Generation Next -- Georgios Kapalas

American player names crop up often in poker conversations, as do Swedish, Danish, English, and Irish, among many others. But it is very rare to hear Greek players brought up in such debates or discussed on forums, so what is happening over that side of the world, and who is in the lineup for a new generation of Greek poker representatives who are ready to roll with the big guns? One name worthy of a mention is Georgios Kapalas. A fairly new face on the live international poker scene, the young and modest up-and-comer has so far this year taken down the Greek Poker Tour, and final tabled at both the European Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.

Rebecca McAdam: How did you get into poker?

Georgios Kapalas: I started two and a half years ago. I used to play Magic: The Gathering. Some friends from there brought me into poker saying, “You can do it, it’s easy. You can make money.” I started playing, and for one and a half years now, I’ve been playing quite seriously.

RM: So you started off playing online?

GK: Yeah, we don’t have live poker in Greece. I used to play small stakes and did pretty good, but I started playing some tournaments and got better results there.

RM: Was it difficult to enter the live poker scene then because of that?

GK: Yeah, I didn’t have a lot of experience in live tournaments, but I had quite a good transition, I didn’t have many problems with tells and stuff like that.

RM: What differences did you find?

GK: When you play poker in your home, you can react whatever way you like. You just have to hide this in live poker, don’t show anything off and play your game.

RM: Were you trying to qualify for live tournaments online?

GK: No, not at all, I never really played the satellites, just the regular tournaments ­— $100 buy-in events and $50/$100 rebuys. They are good online tournaments. I have some okay results, nothing crazy. Then I started to play live tournaments with some Greek events but not in Greece. Afterwards, with side events of the EPT last year, I made two final tables, two ninth places. I tried Vegas this summer and the main events of the EPT so far this season [Kapalas made one final table at each].

RM: So your very first live tournament was a Greek event?

GK: Yeah it was the Greek Poker Tour. I didn’t finish too good, but I won the same tournament this year.

RM: What is poker like in Greece? What is the standard like?

GK: It’s a growing community but since it’s not legal in the Greek casinos, most people play online, and young people are trying to learn the game. We didn’t play hold’em, they had some games like Omaha or stud, I don’t even know them. I didn’t play at all with cards, I just started by playing no-limit hold’em online.

RM: How do you find your sponsorship with Poker.gr?

GK: It’s pretty awesome. For the Greek community, it’s really good. Right now, I’m a hot name.

RM: So you’re getting a good reaction in Greece?

GK: Yeah, they are very enthusiastic about my results and final tables. I have a lot of support from people who I don’t even know, so that’s pretty cool.

RM: Do you find they are playing differently against you now?

GK: I don’t meet them too much online. The guys who I do meet are my friends, and we know each others’ games. But I don’t know what will be the case in the next Greek tournament, because I have the results, I won the previous event.

RM: They might be all coming for you.

GK: Yes, I’ll have to tighten up.

RM: What is your style in general?

GK: It can be a mix of everything. I can be tight and sometimes I try to play flops with speculative hands. It really depends. I can be really loose too like raising, reraising with nothing. I mix it up a lot.

RM: Did anyone influence your game or help you to improve?

GK: I had a friend who used to play for five years or so. I didn’t know him until I started playing. I met him in a live tournament and he helped me from there on. I was really the kind of guy to ask, ask, ask, ask, just trying to learn.

RM: What has been the best moment for you since coming onto the international live tournament scene?

GK: In Vegas, I arrived the night before one event started. It had 3,200 people, and I final tabled it. My first World Series. It was awesome. I was always double the average all the tournament long, it was fantastic.

RM: What do you think people assume about Greek players, for instance when they find out you’re Greek at the table?

GK: I’m always trying to tell them that I’m Greek because they think we are bad players. Then, I suppose they can make mistakes, or make hero calls, or try to outplay me too much. It’s good. They think bad about the Greeks, but I’m one of the good ones. So, I try to inform them that I’m Greek.