Friends reunited as Roberth Cazan brings his crew to EPT Cyprus
Roberth Cazan was missing his friends. Until he hit upon an idea to bring them all together.
“I played the qualifier because me and my friends from high school, who live all over the world, wanted to meet and drink for some days in a sunny location,” Cazan explains, standing on the sidelines of the EPT Cyprus Main Event.
“Four of us have come from Romania. Two from England. One from Switzerland and another one from Spain…It’s like the Friends reunion!”
Cazan sketched in a few more details, which will be familiar to anybody who has made firm friendships as a child but then watched buddies disperse as lives get lived. Cazan’s group all made friends while in high school in Focșani, a town about 200km from Bucharest, and then hung out together still after they moved to the capital to study.
But as they got older, got jobs and had families, they often moved further afield. It wasn’t so easy anymore to find a way to get together like the old days. Until, that is, Cazan decided that the European Poker Tour might offer the solution.
“I’m missing them, and they are missing me,” Cazan says. “But due the fact that we used to play poker, we searched for some poker tournament locations as well and here I am.”
Roberth Cazan brought his friends to Cyprus
CAZAN THE QUALIFIER
To fill in the gaps, Cazan decided to buy into a few $55 online satellites on PokerStars and ended up winning two tickets to $530 buy-in events. He was successful in one of those too and won a full package to both EPT Cyprus and the Eureka event held here last week.
His friends needed little persuading to join him in Cyprus, and the group are making the most of all the amenities of this tremendous resort and Cazan’s exciting run in the tournament.
“I’m so proud that I chose Cyprus,” he says. “I’m having the best time. All the things that are happening here are very, very nice. We are having fun. Everything is wonderful here. We are just having such a lot of fun.”
They have been to various parties, including the official PokerStars players party, and have been examining the activities calendar to pick other trips to enjoy. But Cazan also built a big stack during Day 1A of the Main Event, meaning he’s spent a lot of time in the poker room so far.
Even though this is Cazan’s first taste of a major poker tournament, he quickly managed to overcome his nerves but focusing on the social aspect of the game.
He says: “I was so afraid coming here because all the good players are here. I know them from PokerStars TV. But I said, ‘OK, let’s do it. They are playing two cards, I am playing two cards as well. Let’s do it. It’s simple. It’s poker. Everybody is having fun.'”
He adds: “I’m not a professional player. I played a lot in my early 20s, but I’m an IT guy and I’m earning more than enough. The stress itself, it’s lower than it was before. Right now I’m feeling very good.”
FUN FOR THE FAMILY TOO
Cazan’s wife has also come on the trip, and the couple are making the most of the time in Cyprus before things change for them early next year. That’s when their first child will be born, and it may become even more difficult to get together with friends.
Not that you’d know from the way Cazan is talking about the future.
“I have already discussed with my friends that we are going to be here at this location again, it doesn’t matter what,” he says. “It’s the end of October, but it’s really nice outside.”
He has nothing but encouragement for other recreational players in a similar situation to him, stating that it’s far less intimidating on the EPT than he expected.
“All the good players, I discussed with them yesterday at the party, they are also having fun,” he says. “They are very friendly. It’s just a very big community and a nice community.
“I’m enjoying playing. This is the most important part. Go and enjoy what you are doing. Enjoy playing. These are chips, it doesn’t matter. Just go for it.”
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