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Gutshot Player Of The Month (August 2021): Varun Meena Breaking The Shackles

Every month, the Advisory Board at Gutshot Magazine chooses the month’s best player from a list of nominees based on their online performances. With the online circuit filled with various talented players, for the month of August 2021, it was Varun Meena aka ‘Ganjababe’ from BLITZPOKER who was chosen as the Player of the Month.

Hailing from the ‘Land of Maharajas,’ Meena is a 25-year-old Rajasthan-born poker professional. He made his decision to become a full-time pro player back in 2018 and since then has not looked back on his journey. He started as an MTT player and enjoyed a good run before turning his attention to Pot Limit Omaha (PLO). We spoke to Meena, who was excited and open to talk about his poker journey and the challenges he faced since becoming a professional. With an enthusiastic streak in him, Meena was surprised and happy about being chosen as the Player of the Month. Here is our conversation with this poker pro.

1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be chosen as Gutshot’s Player of the Month?

I feel very honoured to be chosen as Gutshot’s Player of the month. It means a lot to receive this kind of recognition.

2. Who introduced you to poker or was it something you discovered by yourself?

I was introduced to poker during my IITB days in a hostel social event by some seniors. I found the game very intriguing from the beginning. Once I learnt a little more about poker, I started playing with my batchmates. My shift to online poker happened when my college had an event with a site called StarPoker, they had hosted a freeroll for the students and I finished in second. This gave me the confidence to play online and the rest is history.

ALSO READ: How To Register On BLITZPOKER?

3. Poker tournaments always run late into the night; how do you keep your focus when pulling in the long hours?

I have always been a night owl, you could say that being an engineering student does that to you. I have also adapted my sleep schedule in such a way that I don’t have any problems while playing late at night. I sleep for at least 7-8 hours a day, you have to be well-rested to be on top of your game.

4. What was the most challenging thing you had to face as a poker player?

The most challenging thing I experienced as a player was in 2018, when I finally decided to quit my job and be a full-time poker player. Apart from a few of my close friends, everyone lost their minds. But I was sure of my decision and I can say that it has been a good one.

5. You once shipped an Ultimate 6 Card PLO tournament, how was the experience and is PLO your preferred poker variant?

I absolutely love playing Pot Limit Omaha. Firstly, there is never a bad run-in PLO, just variance. If you don’t get frustrated and remain on top of your game in the long run you will find success. I have shipped the Ultimate PLO tournament on Spartan Poker close to seven or eight times now. I was also a regular PLO-4 cash game grinder for 1.5 years before I decided to go back to grinding in tournaments.

ALSO READ: Sign Up To BLITZPOKER And Get 100 FREE

6. You regularly grind on BLITZPOKER, what has your experience been like on the platform?

BLITZPOKER has a wide range of tournaments covering low, mid, and high stakes tournaments. The structure and the guarantee of its tournaments are currently the best in India. The software is a lot smoother and provides a lot of customisation that makes it easy for players to use.

Read the full interview in the September 2021 edition of Gutshot’s E-magazine. You can click here and sign up for full access. For more interesting content, keep reading Gutshot Magazine. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

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