At the 2024 WPT Prime Cyprus festival, the tournament area at Chamada Prestige Resort features an impressive setup, with 36 tables in the main area, plus a featured table on stage, and an overflow room with an additional 10 tables. Heading up the poker operations here for the past 3+ years is Ali Alpsaran, whom we spoke with to better understand the local poker scene in Cyprus and his journey within the industry.
Interview with Ali Alpsaran
Ali’s journey into the poker world began when he moved from Turkey to Cyprus at the age of 20, just after finishing university. In his university days, he played home games with friends for very low stakes, equivalent to the money earned from washing dishes at a restaurant. He noticed the potential to make a decent income from working in a casino and decided to become a poker dealer. Over the years, he climbed the ranks, progressing from a poker dealer to a floorperson, shift manager, and eventually director. Now at 42, his career reflects his deep-rooted passion for poker.
While Ali doesn’t play much poker anymore, he finds organizing poker tournaments more thrilling than playing the game. To him, organizing a tournament is just as risky as playing poker. “It’s like calling with Ace high; you offer huge guarantees and it gets your adrenaline going. You know your Ace is good, but you still need to have guts to call with it. That’s what it means to put out a big guarantee in my eyes.”
Cyprus as a Regional Poker Hotspot
Ali believes that the pandemic played a significant role in turning Cyprus into a regional poker hotspot. “Lots of people were sitting at home for a LONG time, and now they want to get out, see other people and have more experiences.” Furthermore, the appeal of poker in Cyprus is bolstered by the casinos themselves, though not all casino owners are fond of poker players.
“They believe that poker players are very smart – so smart, in fact, that they’ll find ways to beat the casino games. As a matter of fact, here at Chamada, if you are a poker player, you are prohibited from playing any of the casino games; you can only play poker.”
At Chamada, poker is vibrant even when the WPT Prime festival isn’t in town. Approximately every 1.5 months, the resort runs its own poker tournament series, with a total guarantee of $1.5 million. Before the WPT Prime Cyprus festival, the main event had a $1,500 buy-in and a $500,000 guarantee. With the success of hosting the WPT Prime festival, Chamada is even more confident in its potential. They plan to increase the main event guarantee to $1 million in their next series.
Cash games are also very popular at Chamada, with games starting daily at 5 PM and typically having about a dozen tables running. The influx of tourists to Cyprus, including many recreational players, keeps the action lively. According to Ali, Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) is more popular than Hold’em, with two-thirds of the cash game tables dedicated to PLO.
Image credit: WPT Flickr
Ali’s Longtime Relationship with Matt Savage
Ali’s relationship with Matt Savage, the WPT’s Executive Tour Director, dates back over 13 years. When Matt first came to Cyprus, Ali was just starting out in the industry. “When I saw how Matt operated, I immediately understood how little I knew about running a poker room. He was working on another level entirely, professionally speaking,” says Ali.
That professionalism and expertise left a lasting impression on him and “helped me do my job a lot better.” Over the years, Ali has remained closely in touch, seeking Matt’s guidance on various rulings, “helping me grow and build my reputation as the “go-to-guy” for poker rulings in Cyprus and the surrounding region.” Ali points to this enduring connection with Matt and his “stamp of approval” as having been invaluable, and having significantly boosted Ali’s standing in the industry.
READ MORE: Inside Matt Savage’s WPT Prime Cyprus Experience
Chamada Prestige Resort as a Major Regional Poker Venue
At Chamada, the team strives to maximize branding and highlight their facilities creatively, and the use of drone footage is part of this effort. The “poker drone” is an innovative way to provide aerial coverage of the tournament area, offering a unique perspective and enhancing the overall experience for viewers.
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The majority of visitors to Chamada, around 80%, come from the Middle East, including countries like Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, and Israel. There are relatively few European visitors, and this is by design. Ali believes that European players are “currently more skilled and disciplined than players from the Middle East, who tend to be more ‘hot-blooded’ and prone to tilting than European poker players, who are more disciplined. So, what we do here is keep the tournament buy-ins relatively low. We don’t want to ‘spill drops of blood in the sea and attract too many sharks’. The buy-in levels are plenty competitive and prestigious enough for our local players, but not too high so as to attract too many European players.
Leadership from the Top
Ali says that running a poker room in Cyprus can be challenging, but that Chamada is fortunate to have an owner, Mr. Murat Sahin, who is deeply committed to poker and the players. “He is a billionaire, but Mr. Sahin takes a personal interest in ensuring that players have an exceptional experience. He pays close attention to details, often walking around the poker room and tournament area to check on the players.”
Clearly, the all-day buffet that poker players get to enjoy is just one aspect of Mr. Sahin’s commitment to player satisfaction. Ali, too, believes that that dedication to hospitality ensures that players feel valued and appreciated, further enhancing their experience at Chamada.
Impressed with the food situation here at Chamada Prestige Resort!
Full buffet offering breakfast, lunch & dinner for @WPTPrime Cyprus participants throughout the day.
A few dozen tables, where players can eat on break, situated immediately around the tournament area. pic.twitter.com/FjRqTTeHqy
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) August 22, 2024
Ali Alpsaran’s journey in the poker industry is a testament to his passion and dedication. Under his leadership — and with the full support of the casino’s owner — Chamada Prestige Resort has become a key player in the regional poker scene, offering an exceptional experience for both casual and professional players alike. With the continued success of events like the WPT Prime Cyprus festival, the future of poker at Chamada looks bright.
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