The licensed online poker room PokerMatch has opened its own offline residence in the center of Kyiv. In honor of the celebration, a live tournament featured a prize pool of 300,000 hryvnias. How did the opening of Ukraine’s first offline poker room go, and what do experts think about the development of poker? Find out in this exclusive report from Gamingpost.net.
The dealer is dealing cards to players at the poker table. You can now experience the atmosphere of a live game right in the heart of Kyiv. The licensed online poker room PokerMatch now has its own offline residence. “This is a place where we will communicate with people, invite our clients and friends, host events, and have a good time,” explains Viktor Kyrychenko, CEO of PokerMatch Ukraine. To celebrate the opening, PokerMatch is hosting a live poker tournament with a prize pool of 300,000 hryvnias. Novices are also trying their luck. PokerMatch’s ambassador, entertainer Uncle Zhora, is sitting at the table for the first time alongside professionals. “At an amateur level, in a company of friends, I just learned to play. My friends explained how to do it, and I memorized the combinations. I’m curious to try my skills; I want to experience the game,” says PokerMatch ambassador Uncle Zhora.
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Famous poker players are competing for victory at the tables. Among them is Ukraine’s top poker player, Evgeny Katchalov, who has won over 9 million dollars in live poker throughout his career. “Offline is very important for the poker ecosystem. I believe that there is a lot of synergy between offline and online poker. Ukraine is an ideal country for hosting large events. It is conveniently located geographically; it’s easy to fly here, and we can host major events, inviting various Europeans and boosting the overall economy,” says professional poker player Evgeny Katchalov.
Offline tournaments can provide a significant boost to the development of Ukraine’s poker community, says Sergey Efimenko, president of the All-Ukrainian Federation of Sports Poker. “Any offline venue that opens for events to host sports poker is always positive. Especially from PokerMatch, because PokerMatch has been a partner of the federation for a long time. I believe that all regional centers in Ukraine should have locations for offline tournaments. To gain experience and perform well in offline series, training and offline tournaments are essential,” says Sergey Efimenko.
Training will help achieve success at the international level, says PokerMatch’s new ambassador and member of Ukraine’s poker team, Mikhail Huty. Ukraine leads in sports poker at the global level, with our national team being two-time world champions. Mikhail Huty notes that the popularization of sports poker is changing Ukrainians’ attitudes towards the game.
“Parents, even my grandmother, are beginning to understand that I am engaged in something serious. They see this development, and we are featured on television. I want people to know that poker is fun, poker is cool, and poker is a sport that can also bring in money,” says PokerMatch ambassador Mikhail Huty. Huty and Katchalov are not the only Ukrainian poker players who have struck it big on the international stage. Five of our compatriots have crossed the $3 million mark in winnings. And who knows, perhaps tomorrow the poker residence will nurture a new champion. If you found this publication helpful and interesting, we recommend subscribing to our breaking gambling news to receive notifications about the latest updates and stay informed about current events.
