Thiago Nishijima

Born and raised in Sao Paulo, this Brazilian poker talent has always been motivated by money. He was a banker before he turned to professional poker around 2008 and has since made well over $4 million from playing tournaments both live and online.

Being averse to risk is something that Thiago picked up during his years as a banker and is one that helped him on the felt. His natural aptitude for the game was showcased when he reached the final three of the 2008 WPT Main Event in Barcelona. While he didn’t manage to get his hands on the trophy, his third-place finish earned him a huge six-figure score in his first ever live tournament cash.

The following year saw Nisijima win his first significant title when he took down the €1,000 NLH event at EPT Monte Carlo. This victory coincided with an extremely successful 2009 for the Brazilian in the online world where he plays as ‘XTheDecanoX’ on PokerStars. He shipped the $1,050 NLHE WCOOP event for $249,280 which placed him in the top 0.02% of earners in the online MTT world for that year.

In 2010, Thiago came extremely close to achieving what every poker player dreams of – winning a WSOP bracelet. Although he got down to the final three of the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event, he was the first to exit and had to settle for $315,828 in change.

However, Nishijima got a second chance at the gold in 2015 and he didn’t let the opportunity pass him by this time around. The soccer fanatic navigated past a final table that included WSOP Main Event runner-up Jesse Sylvia to win himself the bracelet along with $546,843.

Continuing to put a high amount of volume in at each the live and online tables, Thiago’s lifetime earnings make him one of the top-ranked Brazilian players of all-time. He also coaches poker – you can find out more at his personal website.