Matt Savage Imposes Rules on Will Kassouf and Martin Kabrhel
The WPT Cyprus Championship, with a $2 million guaranteed prize pool and a $3,500 buy-in, kicked off today at the Chamanda Prestige Hotel & Casino. Amidst the ongoing tournament, there are lingering concerns about the behaviour of a familiar face, William Kassouf, who made waves at the WSOP 2025.
Kassouf, known for his intriguing table talk and mind games, has been the subject of discussions about potential repeat performances that may have soured the final days of the Main Event. In an effort to address these concerns, Matt Savage, the tournament director, spent an hour explaining to someone why Kassouf wouldn't be able to act like a "jackass" at the WPT Cyprus Championship.
Savage's assurances come after he spent 90 minutes with Kassouf and another couple of hours with Martin Kabrhel, another poker personality known for his table demeanour. Savage tweeted a picture with the caption "Analysis: Both are way more pleasant than they appear at the poker table." on August 12, 2025.
However, some skepticism remains about the niceness of Kabrhel and Kassouf away from the poker table, as they have a reputation for negative interactions at the table. Contrasting this, Phil Hellmuth, known for his frequent outbursts, is said to be the nicest person you could ever meet, according to those who know him away from poker.
The WPT Cyprus Championship has seen its fair share of exciting moments so far. One such instance was a four-way all-in later in the night, where Adrian Govea Quevedo managed to survive with a pot of 18 big blinds. Romulo Dorea, WPT Global Ambassador, won a significant hand involving a four-way all-in, securing 278 big blinds with a river of Jā .
Meanwhile, Furkan Yavuz, from Turkey, is in second place with 358,500 chips, just behind Aleksandr Pak, from Uzbekistan, who ended Day 1a of the WPT Cyprus Championship with the largest chip stack (379,000). Notable players advancing to Day 2 include Omar Lakhdari, winner of WPT Prime Cyprus, Hugues Girard, champion of WPT Prime Paris, and WPT Commentator Tony Dunst, who reported an active table.
As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see if the perceptions of these poker personalities off-screen continue to differ from their on-screen personas.
[1] Source: Unspecified sources and players' statements.
In the midst of the WPT Cyprus Championship, discussions about the behavior of poker personalities, such as William Kassouf and Martin Kabrhel, continue, with some concerns about their demeanor outside the poker table. Interestingly, the ongoing tournament also features casino games and sports betting in the casino-and-gambling section of the Chamanda Prestige Hotel & Casino.
