Poker Underground THE UNPARALLELED EMERGENCE OF A GAME THAT HAD TO FIGHT ITS WAY OUT IN INDIA
Sometime in February last year, Ashish (name changed on request) found himself in a room with eight other large men. He’s cagey about the city, the names of the others and the real identity of his gracious host. Ashish was there on invite and the cold month marked his first steps into the fast emerging world of poker, in India. By May, he had found a good “supplement”. “I made `25,000 every two weeks. The competition kept getting better. My social life and Facebook were visibly more vibrant and I was able to keep a relaxed 5-day week job — which didn’t pay much or cost much. Poker was the supplement,” says the 36-year-old engineer and former 6-day-week product manager. Just like Ashish, thousands in India have found the “perfect gig” in poker. Ask any veteran of the game and the answer is similar — the game is fast rising. Across the country, in almost every neighbourhood of every city, there are inviteonly house games being held with “pots” ranging from `50,000 to a few lakhs. In Bengaluru, poker clubs have started to advertise on radio and the wives are no longer frowning.
Hell, even the students are diving in. “A lot of young players can now be found in these clubs. I’m earning my way towards a higher education and a trip around the world. Do I want my parents to foot the entire bill? No. Can my three games a month help pay that bill? Likely. I could be Chris Moneymaker,” says Robert, an up and coming poker star from New Delhi. He has his eyes set on Las Vegas and WSOP — the neon-lit Wimbledon of world poker. Last year, there were at least 30 Indians at the tables there.
Chris Moneymaker though, is a name that constantly inspires people like Robert. Perhaps it’s because he has an effect named after him, called the “Moneymaker effect”. A few pages into his bio and you just cannot discount the impact this one man has had on poker. In 2003, Moneymaker became the “first person to become a world champion by first qualifying at an online poker site”. That’s en-route Wimbledon, and thrashing Andy Murray, after a bus ride. That’s leaving smoke in Vettel’s face at Monaco after turning up in your Fiat.
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