Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu

Marcelo Simoes Mesqueu, born in Rio de Janeiro, has been fond of card games since childhood. He first encountered poker in 2006 but initially found it boring. In 2007, he began playing online poker to fill free time and started winning tournaments, gradually developing a passion for the game. His love for poker truly ignited when he transitioned to live games in 2007/2008. Mesqueu claimed his first live title at the BSOP Rio de Janeiro in 2010, and in 2014 he secured his first international victory at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in the Bahamas. By 2016, he was regularly touring the Brazilian circuit, treating poker as a second job.

Mesqueu’s résumé is studded with impressive results. He has accumulated over 23 live tournament trophies, and by 2025 his career earnings exceeded $2.1 million. He is a multiple-time winner on the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP), including a victory in the $900 Main Event of BSOP Punta del Este in 2017 for $109,350 and a R$7,000 NLH High Roller at BSOP Rio Quente in 2019 for R$97,830. In 2019, he led the BSOP ranking from start to finish, amassing a record 4,404 points to become the Brazilian Poker Champion. He narrowly missed a second title in 2022, finishing runner-up by just five points.

His crowning achievement came in 2022 when, at age 55, he won the €5,300 Main Event of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo. Mesqueu outlasted a field of 1,073 entries over five days at the Monte-Carlo Casino, taking home €939,840 – the largest prize of his career. He also became the first Brazilian ever to win an EPT Main Event. In 2025, he added another trophy by winning the The Hendon Mob Latam Championship (R$1,400 buy-in) at the SiGMA Poker Tour in São Paulo, earning R$14,550 and a package to the Cape Town Million. Notably, the heads-up for that title featured a family duel against his own son, also named Marcelo Mesqueu.

Mesqueu is widely regarded as a solid, aggressive player who adapts his strategy to opponents. He excels in deep-stack management and late-decision making. During the EPT Monte Carlo final table, he drew inspiration from Brazilian football star Neymar, saying, “I wanted to attack the final table like he does on the field. I took the lead and kept attacking, attacking, attacking – that’s when opponents make mistakes.” Mesqueu emphasizes discipline and continuous learning as keys to success, and he often reviews his play to improve. His favorite poker variant is Omaha.

As a trailblazer for Brazilian poker, Mesqueu is often called the “Samba Warrior” by fans. His EPT victory placed him among the country’s all-time money leaders, ranking sixth in Brazil at the time. He remains active on the circuit, competing in both BSOP and international events. In early 2025, he cashed in the KSOP GGPoker Rio de Janeiro festival, and later that year he won the The Hendon Mob Latam Championship. Mesqueu continues to inspire a new generation of Brazilian players with his disciplined approach and historic accomplishments.