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The CARDashian Of Online Poker: In Conversation With Siddharth Kadel

From playing poker at sleepovers to shipping major events consistently, Siddharth Kadel is a player who can be a great example for all the poker players who are just starting out. Kadel shipped the West Coast tourney on PokerSaint, a tournament that he describes as a ‘kryptonite tourney.’ He shipped it not once, not twice but multiple times over the last couple of months. 

With an entrepreneurial mind and a survival strategy at the poker table, Kadel has a lot of tips and advice to share with the budding poker players. We connected with Kadel aka ‘CARDashian66,’ to know a little more about him, here’s everything he had to share.

You have been selected as the Player of the Month on PokerSaint. How do you feel about that?

I think this is the first edition of choosing a player of the month on PokerSaint. I’m personally honoured to be nominated for this award, this is a brilliant initiative by Gutshot Magazine and the PokerSaint team.

ALSO READ: Gutshot’s Exclusive 10K Freeroll On PokerSaint Is Just What You Need!

You’ve been a regular player on PokerSaint, what’s it that you like the most about the platform?

PokerSaint is definitely my favourite Indian site, due to their instant cash-out system almost within seconds.

You’ve played a total of 47 tournaments during the last month on PokerSaint alone. You are also quite active on other platforms as well. Tell us a little about your grinding schedule.

Personally, I feel a grinding schedule for almost any player should be something they are absolutely comfortable with i.e the number of tourneys or hours spent on the game. Poker should be only played when one is at their 100%. I usually start my grind only with the night tourneys and I never miss a PokerSaint feature tourney. I would always advise a lot of physical activities to be added to your lifestyle if you wanna play poker. This in the long run will keep you fresher for the grinds and make you last longer without feeling restless.

You have an average win percentage of approximately 11% and about 51 ITM finishes during the last month on PokerSaint. What is the one strategy that you use in most of your games?

11% still seems less to me, I’m hoping to improve this and take my FT finishes all the way. I’ve put in a lot of work into my game in the last 4-5 months and there’s no stopping. My main strategy is survival, I feel like I do have an edge over the field so if I survive even with a really small or average stack, I’m still comfortable playing even with a small stack and not lose patience.

What was it like to win the West Coast on PokerSaint? What was your strategy?

The West Coast literally went from being my kryptonite tourney on PokerSaint which used to be unbelievably hard for me to make it far to shipping it multiple times over the last two months. This just shows that if you keep improving your game, you can really see the difference. There was no strategy per se, I always just try to take it one hand at a time and look to survive. Taking notes on your opponents can prove critical and you get used to their tendencies and playing styles.

What is the one poker mantra that you religiously follow or believe in?

“Be so good that they can’t ignore you.” Choose the right spots, run your solvers and play as close to optimum as you can. Improving your game and keeping up with the trends of the population is really important.

Your moniker ‘CARDashian66’ is an absolutely genius pun. Tell us about the story behind it.

Well really, to be honest, I love my screen name. I wanted a name that would be funny and would pique someone’s interest when gazed upon. It was just something that an 18-year-old me came up with and I was really happy with my creative idea.

Can you share one of your most memorable FT memories?

It has to be denying a three-way deal with less than three big blinds (BB), where the other two stacks were both 11BB+, then going on to ship the west coast from such a deficit. A lot of my wins come from coming back from a really small stack and being relentless and not giving up.

One player, you would like to beat on the FT?

Both my coaches, Abhishek Goindi and Shardul Parthasarthi (even though it’s not going to happen, I can hope :P)

How long have you been playing poker?

I’ve actually been playing the game since I was a child, during the early Zynga poker times. I obviously didn’t know much about the game but it always kept me intrigued. I started from there with a few friends playing at home for fun. So I would say close to 7-8 years but I started studying the game only recently in the last 2 years.

How were you introduced to poker?

The friends that I grew up with used to play poker for fun on sleepovers and play on Zynga together, that was many many years ago.

Describe what poker is to you in 3 words.

Passion, Side Hustle and Discipline.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Coming from an entrepreneurial background, I want to be starting something of my own in the next few years. Poker will always hold a special place in my heart as it has taught me a lot more than just playing cards and every poker player will agree to this. 

Kadel’s story and awe-inspiring victories tell us how poker can teach you so much and be more than just a game in your life. His passion for the game has brought him a long way and we’re sure this young player has a long way ahead. Through our Player of the Month segment, we look forward to bringing such consistent players to the limelight. Stay tuned to Gutshot Magazine for more such exceptional players and their inspiring stories.

For more news and updates, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on our social media handles like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram. 

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