POKER
Luiz Torres On Blazing Trail For Streamers One of the first poker streamers from Brazil, Luiz Torres, now a Natural8 ambassador shares his experience of how he went from being a teacher to one of the core pro members of poker fraternity.
By Donna Amo
B
razilian poker player and winner of the Best Male Streamer in 2020 Mundo Poker Awards, Luiz Torres is a trailblazer in the online poker scene. Most well-known by his monikers’ Luizftorres’ and ‘Poker Raiz,’ Torres was one of the first poker streamers from Brazil. His unique content and engaging style catapulted him into a wellknown figure in online poker. While he had to overcome many social stigmas that come with becoming a poker pro, Torres has not let anything hold him down and eventually partnered with Natural8, one of Asia’s largest poker networks, in 2013. In our interview with Torres, he dived into his experience with the Natural8 platform and his journey as a Twitch streamer. You started playing poker in 2007, before which you were working as a teacher. How has your life changed after dedicating yourself to the game? At the beginning of my career, I worked as a teacher but dedicated my spare time to poker. Little by little, I was regularly winning at poker. Eventually, I made the decision to dedicate myself only to the game. My quality of life and earn-
24
GUTSHOT
J U LY
2021
ings improved significantly, which helped me better my family structure. In 2013, you moved to Natural8 to continue your career. Do share more about your experience on the platform and how it has helped you grow. In 2013, I changed from being a sit-and-go professional to being a tournament player. I was increasing my profit in tournaments little by little. Sometime later, I opened my Twitch account and became a Natural8 partner. Since the first day of this partnership, I enjoyed playing on the site and even encouraged other people to play. I already saw great potential in Natural8; that’s why it became the powerhouse today here in Brazil and Asia. Along with this partnership, I also grew as a streamer. I managed to develop several promotions, sweepstakes, and freerolls for my audience, which made my Twitch channel grow a lot.
