A Canadian, a Korean, a Turk, a Ukrainian and three Brits jumped into a jeep on a sunny morning and headed off on safari in Northern Cyprus. Although it sounds like the set-up for a poor joke (or a forgotten travel show on a high-numbered TV channel), it was just another day on the European Poker Tour (EPT).

To explain: PokerStars is committed to offering anyone who comes to its events plenty of options to relax, explore or stay active away from the poker tables. There is always a full slate of off-the-felt activities on offer for everyone at the EPT, always entirely free of charge. Check the schedule, sign up, and away you go.

INTO THE MOUNTAINS

In Cyprus, one of those activities was a so-called Jeep Safari, run by the local company Cyprus Active. “We can’t promise you lions, tigers and bears, but we can promise you a really wonderful day out,” its website reads, and that was enough for us.

So it was that Canadian entrepreneur Graydon Kowal, Paris-based Turkish online pro Erke Surer, Korean PR executive turned poker content creator Cho Wooram, and Ukrainian poker enthusiast Angelina Konstantynova clambered into the back of a Land Rover and headed into the wilds.

We were hosted by Mal, the British expat behind Cyprus Active, and his friend Dave, who helps out on the busy days. None of us had ever met before, but conversation soon began to flow as the jeep made its ascent into the mountains above the beachside Merit resort.

Poker is both a very social game and one in which you can often feel alone, but mixers like this offer an easy way to make news friends. Speaking the international language of poker, Surer chuckled along with Wooram’s stories of taking a shot at the high rollers. (“I could have bought a house!” Wooram said, burrowing his head in his hands.)

Meanwhile Kowal admitted his trips to major poker events can also often be costly. “I’ve got the biggest collection of ten-thousand dollar T-shirts in the world!” he said.

LEAVING POKER BEHIND

Our first stop off was a viewpoint above the stunning Dağdere Reservoir, aka the Blue Lagoon, which provides water for all of Northern Cyprus and is fed from an undersea pipeline from Turkey. Mal filled us in on the topography of this part of Cyprus and detailed the island’s volcanic past — both literally and metaphorically.

We then headed off to the so-called “Blue House”, the stunning mountain home/hideout of the notorious gun runner Byron Pavlides, who armed the EOKA terrorist group in the 1950s and 60s. Although little known outside of Cyprus, Pavlides was a prominent figure in the turbulent modern history of this island, working by day as the personal lawyer to the Cypriot president, while amassing a vast fortune through mafia-related violence and crime.

His former home is now on a military base, with soldiers (bizarrely attired in bow-ties) providing guided tours of what is essentially a peculiar time-capsule. Much of Pavlides’ gaudy decoration remains, while tales of blood-letting and terror are casually relayed, punctuating descriptions of ivory lamps, gold-encrusted religious paintings, handmade Italian floor-tiles and ahead-of-its time air conditioning, designed by the U.S. car firm Chrysler.

Many of the tallest tales coming our way from our guide did not ring true to Kowal, and he was sure to air his doubts.

“You’re very sceptical,” noted Surer. “You don’t believe anything.”

“That’s why I’m a shitty poker player,” Kowal said.

THE LIFE OF A MAFIOSI

The guide soon invited us to step into Pavlidis’ ornamental garden, where there was a small pool filled with coins. Visiting gangsters tossed a coin over their shoulder into the pool (right hand, left shoulder), hoping the coin landed heads-up to bring them luck. (Or, maybe, keep them alive another few weeks.)

Kowal was keen to try it, although said it was maybe a little too late to help him in the EPT Cyprus tournaments he’d played, and busted from, already. “I should have done this a week ago,” he said.

Wooram had had a better week, having finished runner-up to Benny Glaser in the 8-Game event, and still enjoying every moment of his life on the poker circuit. He told us about his “real” job, working in PR for Hyundai in his native Seoul, but also about how he had taken a year off to pursue his ultimate ambition of playing poker.

“This kind of life I always dreamed of,” Wooram said, referencing the life of a travelling poker pro, rather than that of a Cypriot mafiosi. He pulled out his ubiquitous GoPro and selfie stick and filmed the latest chapter in his video adventure.

“I do it for my parents, to let them know what I do,” Wooram chuckled. “I can say, ‘Look, I’m OK!'” Although he played down his content creation, he has more than 1,400 subscribers on his YouTube channel and is clearly having the time of his life.

THOUGHTS TURN BACK TO POKER

After coffee, our tour continued past a ninth century monastery and a 2,000-year-old olive tree, and then through some charming authentic Cypriot mountain villages. Alongside a field full of beehives, Mal did his best to give us the skinny on the ins-and-outs of honey production, but conversation in the back was less urbane.

“I keep losing to ace-five!” Kowal complained. “They play it like it’s ace-king.”

Surer, a real student of poker who mainly plays online from his home in Paris, explained why ace-five — aka “the Magic Hand” — has become such a powerhouse in the modern game. “If you four or five-bet shove with ace-five suited against a player who is three-betting a lot, even if he has kings, you can win with your ace,” Surer said. “And if he’s bluffing, he folds anyway.”

Kowal seemed unconvinced by solver-approved play, but was happy to have some kind of explanation for something that had confused him on this trip.

Originally from Calgary, Canada, Kowal is now based in the Bahamas and is the owner/CEO of Guardian Helicopters. He was a goldmine of the kind of stories you’re sometimes lucky enough to hear at poker tables, having travelled the world, designing protocols for carrying ebola patients in helicopters; exploring mineral mining operations in Saudi Arabia; fighting wildfires from the big skies over Canada.

He had recently been in Istanbul talking to representatives from the UN’s World Food Program, so decided to hop over to Cyprus to indulge his favourite hobby. A sworn amateur player, Kowal has nonetheless recorded a few decent scores in his career and seems content to continue to play whatever the result.

A REFRESHING CHANGE FROM THE GRIND

“This is the best location I’ve seen for the EPT,” he said, complimenting the resort here in Cyprus, and expressing his support for the off-the-felt activities laid on for players. “It’s good that they do this kind of stuff.”

There was soon another stop beside a mountain spring, known for its cleansing water, which also supposedly has luck-giving properties. Kowal hopped out the jeep to wash his face thoroughly in it, and even take a drink.

As the jeep wended its way to some Roman tombs, via a quick restaurant stop-off for refreshments, the rest of the passengers agreed that it was good to take some time away from the demands of poker.

“Not every day I want to play,” Wooram said. “These locations are so beautiful. That’s why I love PokerStars events.”

Surer said he hadn’t played live poker since the end of the pandemic, and added that he too was really grateful for the opportunity to meet people again, discuss the game he loves, while also hearing some wild stories and exploring new locations.

“Seriously, it’s been a real pleasure,” he said. “It’s fun, positive. What more can you ask for?”

The jeep soon returned us to the Merit Diamond, where there was just time for a group selfie and Wooram dashed off to play another 8-Game tournament. Kowal was sitting this one out. “At least six too many games,” he said.

MORE ABOUT THE EPT

Official EPT site
EPT Cyprus coverage hub
EPT Cyprus activities guide

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