sup Ruben..
pm answered...
dont hesitate to contact!

gl

I'm going to be spending about 3.5 weeks in Salvador from just before New Years to the end of January with a school program. One course I'm taking is going to be a history of Brazilian music, which will be taught by a local professor, and the other is going to be one on the history and politics of Brazil, which my favorite Political Science prof is leading. Pretty sweet to have all expense covered by a merit scholarship I have, even some extra money for booze. We're going to be staying at a hotel in Barra, which I've heard is about 10 mins from the beach so it should be a good location to have places to go to after lectures. Going to be staying at this hotel, http://www.portofarol.com.br/, looks pretty nice from what I've seen. Has anyone been to Salvador? Any recommendations for good student-esque bars or sights? I downloaded Pimsleur's Level I and II Brazilian Portuguese course and I'm currently going through that. Never took Spanish before (parents made me take French through the AP level) but the program seems pretty awesome. Hoping that I'll have some ability to make minor chit chat and fend for myself (ordering at restaurants, getting directions, etc) by the time I get there.

Cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike,

ive been in Salvador around 5 years ago.. just for around 10 days in january.. so i cant recommend places..
its definitly not my fav city, but very beautiful place..
i dont know where r u from, but prepare to be in a very hot, crowd, exciting and dangerous city
take care and enjoy..!!
cya!!

Hey 40s, thanks for responding so quickly. I'm from New York so I'm certainly expecting quite a bit of difference but definitely in a good way. I've done about 8 lessons on Pimsleur's Level I Brazilian Portuguese and I'm hoping to be able to make minor chit chat by the time get to Salvador (ideally I want to get through level II but we'll see). Just bought a grammar book to start learning the formal rules (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/048...ef=oss_product). The program is on the history, music, and politics of modern Brazil so I feel as though Salvador is a good starting point for study. In the future I plan to check out more southern cities like Porto Alegre. While I've never taken Spanish before (took French through the AP level back in high school) I'm really enjoying learning Portuguese and I'm hoping that I can continue learning the language through formal classes in the spring.

Cheers,
Mike

Great!! its very good to read this! u r on the right way!!
i should start to learn some english too.. i feel kinda bad trying to talk here..
anyway.. salvador has pros and cons, but its a city full of history and im sure u will lov it!!
have a nice trip!!
if, someday, u come to Rio, get in touch

Cya

Your English is great! One day I hope to be able to understand Portuguese as good as you understand English haha. I will definitely let you know if I ever make it to Rio.

Cheers,
Mike

Mike - you've lucked in. Salvador is the nuts imo in Brazil. You're 2 mins from a decent (city) beach and 5 minutes from the "Porta de Barra" beach which is great for watching the sun going down over the sea.

There's plenty going on in Barra - mainly somewhat touristy, but fine. Rio Vermelho - which is about 2/2.5 miles along the coast is a main less touristy night-life place, so i strongly recommend going there. (Cost ~R$12 maybe - US $8 to by taxi.) Hip/studenty bars there include: A Tarrafa (a terrace overlooking the sea) and Ali Do Lado - with live bands & DJs depending on the day - get to the Acaraje de Dinha and ask a local for directions. The best nightclub in town shut in July and I haven't been back since then, so it's not so clear where you can find a good NY/Europe style club right now.

Pelourinho has quite a lot of things going on, especially during January. I find it hard work - lots of people trying to sell you stuff, probably quiet a lot of petty theft/pick-pocketing, but I have a (black) Bajan friend who has a much better time there if she keeps her mouth shut!!

If you can extend your stay to include the 2nd of February - a big cultural event/party (Dia de Yemanja) you'ld be improving your ev.

Edit: you'll be surprised at how few people speak English - but everyone will be very pleased to help you practise your Portuguese - and you'll get much better convos in PT than EN.

Hi all... I figured with everyone's help, I should post some of my recent findings. I just spend four weeks in Brasil. If you want to play poker in Rio, there are several poker rooms. One is between Copa and Ipa, and can play pretty big. One night there was a 10-25 (reis) NL game going. But, most nights they play a 10-10 mix, one round PLO, one round NL. They LOVE PLO.

