge. I was on the team until I was 21 and spent the last four years as a pro.

PocketFives: Has your basketball career helped your poker career?

João Vieira: Oh yeah. I’ve learned a lot from basketball, not only as it relates to poker, but also to work ethic and what you need to do to be successful in life. It teaches you how to behave in a group, how to build camaraderie, and how to deal with and accept others regardless of what beliefs or social circles they come from.

I’ve used the work ethic I had in basketball and brought it to poker. Fortunately, poker players aren’t really known for being the hardest workers around. That opened the door to gain an edge and cut the disadvantage I had against others since I only started playing poker three years ago.

One of my junior coaches in basketball used to write a big ass “A” on his chalkboard in the locker room during pre-game speeches. The “A” stands for attitude. That was all he asked of us. That’s all life asks from you: endless attitude, endless work, and even more endless passion and love for what you do. You can’t go wrong when you truly love what you do.

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