---

IPC Exits Deltin Poker Room

The management of the India Poker Championship who were also handling operations of the Deltin Poker Room announced their departure in April.

---

IPC Exits Deltin Poker

In what comes as quite shocking news for poker fans, a statement in April was released by the (now former) management team of Amin Rozani, Rajeev Kanjani and Sameer Rattonsey announcing their exit from the Deltin Royale Poker room in Goa. The trio who had taken over the room back in November 2014 had been in negotiations with the casino management over the past couple of weeks regarding terms of operations. However, it appears that despite a lot of back and forth, both parties were unable to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

The exit of this team is not the only fallout of these protracted negotiations. The roadblocks in the ongoing negotiations have resulted in a significant delay in the announcement of the next edition of the India Poker Championship (IPC). The team, who along with Peter Abraham, are behind India’s biggest tournament brand will not be continuing the event at the Deltin Royale as a result of these failed negotiations. “Unfortunately this signals the end of our association with the DR brand and we will be moving on by the end of this month,” said Amin Rozani. “The IPC team thanks all players for their support and we will be back soon with some exciting news,” continued Rozani.

Poker at the Deltin Group began in the 2009 season with Britishers (the late) Phil Sanders and poker room manager/ TD Craig Wildman managing the then Casino Royale poker room (now rebranded as Deltin JAQK). Later they were joined by Anil Gulati and the trio managed operations till 2013 after which Sanders health problems took him away from Goa. He eventually succumbed to cancer and his death also led to Wildman’s departure from the country. Gulati then continued and as the operations moved into the new Deltin Royale casino, the domestic scene was at the stage where there were barely any events happening and live poker had come to a virtual standstill.

---

ALSO READ: Rising Star in Poker – Griboshin Vellanthrov

---

It was in October 2014 that the casino management began its talks with IPC management to take over the room operations. The deal was finalised a few weeks later and operations officially kicked off under the aegis of the IPC in late November. Their takeover of the room ensured a tremendous buzz took place among poker lovers in the country because that meant the return of the IPC which had been on hiatus for the past 14 months.

And that comeback event in January was a stunning one with an average of 200+ fields in all tournaments and it only got better and better as the year went on. The former management team drew a lot of appreciation and accolades with the way they handled the poker room and players. In the 15 months of their tenure, the IPC went from strength to strength achieving record turnouts for their events. Their success even got them recognition in the form of awards from the World Record India organisation in five categories including Biggest Poker Tournament in India.

This exit news will definitely be a blow to the many poker enthusiasts who were looking forward to participating in yet another packed edition of the IPC. It will be interesting to see what the approach of the casino management will be in terms of operations going ahead. Whether it will be an external team who will come onboard or a team sourced from their own ranks, remains to be seen. Although recent updates from Manish Adnani on social media suggest that he is the individual who is now going to be in charge of the Deltin Poker setup, “I am glad to share that I have joined Deltin Royale.

Today was my first day @ work. I will be heading their poker vertical.” Adnani who was an active player earlier on the circuit was originally based in Mumbai and recently moved to Goa. It is yet unknown if there will be anyone else who will join Adnani in the poker management setup. In the meantime, poker fans will wait with bated breath as to what the exciting news Rozani mentioned will be. We certainly hope that Indian poker fans won’t have to wait for long before that announcement takes place.

---

(This piece was originally published in Gutshot Magazine Jun-Jul 2016 edition, and you can take a look at such pieces in our repository of all past editions by clicking here)

---

---

More News

---