There is another place in Jardim Botanico, walking distance to Solarium, if ya know what I mean Perfect day is to hit Solarium, take care of some business, then mosey on to play some poker. And the dealers in the cash game are pretty hot. Slightly smaller game, the biggest was a 10-10 mix, and that only happened two or three times a week.

The problem is that there may not be a game every day in Rio. But, there is a fairly large poker room in Barra, and I think they have a game every day. I never went, but on the one Saturday I called, they had several 5-5 NL games, and said they would probably start a 5-10 game that night. I was getting wasted on the beach in Copa at the time, so the thought of a 45 min taxi ride was not appealling.

I spent a weekend in Sao Paulo, played at a new club in Barrio Itiam Bibi. Close to Cafe Foto (again, if ya know what I mean). Pretty expensive city, but the game was not great. Very small limits, and they play this Pot Limit Hold em, with just 5 on the button (So you straddle like hell in the cutoff). They play with 11 players, and half of them are beginners (you can't even give them credit as "bad" players). So, if ya got a big pocket pair in early position, watch out. You are gonna have 5 random hands coming after you. Good luck to you.

There was a big tourney going on that weekend, so maybe the big-game never got going. But the biggest I saw there was 5-5.

The play in Sao Paulo is horrible, for example I had AA against KK, we got it all in pre-flop. And K-3 suited was in there calling us every step of the way. Thank you K-3. I promise not to spend all your money in one shot. Oh wait, it's Sao Paulo... that might pay for the cab ride back to the airport.

But, overall, tough... every hand feels like a lotto, because you are likely to have 4+ other players in the hand.

I loved Rio before and I like it better now that there is poker. But don't expect to pay for your trip (and your other hobbies) with your poker winnings. If you want the best combo of poker and... the other hobby... Macau is great. You can play basicly a 10-25 game every night at the Wynn. A good night can net you 10K+ USD, which will pay for your entire trip (including the other hobby).

Hope this helps, PM me if you want more info. It may be silly, but am a bit hesitant to put actual names of the clubs here, just in case.

Oh, sorry... another important note. If you do not have a bank acct in Brasil, cashing out can be difficult. The first night I won 3200 reais, so they wrote me a check. Had to go to several of those banks, not all of the banks pay cash. You have to find a major branch. Also, if the check has two lines in the upper left corner, it is for deposit only (which is worthless if you don't have a bank acct in brasil).

The first check they wrote wasn't signed, so once I found a bank, they just looked at me like I was an idiot (since the check was never signed). I think that was just to ensure I would come back to the poker room. So, cashing out can be difficult.

thanks a lot for the infos

hey alwys,
Can't pm you for some reason. Did you feel safe at the poker clubs? Were there other foreigners there? I probably wouldn't feel comfortable winning a ton then walking the streets.

Safety was never much of an issue. The players, especially in the bigger games, are pretty well off for Brasilian standards. They can buy in 1000 reais, and re-buy or top off several times during the night, so we are not talking low class. They are not looking to rob you. And they were all friendly, and will call you when the game gets going.

Most of the time, there is little cash involved. As a foreigner, you will probably be the only one with cash, so if you score a large win, they will give you your original buy-in back, then write you a check. The locals use their debit cards. Without large amounts of cash, there would be no reason for someone to target these clubs for a robbery. It's not like the Bellagio, where they evidently have 1.5 million in chips lying around at the front door for anyone to take.

Also, with the Olympics and World Cup coming soon, Copa is filled with cops. I walked back from one of the clubs to the apartment I was renting in Copa many times, between 1 AM and 5 AM. First, there are a good number of people out and about late at night, so you are never really alone. And second, there are many cops driving around. Perhaps after 2016 things will get dangerous, but with the big world events coming, there appears to be a large emphasis on making Copa safe. Also, closing Help down seems to have eliminated a lot of the riff-raff. This was my first trip since Help closed. I never thought I would say this, but I actually missed the place. It was a fantastic place to meet up with friends at the end of the day, grab a midnight snack, and just watch all the people around you.

