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Here’s Why Players Love India Poker Championship!

India Poker Championship (IPC) is one of India’s biggest live poker events. After a two-year hiatus (which seemed like forever) IPC is finally back and players are ready for another momentous poker festival. With its first edition held in 2010, IPC has grown into a mega poker brand and has become a highly anticipated poker event in the country.

As a poker event where the crème de la crème of poker descend to grind, many believe that IPC got the dice rolling for the Indian poker fraternity. It is due to this reason that IPC has become such an important part of the poker community. As new players join the poker scene, it is important to understand a player’s perspective on why this event is such a massive hit. We asked a few players from the industry to give us insight into what they liked about IPC and why they think it has made such a lasting impression on the community.

Poker Veterans

Growing with the IPC brand is an army of veteran poker players who have been grinding since the very beginning. These players have been a part of the poker community for a long time and are considered the OGs of the Indian poker fraternity. One of them is Kunal Patni who is a banker turned professional poker player and one of the first poker players to grace the felts of IPC back in 2010.

“IPC is the biggest live series that we have in India. Every year you get fantastic numbers, guarantees are crushed, and new records are made every year. It comes with its own glamour and Amin (Rozani) likes to do things that are big and over the top which is what I am expecting this year,” said Patni on his expectations and experience from IPC.

Another beloved veteran is poker coach Abhishek Goindi. He has been grinding, winning tournaments and training players side by side. Talking about the live series’ impact, Goindi said, “IPC’s impact has been great. They’ve been one of the pioneers in the Indian poker industry and started out at a time when poker was still at a nascent stage. I believe they started the tournament culture in India back in the day.”

When it came to his own IPC story, the poker coach replied, “It has also personally helped me as I won the first IPC Player of the Year. It was like a launch pad for me. People keep coming back for more because firstly, it’s the Indian Poker Championship, so there is weightage in the name. Secondly, they know how to treat the players right and have always added a glamorous quotient to it,” said Goindi on his reasons why the game is so popular among Indian poker players.

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ALSO READ: IPC Dec 2010: Aditya Sushant Became The First Ever IPC Champion

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“IPC also brings in a bunch of players that you don’t see in any other tournament in India, so the field is always different. They always bring in something new every time. They are ahead of the curve when it comes to tournament structure and designs, like the Mystery Bounty that is included in this case. They are also constantly innovating and upping the game,” continued Goindi.

IPC August 2012 Main Event winner, Richard Haridasoham, took a stroll down memory lane when we asked about his IPC experience over the years. “IPC was a bunch of firsts for me. First time playing a poker tournament, first time playing live poker, first time in a poker room, first time travelling alone, and also fortunately where I had my first cash as well. Not to mention, it was also IPC’s first tournament as a brand.”

“Over the years it has become a platform which has produced some very talented poker pros who have become great ambassadors of the game. The inception of IPC was a major milestone for poker in India,” said Haridasoham on how the live poker event has impacted the trajectory of the game from its beginning.

Young Guns

The sheer number of professional poker players that have come up in recent years is a testament of the game’s growth in India. While many poker players are more recent faces in the industry, that doesn’t mean they haven’t experienced the effects of IPC in their own poker journey. 

Dhirendra Kumar, who was the winner of the IPC’s Final Table Series Big Game back in November 2020 is among those who got their start from the poker event.

“IPC is one of the best live poker series out there and I had a great experience with it. I started my poker journey with IPC and was fortunate to make so many good friends through it. I believe they are well-known for their unbeatable high guarantees and also their smooth registration process which is a good thing,” said Kumar on his experience with the poker brand.  

He continued, “I am extremely excited for the upcoming edition as it will take place after a two-year pandemic hiatus and also the fact that it will be held in Nepal!”

Nitin Arora, who was recently crowned as Baazi Poker Tour’s March 2022 Main Event winner, also shared his thoughts. “I think IPC gives the best live poker series exposure to any poker player in India. They were the initial risk takers and I guess they were also the trendsetters. Getting an IPC trophy is on every regs list,” said Arora.

Online poker reg, Harsh Dembla commented on his favourite things about IPC. He said “To be honest, I love the Highroller field of IPC, as it’s filled with film stars and celebrities which makes for a really soft playing field, and I always have fun when I’m on it. Besides that, I do believe that there is a real value for money in IPC.”

As the poker community buzzes with excitement at the long-awaited return of the India Poker Championship, make sure you are ready to experience all the thrill which is on offer. IPC Megastacks May 2022 will run from 17th to 22nd May with sattys for the events already being hosted on Spartan Poker, BLITZPOKER, and PokerHigh. So, if you are excited to be a part of it, now is your chance to sign up and get grinding!

For more similar articles on IPC, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on our social handles Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Telegram.

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