Lee Davy gets the opportunity to fire a few questions at Nataly Sopacuaperu, Head of Events for Unibet after the online poker operator ended the 2016 season on a high in Bucharest.
I only worked at one Unibet Open, but I knew from the moment I arrived that there was something special brewing. The Swedish operator is small enough to notice the details that poker players cherish and large enough to put enough oomph into the prize pool. And there was no bigger oomph than the prize pool that ended their 2016 season.
The Unibet machine had never trundled into Romania before. So it was a bold move to offer a €500,000 guarantee and promote the event as the biggest in the tour’s history. Fortunately, Unibet got it right. 603 entrants created a €584,910 prize pool setting a new Unibet record. Traian Bostan beat Eli Heath, in heads-up, to take the €100,000 first prize.
I sat down with Nataly Sopacuaperu, Head of Events for Unibet, to ask her a host of questions about that event in Romania and this is what she had to say.
What were the great things about hosting an event in Bucharest?
“For us, it was a natural step to go to Bucharest; we saw that poker was doing well in Romania and we thought it would be a good idea to go to Bucharest to meet our players. It is always a challenge to find a new exciting location which ticks all the boxes. The Marriott Hotel in Bucharest has all the ingredients; it is spacious, all the action happens on the same floor so easy for players to interact and pass by the tournament area from time to time. The food was great and on the same floor, and the hotel rooms are very big.”
Will you return?
“We are finalising the new season and are aiming to announce the venues before Christmas. It is very likely that we will go back.”
Where did the idea come from to have a Ladies Battle Royale and what benefits did Unibet feel it would serve?
“We have looked at the trends that are happening online. We are aiming for recreational players, and this includes women as well. We thought it would be good to give it a try on our live stream during Unibet Open. The girls were extremely enthusiastic, and our commentators were hesitant at first, but it turned out to be a good gig.”
What are the three critical things Unibet look for when searching for a new live venue?
“You need the right partner, venue, hotel and easy to access from an international point of view. We know what we want but having a partner who is on the same page and has an understanding of the live events in the country is equally important. In most cases we are bringing in half of the field so if the partner can match up and advise on other aspects like what kind of tournaments or cash games stakes etc. will work helps a lot to get the right mix. Another important aspect is that the casino/tournament area is in the hotel so that players can go to their room if they want to rest or freshen up during the tournament. Easy access is another important thing, direct flight from any major airport in Europe helps a lot as well.”
How does the rebranding to Kindred effect the Unibet Poker world?
“Our poker platform can accept other Kindred poker brands so not many changes for us. Back in May, we migrated Pokerihuone to our new software, and if the Group feels that another brand would fit in well with our poker strategy, it would be easy for us to migrate them too.”
