„Poker players are extraordinary civilized”
How does a normal day in Pokerfest phases is looking like for you?
It is very difficult to define the term “Pokerfest phase”. For the players, the phase is taking 6, 7 or 8 days. But for me, the phase is starting long time before, in the moment when the program of a festival is publicly announced.
From that moment, the preparations are starting, from accommodation special offers until all the things are ready at the tournament location. When the tournament is starting, one day means more that 12 working hours. Always smiling which is a good thing because I am a very positive person most of the time. A day of festival is starting at 10 a.m. or even earlier sometimes.
But we have delegations from abroad which are landing early in the morning. Usually i have a lot of phone calls to take, a lot of e-mails or direct requests from players, colleagues and friends. I am a social person and I enjoy being around people, so I am happy every time when I have the chance to meet new people.
How this “men world”, poker is looking from your point of view?
Poker players are extraordinary civilized. At the table they are learning that no matter who the opponent is, only the abilities and the luck counts and everything else, are details. That’s why they are learning to respect each other and they are behaving very normal with women without sexism both when they are playing together of in personal.
So, it’s not difficult at all to work with so many men around, it’s really good to feel safe all the time. Of course I would like to see more many women playing poker. There is already a habit to organize every year a tournament for ladies, Ladies’ Event. I hope in this way and not only, to be able to attract more many women to play poker. From what I have heard, the feminine intuition and self-control are giving them a real strategic advantage. My personal dream about PokerFest is to have the chance to see a see a woman a champion at Main Event. How this would be?
How 2016 is looking like from gambling perspective, in our country, especially for poker?
I think that 2016 will be a fantastic year and I have all the reasons to be positive. I am saying this thinking that 2015 was such a great year, when we succeeded – and I am speaking in the name of PokerFest team – in breaking all the audience records for Romanian tournaments, the best being the historical festival in December, organized with Winmasters together.
What are the plans for this year?
If I am realizing that we are so close to April, I can’t realise when these three months have passed. We have already passed festivals like Grand 300 and Turbo Challenge. But our plans for 2016 are grater than this.
Mr. Constantinescu has declared every time: we are already having in our mind festivals with hundreds of thousands of Euro awards, or who knows, maybe even over one million. We want to organize a major tournament in Bucharest, as part of a circuit like World Poker Tour or Eureka. I think I would not mind if I say that PokerFest is already a known name in East Europe, so the next step is to become attractive for west-Europeans a WPT, an Eureka would be a good and strong reason for any player to play in Bucharest.
What do you think that our magazine should to to help the improvement of gaming industry in Romania?
You are doing a great job for such a long time; you are a brand, a professional team known by everybody in the market. I don’t think I am capable to give you an advice, but I can say to you that I am a reading every edition with a lot of interest. Keep up the good work.
