Despite lavish poker parties and informal tournaments being the major attractions, particularly during Diwali, playing it as a proper sport or making a career out of it still remains a taboo, though some youngsters are trying hard to change that perception.
There is huge money in poker and youngsters are making somewhere between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore every month. One such player is Aditya Agarwal.
Agarwal, the face of Indian poker and who has managed to make a name for himself at the international level and earn millions of dollars, says that it is still awkward for him to tell people that he actually does "gambling" for a living.
"Coming from an Indian family, I was always in denial that I could actually take it up as a career. I always liked playing it but thought that once I complete my graduation, I would get a job. But by the time I graduated, I was already doing well and was making a lot of money. In fact, I became somewhat famous," recalled Agarwal.
"At that time, I thought that doing anything else other than this would be stupid and that's how I got into it," he told PTI.
Agarwal, who hails from Kolkata, had recently made headlines when he bagged a massive USD 96,445 at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, which is considered one of the biggest tournaments in poker.
"Although most other casino games are about luck, Poker is a game where you need to have some skills. Being good at mathematics is an advantage as there are a lot of numbers involved. You also need to understand the psychology of your opponents and judge their behaviour. Besides, mental fitness is a must to be able to make good decisions every single time. Sometimes for 10 to 14 hours at a stretch when you are playing tournaments.
"Best players are those who are good at all these aspects," explained Agarwal, who along with his brother Rajat, founded PokerGuru.In, a website dedicated to the game.