Some other observations:
1) Rabbit hunting is allowed and pretty much done EVERY hand. Even if there is no flop. Yep, they will give you the flop, the turn, and the river even if everyone folds pre-flop.
2) Showing another player (not in the hand) their cards is also common. Not sure if I was ok with that, but it is hard to object without hard evidence that someone is cheating. Actually, the club in Sao Paulo was the only place that did not allow this. Good for them.
3) You pay your blinds even if you are not at the table. It is actually a pretty decent style.
4) They don't care about ensuring the blinds are right as far as new players or players moving seats. They will do it right if you say something, but otherwise you could be paying the small blind two hands in a row.
5) They are ok with friends checking down. Again, I never saw anything suspicious, when two friends raised everyone else out then checked it down, they had quality hands. Still, if there are more than one pair of "friends", I generally get up and leave.
6) You cannot leave a winner if you have played less than two hours.
7) The rake has no cap... it is ridiculous.
8) On the plus side, I never paid for a drink or food, just tipped the staff
9) There were a couple Italians my first week there, and a Canadian showed up once, but the last three weeks I was the only foreigner
10) You must show your hand once there is an all-in and a call

Lot's of good info! Did you go alone? I'm interested in heading down there but my friends with real jobs are having trouble getting time off.

Hey guys, I am heading to Buenos Aires in a couple of days and will be staying there for about half a year. I am really interested in checking out Rio de Janeiro for Carnival though. I am from the biggest Carnival City in Germany, so it is a must
I was wondering if there are any poker players in Rio who could host me for a week or two during Carnival. Would be great to have someone whos living there who knows where to go etc. So if someone has a place to stay for me let me know. I would host you in Buenos Aires in return or pay some money for the rent.

Some more info: I am 24 years old and coming to BA to learn spanish. I play NL100FR Rush poker.

If some other people are also planning to go to Rio for Carnival let me know, maybe we can rent some place. Any advice on renting a place in Rio during Carnival?

Im from the US, and will be getting married soon. I was wondering if you could provide any information on tourist from the USA coming to Rio to get married.

What kind of budget do you need?
Can you even get married there if from the usa?
Any info would be great, thanks polo

Any information on Ponta dos Ganchos?

hi

could u provide more informations to make it easier to answear ?

cya

didnt read the whole thread but would like to know if online poker is legal in brazil as i move to fortaleza next month.

how do you handle pokerwinnings/cashouts etc?

whats about internet connections? how much does it cost? are the electricity probs?

thx

hey
i dont know much about fortaleza.. but its a big city, so if u stay in a good place, im sure internet and electricity wont be a problem

about cashout.. a lot of people in brazil sell the money online for bank transfers..
or use neteller and the mastercard neteller prepaid card (ur case)

oh.. and there is no problem about play online poker

Just came from Brazil few days ago and can just say that it is a great place and it is worth visiting. Girls are beautiful and very easy to get especially for foreigners... I am definitely visiting it again in next years.

hey!!
im happy to hear that everything was great!!
i was expecting to receive a msg from you!!
anyway.. keep in touch for new visits to rio!!

cya

Hi 40's

I am in Rio right now. Is there a good game to check out?

sup!!

i was reading your posts and it looks like u know more about the games than me..
honestly, i dont like to play here..
i already played in Jardim Botanico (jd botanico street, Carioca Club).. they have 1/2 reais... i didnt like the club...
and 1/2 reais also in Sinuca Catete (catete neighborhood, obv).. it looks a bit better..
both r pretty soft with 5% rake uncapped

i guess Sinuca Catete could be a good experience...

ps: i just remember.. its been few months that i dont go to Sinuca Catete.. and my friend told me that they r running mixed nlhe with plo.. almost exclusevly

anything else, let me know!!

cya

hey 40s, love the thread, looks like I am going to be moving here soon from US for a few months with a friend, ideally we want to get a 1 month rental apartment and backpack south america so we can move elsewhere as is we choose. Look forward to hearing from you, as I have found in the past it seems to be best to book a hotel for a few nights and then go and search once there so we get a feel for the area and because online prices tend to be marked up