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Indian Poker Players: Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps

Some of the players are now slowly rebranding the definition of poker as a mind sport across India, apropos professionals have been successfully writing their success stories at the international level. Those accomplishments have not only proved their talent but are further building up poker as the real professional discipline it is, which also determines poker as a potential career choice in India, and how skilled the players are both mentally and strategically.

Poker in India – Professionals You Need to Know

In recent months, dedicated Indian players have made indelible marks at international poker tournaments, winning one tourney after another and breaking records all the while, establishing India’s stance on the global stage; by which, it is evident that talent and strategy help to rule the roost among the challengers in this competitive sphere rather than mere luck by chance.

While we have hundreds of players doing consistently well on the Asian and international stage over the years, there are some shining of late, and particularly in 2024. Listed below are the names (one must know) bearing the beacon of hope for Indian poker players who wish to enter the realm and join the professional scene:

1. Nishant Sharma: The Unstoppable Mumbaikar

A promising professional in the industry – poker seems to be the perfect career for Nishant Sharma as he was seen on a roll at the recent Poker Dream 13 Malaysia series. He has been proving himself over and over again with some great poker shows at these events. He recently created history by winning 3 Poker Dream Main Event titles; his remarkable achievements in the recent series includes:

• Event #14: MYR 2k Pot Limit Omaha – He busted 34 other players and won MYR 23,200 (₹4.35 Lakhs) from the MYR 68,000 prize pool.
• Event #21: MYR 12k Single Day High Roller – He came 7^th and secured an extra MYR 61,000 (₹11.52 Lakhs) for this run.
• Event #16: MYR 3K Mystery Bounty – He seized the winning spot for a staggering MYR 250,500 (₹49.14 Lakhs) by defeating 395 participants, also bagging a total of MYR 250,500 (₹6.70 Lakhs) in bounties.
• Event #13: MYR 2,400 Main Event – He created history, winning his third PD Main Event title, cashing for the second-best score his career, of MYR 930,800 (~₹1.76 Crore).

Additionally, with several live tournament titles under his belt, Sharma’s laurels also include – securing being one of the best finishers for India at a WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas, finishing 34^th in the WSOP 2018 Main Event for $230,475 in prize money.  

2. Kunal Patni: The Goa-Based Banker

It will be a crime to not highlight one of the renowned poker maestros, Kunal Patni – the Executive Director of Natural8 India, who has been in the industry for a long time and actively bringing laurels. Patni’s recent performance at the Asian Poker Tour Phu Quoc 2024 has made the series to remember as he displayed his dominance at the event, earning a handful of accolades and substantial winnings, including multiple titles.

Highlighting his good performances at APT Phu Quoc 2024:

• Event #1: VND 9 Million Vietnam National Cup – 9th in the tournament and pocketed around ₹2.7 Lakh.
• Event #19: VND 4 Million Tick Tock BOOM! Super Hold’em – He came close, finishing 2nd and taking home ₹1.19 Lakh.
• Event #37: VND 7 Million Tick Tock BOOM – This time, he won the same tournament, taking away an amount of ₹3,11,000 as a cash.
• Event #41: VND 10 Million Turbo – Double Stack – Secured 4th place with a prize of ₹3,37,000.
• Event #47: VND 12 Million NLH – Ended on 17^th place, taking home a humble amount of ₹75,000.
• Event #57: VND 110 Million Baby Superstar Challenge – Big win! He performed brilliantly to topple all competitors and achieved a massive payout of ₹47,78,000 (VND 1,436,000,000).
• Event #76: VND 40 Million High Roller Last Chance – Placed in 3rd spot, pocketing ₹7.32 Lakh.

In accumulation, his wins amount to a staggering VND 1.99 billion (₹66.26 Lakh) from this one series in Vietnam alone! And with his latest title wins, the poker master – erstwhile an investment banker, adds an impressive fourth APT title to his wall of achievements.

Notable Past Achievements

Amongst the many achievements at the event, his double victory titles at the 2023 Asian Poker Tour (APT) Hanoi in Feb 2023 were also most iconic. His triumphs:

• Event #41: Hyper Turbo – 8 Max with a VND 156.11 Million prize.
• Event #36: Hyper Turbo – 8 Max with a VND 106.94 Million prize.

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ALSO READ: “PSL Has Contributed To Poker’s Fame in India” – Kunal Patni, Winning Captain, PSL 6

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3. Amit Kaushik: The High-Stakes Hyderabadi Contender

Amit Kaushik has put up a lot of hard work at the recently concluded Asian Poker Tour Phu Quoc 2024, making a place for himself up there with the high-stake pro legends. His last run in the VND 2.50 Billion GTD Event #67: APT VND 80 Million High Roller was one of the most intense moments at APT Phu Quoc 2024. It was extremely painstaking; the pro player was on the cusp of securing his first live title & big cash prize since his last victory however, he ended up ranking third, with VND 1.044 Billion (₹34.72 Lakh). Although he had a good start and played a good game, Kaushik experienced agony when his pocket eights got beaten by Yu ‘Nevan’ Chung’s pocket sevens in the last level (ending the game with a full house for Nevan.)

Career Highlights:

• Throughout the recently held APT Phu Quoc 2024 events, his performance was phenomenal. He has cashed in five times with three final table finishes and his total series winnings tallied to VND 1.40 Billion (₹46.58 Lakh), placing him among the highest Indian earners in the series.
• Apart from different accolades under his trophies bag, he also clinched the title & prize of VND 72 Million (₹2.47 Lakhs) in Event #5: VND 3.4 Million Turbo at U Series of Poker (USOP) Da Nang 2023 after beating 80 opponents.
• He received his career-best live cash at the WPT Cambodia, Main Event (Event #25) – $3,500 NLHE, for a fifth-place finish which pocketed him $118,906.

Amit Kaushik’s performance has been holding up well adding to his regular improved standings as the rising star. He ranks 16th in Hendon Mob’s database of India All Time Money List and has accumulated total live earnings of $581,018 (approximately ₹4.90 Crore,) as of writing this in Nov 2024. The poker player’s results in live tournaments and constant performance in more events make him a promising prospect for poker players from India.

As more people acknowledge poker and the steady string of victories, Indian players are gradually carving their niche for themselves in the international poker scene. Players such as Nishant Sharma, Kunal Patni & Amit Kaushik amongst many are reshaping the regulation by marking their presence on a global scale. Combined with increased success and recognition of professionals, aspiring Indian players may find themselves committing to a firm seat at the table and dealing with poker in the future.

At Gutshot Magazine, we bring you the latest news, information, and everything poker. Follow us for insights and updates on the ever-evolving world of poker.

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