From Macedonia to Victory: An Exclusive Interview with Bratislava Poker Festival Champion Alexksandar “Re8uZ”
In July 2024, Macedonia's Aleksandar, known online as “Re8uZ”, clinched victory at the KKPoker partnered Bratislava Poker Festival (BPF) Main Event, walking away with an impressive €112,500.
What's even more inspiring is that Aleksandar didn't have to shell out the full €700 buy-in amount—he won his seat via an online satellite on KKPoker, turning a modest investment into his biggest live poker tournament win.
KKPoker spoke with Aleksandar to discuss his journey, his poker career, and how KKPoker helped him reach this milestone.
Experience Provails
Aleksandar achieved his first recorded live poker tournament cash on the Hendon Mob in 2014, but his adventure with poker dates back even further. Now aged 43, Aleksandar is a self-proclaimed veteran, with over $230,000 in prize money.
"I’ve always been into competitive games, whether live board games or PC games. I’ve also had a knack for math since I was young." said Aleksandar.
"After high school, I went to university to study law and dabbled in sports betting using statistics. After I finished university is when poker started gaining popularity and I began playing live cash games and online multi-table tournaments (MTTs).
"It wasn’t long before I realized I was winning, or losing, more money daily from poker than a typical monthly salary in Macedonia. So, between 2008 and 2010, I decided to quit everything else and give poker my full focus. It became my profession, and it's been a bumpy but rewarding ride ever since."
Aleksandar’s journey to poker professionalism was anything but easy, but it exemplifies the passion and dedication that many poker players share. He’s quick to point out the challenges, likening poker to a lonely cowboy’s ride in the Wild West—exciting but not for the faint-hearted.
"Poker is card game that was initially played by the cowboys in the wild west. There is a saying: A real cowboy always rides alone!
"Playing poker as a profession is very hard and lonely. You will always be outcast to the world, you will have a lot of 'friends' at your highs and not so many on your lows, so you need to really have strong mindset so you can embrace and enjoy the grind and survive the ride."
How KKPoker Helped Aleksandar Qualify for the Big Win
KKPoker proudly partnered with the Bratislava Poker Festival to offer online satellites to attend the event at the Card Casino.
The festival's centerpiece, the Main Event, promised an impressive €500,000 in guaranteed prizes, alongside thrilling additions like the Mystery Bounty Tournament, Omaha Championship, High Roller, and The Ladies Championship.
Alexsandar was one of the lucky qualifiers!
"I’m a member of STRELA poker club on KKPoker, run by my good friends AceTheMaf and Zenga (also veterans at this game). While I don't play as much poker as I used to, I do participate in some higher buy-in MTTs and satellites for live events on KKPoker.
"We give suggestions for improving the tournament schedules and structures to the KKPoker Team, which listens to player feedback. And, of course, the variety of satellites for live events is a very good thing."
KKPoker aims to offer affordable and accessible online satellites, giving players like Aleksandar a chance to qualify for major live events for less. For those dreaming of their big break, KKPoker is the perfect platform to try their luck and skill.
A VICTORY SHARED WITH FRIENDS
Aleksandar's run to win the BPF Main Event trophy resulted in his biggest live poker cash, and propelled him into 3rd place in the Macedonia all-time money list, now only behind KKPoker Vegas Dream winner and 2024 KK Elite Team members, Ilija Savevski and Aleksandar Trajkovski .
As an online tournament grinder, Aleksandar's live poker opportunities were selective, and when other poker brands withdrew their services in Macedonia, it resulted in less of his time being devoted to the game. However, with the poker scene in Bratislava rapidly growing, coupled with KKPoker's online satellite offerings, it presented the perfect chance for Aleksandar and his poker friends to attend.
"The past couple of years the live poker tournament scene in Bratislava has exploded and because there are very cheap and short flights from Skopje (Macedonia), me and my friends were very frequently visiting Bratislava to play live tournaments.
"When I saw that there are satellites on KKPoker for Bratislava I naturally played them. I don't want to sound like an arrogant idiot, but my honest opinion is that the Bratislava tournament fields are very soft and it was just matter of time when I or one of my friends was going to win a big tournament in Bratislava.
"When I was the one that got lucky enough to finally win a big tournament in Bratislava, I was naturally very happy for the win, firstly for me, as a little confidence boost, but mostly I was very happy because I could celebrate with my friends and make this poker trip profitable for everyone, as we often swap percentages of profits. It was very nice day!"
A Memorable Tournament Journey
The Bratislava Poker Festival Main Event featured a large field of 599 entries, so even reaching the final table of nine, let alone winning the event, is an achievement.
"I really did not get dealt many big hands or coolers during the tournament. It was mostly a grind, winning small to medium pots here and there. I did have one lucky break close to the bubble when I shoved all-in with A7 suited from the small blind against a big stack’s open and a flat call. The caller had AKo, but I hit a straight.
"At the final table, my strategy was to take the chip lead from the player on my right who was playing very loosely. Once I achieved that, as Scotty Nguyen will say: It was all over baby! I knew I could leverage my stack and put pressure on the other players by opening more hands, and 3-betting more against loose opens. Eventually, I made it to heads-up with a 3:1 chip lead and took the trophy to Macedonia."
The Future of Poker in North Macedonia
KKPoker has been delighted to see the Macedonian poker community continue to grow, and many talented poker players from the nation have achieved great results in recent times.
Aleksandar, with the help of other Macedonian established poker pros, is sharing their experience and poker wisdom with their fellow compatriots by offering free coaching opportunities via their Discord channel, aiming to mentor the future generation of poker talent.
But what does Aleksandar see for the future of poker for himself, his friends, and Macedonia?
"As I said at the beginning of this interview, I am one of the few veterans and pioneers in Macedonia at this game that stood the test of time and is still actively playing.
"I started playing poker (as other veterans mentioned above) when no one believed that is possible to make a career out of poker. I(we) learned the hard way by mistakes because there was no one to follow and ask for advice. We paved a clear path for others to come. We showed others that it is possible to follow a dream and be successful despite others having unsupportive opinions. We are not gamblers!
"I personally don't have any urge anymore to prove anything to anyone or feel any FOMO at all... I don't have the drive, hunger and stamina to grind poker as I used to, especially to play a lot of live events. But my friend Ilija is hungry and driven, so I can sleep calmly at night knowing that he will represent Macedonia in a very good light and reach the top of the poker world in the next few years.
"Hopefully, there will be some other young guns from Macedonia who are also hungry, driven, and willing to work hard, who will follow his lead and join him on the road to the top. Shoutout to KKPoker crusher 'TheAnt' and 'Roronoa'!
"These days, I am choosing my battles more wisely...
Macedonian poker tribe is slowly getting together...
We are getting out our lucky charms...
We practice stacking chips...
We tune our bows and sharpen our arrows...
We are packing our bags...
We are ready for fight...
We are going to battle...
There will be tears...
We are going to conquer Malta and bring the gold to Macedonia! LFG!"
Qualify with KKPoker
Aleksandar’s poker story is a testament to the power of perseverance and skill.
By playing in KKPoker’s online satellites, you could also turn a small investment into a chance to compete in major live events across Europe and beyond.
If you’re ready to take the plunge and chase your own poker dreams, start playing in KKPoker satellites today. Who knows? You might be the next player to turn a small buy-in into a life-changing win!
Want to test your poker skills in Malta? KKPoker is now running online satellites to the Battle of Malta and Malta Poker Festival from just $3!
