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EXCLUSIVE: Kapil Arora On Winning The Elite, Poker Strategies & More

The Elite 30 Lakh tournament is amongst the highly anticipated tournaments on Spartan Poker. This time around, poker player Kapil Arora shipped this exciting tourney. We often see poker pro winning big at games, but what we don’t know are the stories that lead them to their winning spots. We had a chat with Kapil Arora and got to know about his wonderful journey in poker.

Excerpts from the interview with Kapil Arora:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m 37-years-old, from Delhi. I’ve done my MBA and have been working for almost 14 years now in marketing function. I started off with retail/e-commerce and for the last 5 years have been associated with the online gaming industry.

When did you step into the world of poker?

Almost 10 years back, I played with a couple of colleagues and found the game really interesting. Later on, I started playing live and then shifted to online when the poker boom happened.

Could you tell us about your beginnings in the Indian poker circuit?

I started off as a cash game player and then moved to MTT’s around 2-3 years back. I consider myself as a recreational player who now enjoys both the formats of the game. Indian poker circuit is growing and I am happy to be part of it. I have been fortunate enough to make so many friends in the poker community.

How did you prepare for The Elite 30 Lakh GTD tournament?

I had no specific preparation, but was in the zone to grind. The Elite is a great tournament with a decent structure and since its 6max the gameplay/strategy is a bit different compared to other regular tournaments.

What was your gameplay like for this tournament?

Plan was to play aggressive, get more value when I had the best hand. I was always looking for some good spots and putting maximum pressure on the opponents and was playing some fearless poker.

When you won the Elite tournament, what were your first thoughts?

Well, shipping any tournament is a great feeling. So, overall I was very happy and excited to win The Elite tournament as it is one of the most prestigious weekly events.

Do you have any specific strategy that works well for you?

Keeping it calm in difficult hands/spots. Playing aggressive in middle stages and late stages of the tournament also works well.

In poker, losing a game could affect a player’s confidence, how do you deal with a downswing?

Taking a break always helps. There is also no shame in moving down the stakes for sometime to gain the confidence back.

ALSO READ: Trending Thursday: Akshay Kadam On What It Takes To Be A Winner

Do you have any mentors in the Indian poker circuit?

No mentors, but I do have a great friend and a support system in Mudit Jain.

One poker player you really admire.

Abhishek Goindi. 

As a poker player where do you see yourself five years down the line?

Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead. I would like to take it as it comes and go with the flow. I don’t have any specific plan as I would like to continue playing poker recreationally. One dream that I have is to play a WSOP event in Vegas. 

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