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General13 years agoGosu "GosuGamers" Gamers

Zimba Blog: The Good News About The Portuguese Prodigy

The sixth installment of my Zimba blog shares my impressions from having listened to the PokerStatic Interview with Jose "Girah" Macedo this week. Jose Macedo is an eighteen year-old Portuguese boy who infamously took a €30 deposit and turned it into a couple million within 18 months.
Zimba Blog:
Jose Macedo is both the most ordinary and remarkable of boys. He was inspired by Tom Dwan's incredible poker story on a poker forum. Being friends with numerous surfers in Portugal, he dreamed of buying a house in Hawaii. That dream to emulate Dwan and purchase his dream house motivated him each and every day to progress as a player. He progressed rapidly by gritty determination on European facing rooms like Betfair and the iPoker network. This was the first time he had given a live interview and he came across as very fluent and remarkably well spoken for his age.

My impressions:

1) He is an immensely likable, down to earth, and humble kid.

2) His story is great for poker. That in this day and age of "tougher" games, you can still rise quickly and have great success if you work hard.

3) He started from the very bottom of playing play chip poker on Facebook and PokerStars. When he convinced his mother to make that infamous €30 deposit, he played the lowest cash levels available, building it up from there.

4) He found value in all areas of poker education; be they poker books, videos or coaching.

5) He is a natural railbird, both of TV poker and high stakes games, soaking up what he can from them.

6) He took the initiative to reach out to top players seeking advice and coaching. He was willing to pay for their advice and maximize the value by preparing specific questions in advance.

7) He wasn't initially tech savvy - keeping hand written logs of results, hands played, and tips he had learned from books etc. He has since gone on to take advantage of powerful programs like Hold'em Manager, but he did it the old fashioned way originally.

8) He has faced adversity, in a big $250k downswing and another $250k scam, that profoundly affected his bankroll, but he didn't ask others for money, hunkered down at $1-$2 20 tabling and ground it back on his own. He accepts that he was naive and partially responsible for the scam loss.

9) He is still giving back freely of his poker advice on forums, not hoarding all his knowledge or requiring pay.

10) He says he's not a genius and that anyone can do it, given the drive and desire.

The future appears bright for Jose and I wish him well. He has already invested considerable funds in providing a better home for he and his mother in Portugal.

The transition to being a known entity and moving over to the more visible and shark infested waters of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker at the $25/$50 and $50/$100 levels that he plays will be a major challenge. It is much easier to get action and make the climb being anonymous, especially in the heads up games he prefers.

Being in the limelight changes people, as much from how everyone around you treats you differently as how you are inside. It will be interesting to follow his story in the coming months and years.

First installment of the Zimba Blog: I Want That Feeling, One Time!

Second installment of the Zimba Blog: Sunday Poker Diatribe

Third installment of the Zimba Blog: Thoughts and Experiences with Cheating in Poker

Fourth installment of the Zimba Blog: The Myth of Money Won in Poker

Fifth installment of the Zimba Blog: Poker Super Powers - The Cloak of Invincibility

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