Brazil’s Diego diegokeepCardoso (pictured) made out like a bandit in the PokerStars Sunday Million, chopping the tournament in both April and May for a combined $333,000. To make one final table in the richest weekly online poker tournament is hard enough. To make two is even more improbable. And to make two in back-to-back months is worthy of a feature article here on PocketFives. We caught up with Cardoso to break down his assault on the online poker world.

“I’m very excited, it was pretty sick,” is all Cardoso could put into words when asked what it felt like to chop the PokerStars Sunday Million in back-to-back months. On April 1, he came away with his first chop after striking a five-way deal for $137,000. Cardoso officially took second in the tournament.

Little did he know that in late May, it would be déjà vu all over again, as he chopped the PokerStars Sunday Million once more, this time for $196,000. He was one-half of a two-way deal and shot up to #182 worldwide in the PocketFives Poker Rankings three days later.

What went right for Cardoso? Did he run like a deity? Or were other factors in play? When asked what went right in the two Sunday Million tournaments, Cardoso shared, “What went right in each tournament was my focus. My girlfriend was with me and I was more relaxed overall. I chopped the tournaments because of the big prizes. In the first one, I chopped because I was second in chips with five players left. In the second Sunday Million, I chopped heads-up for what I thought was a nice deal.”

All of Cardoso’s energy was focused on the Sunday Million, which, as he indicated, led to an increased focus. For example, in the first go-around, the Sunday Million was the lone table on his screen from 700 players on, which he said “is so crucial to have a good game.” Meanwhile, his girlfriend was on-hand to make dinner, give him a much-needed massage, and be his rock throughout the multi-hour affair.

Cardoso is from Brazil, where he’s at #4 in the country’s Sortable Poker Rankings out of over 700 registered PocketFives members.

While he is proud to represent the South American nation, he said, “I feel better about representing my family and realizing my dreams. I bought two apartments here in Brazil and my mother can smile and sleep in a nice place.” It’s really all about mom.

Last September, Cardoso won the PokerStars $100 Rebuy for $23,000. In recent days, he finished fourth in the PokerStars Hotter $55 and won the site’s Nightly Thirty Grand for a combined $12,000. Overall, he has showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

He got into poker after catching the James Bond flick “Casino Royale,” which was the first in the Bond franchise to star Daniel Craig. The film was released in 2006 and Cardoso was instantly hooked. We wonder if any of his first poker opponents had a tell of bleeding out of their eye like Le Chiffre.

After running across “Casino Royale,” Cardoso headed to Everest Poker, where he played freerolls and began his poker career. On why the game was appealing, Cardoso asserted, “I can realize my dreams. I can have my own lifestyle, I don’t have a boss, and I work for myself. When I don’t want to play, I don’t have to and can just go to sleep or go away with my girlfriend or travel.”

He currently stands at #167 worldwide in the PocketFives Rankings, his highest mark ever. Can he make it a three-peat in the Sunday Million in June? He has two weekends left to do it. Stay tuned to PocketFives to find out.