Rafael Moraes
Rafael Moraes was a semi-professional chess player. He competed in regional tournaments and the Brazilian championship, but he decided to try his hand at poker. It turned out to be a clever decision as he has been a professional poker player ever since.
During that time, he became the first Brazilian player to win a US$1 Million Prize in a single online MTT back in 2019. Other highlights include a WSOP Circuit Ring, a SCOOP title, and a 3rd place finish at the High Roller event at EPT Monte Carlo, which was his biggest cash win at a live tournament; €568,000. Quite the achievements.
Now he’s a member of the Team PokerStars Online Pro at PokerStars, a moment he describes as a ‘crowning achievement of his career.’ Rafael, who streams under the name gm_valter, said about the announcement: ‘I always dreamed of representing PokerStars, it was the website where I started playing, where I won my first title and where I have the most prizes. Having the chance to join this big brand to impact the community and help the growth of poker in Brazil is a dream come true.’
Rafael thoroughly enjoys his streaming, specifically being able to contact the community and players of different levels. Helping it become a more collective game even though it is an individual sport. A highlight of his streams so far is day 3 of the EPT Online Main Event, where 2,000 viewers were cheering him on as he was playing. Now, with being a member of Team PokerStars Online Pro and having the support of the Brazilian public – he’s hoping to propel his streams to an even bigger audience and be even more engaged with his community.
You can find Rafael on the tables under the name gm_valter.