Lee Davy catches up with 888Poker Ambassador Bruno Politano at 888Live Barcelona to talk about his coaching business in Brazil, the importance of mindset, and the role spirituality has had in his life.

I will always remember the sight of Falcao in 82; arms outstretched; veins trying to reach the moon, mouth wide open like some yuppie who has been snowballing coke all night.

Its the one defining memory I have of Brazil.

And thats what Im thinking about as I take a sip from my green juice, quietly observing the Brazilian 888Poker Ambassadors like a pack of wolves at the opening night party as part of 888Live Barcelona.

Bruno Kawauti.

Nicolau Villa-Lobos.

Bruno Politano

The World Cup winner, Denilson.

I decide to ask Politano.

I cruise over, secretly thinking Im Falcao, and tap him on the shoulder.

Fancy a chat?

Of course, he says with a smile that would give the Cheshire cat a run for his money.

Who is Bruno Foster Politano?

I am a normal guy. I grew up in the North West part of Brazil.

Hang on; you cant be a normal guy, you have just been laughing and joking with a World Cup winner {Denilson} and are good friends with Neymar Jr.

But I am still a normal, calm guy. My life is poker. I travel a lot playing poker, coaching poker I have a school called Line Up, in Brazil. We have 500 students and are growing. I have also been representing 888Poker since my November Nine appearance in 2014.

Cardrunners and The Ivey League have closed down in the US this year, but your business is growing well in Brazil.

After I made the final table we had our boom. The market in Brazil is good for players, media, live tournaments, and training schools. The Brazilian market is a good place to invest in poker. The market has been growing these past five years, and we have lots of recreational players.

Talk about Neymar Jr.

Hes a big name in soccer, but hes just a normal guy. A very human, funny, happy guy. I met him after the November Nine. My friend who plays for Valencia is good friends with him, and thats how we met. He is a multi-millionaire, but he is just like you and me.

Do you have children?

No, but thats my plan, in 1-2 years. I have a fiancee in Brazil.

What do you value in life?

The most important thing for me is my mind. What I think about is everything to me. Every action is a result of thought in my mind my soul. I believe in energy; good vibrations and positivity. The things that have value in this life come from your soul. Its not just helping people; its how you think about people thats the most important thing for me. For me, thinking this way is the best part of life. It allows me to feel good with who I am, my soul, my family, and my future kids.

This must help you with your poker game.

I think this is the best part of me playing poker, not technically, but the way I control my mind.

Its one thing to intellectually know that your thoughts create your feelings, which in turn create your actions, but its another to implement the theory.

Its very hard. Meditation is not for this. Its like levels of life. I have thought like this since I was 15. I have had a lot of contact with people who think this way. I have learned a lot. Its my religion. I am spiritual. I believe in God, but God for me is not a person, it is energy. But its the same God for everyone.

Believing like this changed everything in my life. Its how I work, and conduct my relationships with my fiancee and friends. I feel an energy between us and I have never seen you in my life. I feel this adds value to my life. I see the world, the people, and I see my soul.

How did you go from a 14-year old not thinking like this to a 15-year old that did?

Its a process. It doesnt happen in one day. My Mum and my Dad are spiritual, but they never forced anything on me. They would tell me to follow my heart and choose a religion because its important for my life. I chose spirituality because its easy. I love what I do, how I feel, and I how my family raised me. We are a strong family: me, my Dad, my Mum and my two sisters always had lunch and dinner the same time together. If my Dad were running 30-minutes late, we wouldnt eat until he got home.

They also taught me other values such as the importance of hard work and money. But spirituality has helped me in life the most, and I practice and live like this all the time.

There is good energy here today, but at times, like in the Rio, for example, there is also a bad energy, how do you handle the changes in energy?

I feel the same as you. Its clear for everyone. This bad energy needs to be here because this guy needs to learn that if his energy is bad, its not good for him. He will learn. If not, he will spend all of his life putting out bad energy for him and others. Imagine this guy playing all day complaining, and he comes home and complains and moans to his family bad energy for his table, for him, for his wife, for his kids, the next day.

I see this differently. I lose my chips. I go to dinner. I control what I want, what I think, what I feel. When I come into the Rio and feel a bad energy, I understand it needs to happen. If this guy does not learn, he never can touch his good energy side of his soul, always bad energy. He needs to learn through his experiences.

Is this the philosophy you teach your students?

I dont teach them about spirituality because you cannot teach this. You need to feel it and know you need to have faith for everything. I work with the students on their winning mentality. Its similar, but not about faith. Its good vibrations. I have 500 students, and I cant talk about spirituality with them all. If you are a poker student, and I talk to you about this you might think I am crazy. Its easier to talk to you that how to play AK. I dont have permission to introduce this concept into their lives. Its important they learn to choose for themselves.

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