Vieira Eyes Live Pokesbte. inr Success in 2025 After Online Dominance

Table Of Contents

• Preparing for the Big Events
• Managing the Grind
• Shifting Focus to Live Poker

He's already number one on the Portuguese all-time money list, and the proud owner of three WSOP bracelets, but now Joao Vieira is out for more.

Vieira's in action at the PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte Carlo festival, and has a busy few months lined up with more live events in Montenegro and Las Vegas.

PokerNewscaught up with Winamax Poker Ambassador, and spoke with him about the importance pre-tournament preparation, the balance between online and live, and how he's tacking this year's hunt for live tournament glory.

Preparing for the Big Events

Now over a quarter in 2025, Vieira admits that his year starts slowly. After taking January off to recharge from the holidays, he gradually ramps up his focus, aiming to peak during major events like the EPT Monte Carlo, Triton Poker Series events and, of course, the World Series of Poker (WSOP). As spring rolls in, he says that he expects the upcoming schedule to bring both mental and physical challenges, but that he's more than ready to face them.

"I come from a sporting standpoint, with basketball, where you plan your peaks over the course of the season," he says. "In March, I was at Triton, so in April, I tried not to fly. I focused on playing online, sharpening the tools a little bit. Just to get ready for 80 days of live tournaments that I'm going to play."

By pacing himself carefully, Vieira is able to gradually intensify his efforts through until the end of the WSOP in mid-July. This helps him manage the long grind of the poker circuit, where burnout can be a significant issue.

Managing the Grind

The most important aspect of the live poker grind for Vieira is breaks. He says that these are vitally important during such an extensive tournament schedule.

"It's such a long journey, you just have to take it one day at a time"

"It's such a long journey, you just have to take it one day at a time," he says. "And when you think long term, just getting a couple of extra rest days in there can be really helpful."

This means, in practice, that Vieira would skip a mystery bounty or "some turbo" he doesn't enjoy, to preserve energy for key moments where he needs to perform at his best when it matters most.

"You want to be fresh whenever you have a chance," he says, citing the importance of staying sharp throughout the long tournament stretches. "If you have a deep run, and you have a Day 2 or a Day 3, you want to be fully fresh."

Shifting Focus to Live Poker

While Vieira has been incredibly successful in online tournaments, with 19 titles across SCOOP and WCOOP events, this year he plans to scale back his online play and focus more on live tournaments.

"I feel I've had my fair bit of success there," he admits. "I've done well this April with a couple of big final tables. So during SCOOP I'll play a couple of Sundays, but 'Naza114' is going to take a little break."

Vieira says he's eager to build his live tournament accomplishments, starting here in Monte Carlo.

"My resume online has been fairly good. Now I'm just going to try and replicate that in live events. I feel things are starting to pick up the pace, and hopefully in a couple of years, you'll ask me where I'm going to keep all the live tournament trophies I've won!"