“This game is such you never feel you have achieved something coz there is always so much to learn; every day you will face a spot which will make you feel lost.”
The ₹10 Lakhs GTD APF Inception was the only big-ticket tournament on Adda52 on Monday. Vishal ‘IsnapUcry’ Madan and Deepak ‘Peacelover’ Singh made it to the FT, and in the end, it was Vishal Madan who bagged the title and ₹2.50 Lakhs. So, we caught up with Vishal to know his experience of the heads-up battle and get an insight into his poker journey.
Here are the excerpts from the chat session-
A big congratulation to you Vishal on winning the Adda52’s Inception Title. For those who don’t follow poker much, can you please tell us a little about yourself and your educational background?
Thank you. I am from Indore and a professional poker player for two years and have done my MBA from Indore itself.
Tell us about your poker journey. How it all started?
I started playing with friends recreationally, then picked on the game as I got into it. I joined India’s biggest poker stable IPP a year back and have kept on improving with the help of coaches. Poker is all about struggle, the more you struggle, the better you become.
Can you tell us a bit about the last battle with Deepak ‘Peacelover’ Singh? What was going through your mind or how it all folded up?
The HU battle was very intense. I got HU with Deepak with a 3:1 Chip deficit, but it turned over very quickly. I got a couple of right spots to collect some very imp pots. I have played a lot with him, so I was aware of how he plays.
My goal was to keep him short and never give him a chance to bounce back, but it’s poker you never know because it just takes one hand to change the momentum.
Live poker or online poker – which is more exciting, and why?
When it comes to profitability, online poker is way ahead because of the flexibility of playing 10-12 tables at one go and the insane guarantees that Indian sites are giving these days. Still, when it comes to the real deal, it’s live poker because there you have all those elements which you can’t think of in online games like the poker face and live reads and stuff.
Tell us a bit more about your college days, i.e. before picking poker professionally.
I was into my family business which is finance and construction, but when I picked up the poker, there was no looking back. College life had all the memories of playing the game with friends just for the fun and learning, but it was like very small stakes. At that time, we tried to learn the game and not take it up as earning some quick bucks.
Was there any moment after which you realized that yes I had achieved something or now I should make it a profession?
This game is such you never feel you have achieved something because there is always so much to learn; every day you will face a spot which will make you feel lost. The decision which I took that I am going to take it professionally was never taken. I just went with the flow because my family was always supportive and aware that this a skill game.
Is your family your support system when you have an odd day in poker?
With the time I have actually become pretty numb about the bad or good days because what I feel is there has to be self-belief, and the learning should never stop. It will take you to the heights you have thought of.
Taking about family, my family time is actually kind of a stress buster because playing professionally you get very little time for them. So, the time you get to spend with them is very good for your mental health.
A majority of Indians still believe poker to be a game of luck or chance, which is, however, changing gradually. Like there are a couple of states where it is completely banned. How do you perceive the laws related to poker in India?
The people who think it’s a game of luck are absolutely dumb, in my opinion, because they have this mindset of anything related to cards is gambling, but the fact is exactly the opposite. So, when they lose, they say it’s gambling because they don’t know much about variance and how tournament poker is played.
The laws in India definitely need a lot of amendments in favour of player because the TDS just exhausts a ton of money outside the ecosystem and I don’t think to ban it is anyway fair for the people living in those states.
At last, would you like to give any tips to the aspiring poker players?
The only tip is you just need to work hard and always look for answers to your problems. Never look for sympathy which most of the people do!
Stay tuned to check out the next Rising Poker Star!