Quote:
Originally Posted by 1aday
poker cash games.. limits rake etc?
ladies of the evening, how are they for being with white people?
living costs, whats the cost for a serviced apartment with access to a pool?
where is the best neighborhood?
how do I get there?
what restaurants do you recommend?
Cash games; they play NLHE and PLO (if they get enough players).
Limits go from R$ 1/2 to R$2/5, one club run a R$ 5/10 game on weekends. Mostly it's 2/5.
Exchange rate from Brazilian Reais to USD: 2 BRL is 1 USD.
Games are pretty soft, lots of gamblers/action types, you get very few internet kids during weekdays.
Rake is in general 5%.
Most clubs run tournaments 3-4 times a week, buy in varies.
Ladies of the evening; Not sure what you're asking here. You get all sorts of types here, there are a lot of them. They are in general safe to be around, tho some might steal you blind.
Living costs; A decent apartment in a high rise close to one of the beaches, fully furnished, will go for about R$ 1.500, with parking. This is dependant on size. You will find cheaper ones, smaller, bigger, what tickles your fancy type thing. I know of guys who lease at the right time, during the low season, who can get 60m2 for like a R$ 1k a month.
Houses in gated communities will go for like R$ 1.700-3.000. These houses will typically have above ground pools and a decent garden/barbeque spot.
When it comes to pools, most/nearly all condominiums have them, at least the newer high rises. You shouldn't have this as a criteria though, it's usually built in by surrounding high rises. You will find apartments, cheaply, right on the beach or very close by.
Best hood; Depending on what you're here for. Poker, chicks and nightlife, the best choice would be Ponta Negra, 15 minutes south of the city center. Stay away from "The Vila". If you're more into the shopping and up scale type things, you would like to stay in Petropolis (very close to the shore/beach inside the city) or Tirol (further back from the sea, but very nice). Petropolis have the best options for shopping and fine dining in the city, IMO. Temaki, a sushi joint, holds a very high standard compared to other major cities' options for instance.
Restaurants are very diverse and almost always very Brazilian. The ones that stand out as per now; Fogo&Chama; a churrascaria with all you can eat lobster, Abade; very good bacalhau and other seafood, Piazzale; very good Italian, Sal e Brasa; another churrascaria (not as expensive as Fogo, but still good for meats). Long list of good places. For casual dining, almost every corner has one. In Ponta Negra you will find several foreign joints, like kebab and stuff like that.