MarceBoy
Hello! I’m Marcelo, better known in the community as MarceBoy.
I started playing poker at the end of 2016 while studying at university, around the time PokerStars.PT was launched in Portugal. I quickly fell in love with the game and, throughout my degree, played recreationally, consuming all the free content I could find to try and improve.
At the end of my degree, in 2019, I decided to try playing full-time over the summer break, aiming to go pro if I could reach the minimum monthly income I would earn from a regular job. I failed miserably. I believed I wasn’t good enough to become a professional, so I stopped playing poker, got a job in my field, and bought a car with the money I had earned playing poker during university to get to work.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Fortunately, poker found its way back into my life a few months later, when some friends started playing online and began asking for my opinion on various hands, spots, and strategies. Seeing the game through other people’s perspectives not only reignited my passion for poker but also made me realize I was a better player than I had thought.
I went back to square one and started rebuilding my bankroll, returning to part-time play. A few months later, in 2020, I saw an ad about a cash game team opening at Polarize and decided to join. That’s where I truly learned the meaning of professionalism, developed my theoretical knowledge and mental game, climbed from NL50 up to taking shots at NL500, overcame my worst downswing, transitioned to playing poker full-time, and became a coach on the team.
In 2023, I decided to leave the team and accepted an offer from another, more promising team in terms of growth and career opportunities. That team is NachosPoker, where I remain to this day.
I dove into MDA, which not only changed the way I think about and approach poker but also helped refine my theoretical knowledge. I came to understand that GTO and MDA are two sides of the same coin—one cannot exist without the other. At first, it was a very difficult adaptation period, full of doubts and uncertainty, but I had come too far to give up again. I doubled down on effort and dedication, and after several months, my progress became exponential. That journey culminated not only in the 2024 graph you can see above, but also in becoming one of the most successful players on the team and reaching NL2K.
These days, I play NL500–NL2K using a mix of GTO and MDA, combined with my in-game experience. I believe this approach is essential for becoming an elite player. Technical skills are extremely important, but I also believe there are fundamental factors outside the tables that are crucial for long-term poker success.
That’s why I increasingly approach poker like an athlete and prioritize my mental health, sleep, nutrition, physical exercise, and recovery time. In addition to being a regular at the gym, I’m passionate about martial arts and, although I’ve tried several, the one I currently practice is Kempo. My competitive spirit also thrives in racket sports, and I never turn down a challenge in padel, squash, or table tennis.
I love spending time with family and friends, playing board games, and reading—especially personal development, fiction, and erotic novels.
Poker is an incredible game. Despite all the highs and lows, the lessons, and everything I’ve already learned, I still get that thrilling (and slightly scary) feeling that there’s so much more to discover and improve. And that’s exactly what makes this game so amazing.
Come discover more about this wonderful game with me, through my experience and knowledge.
2024 Results.
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