Coronavirus Lockdown: An Update From Poker Pros Across the Country (Part 1)

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  • Namita Ghosh April 17, 2020
  • 5 Minutes Read

The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing lockdown is a reminder of how our lives have changed forever. The continually ticking counter of COVID-19 positive cases has touched 21,65,500 globally, with at least 1,45,705 people already succumbing to the virus.

The situation is looking grim in India that has seen a sudden spike in the spread of the virus. There have been 13,835 reported cases in the country so far, with the death toll standing at 452. Maharashtra and Delhi are the worst affected. Still, other regions like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh are also reporting a steady rise in the spread of the infection.

In the process of compiling this Lockdown series, I got the opportunity to speak to many poker players from all parts of the country. As my discussions with them centered around how they were coping up with the ongoing lockdown, there were a few strikingly similar observations that came out:

A. Most poker pros have increased the volume of play online in the lockdown period. Almost everyone I spoke to is playing more than usual to try and cash in on the increased value on offer in online MTT’s.

B. Spending quality time with family and taking time out to study the game were the other two common activities for poker players. Binging on TV shows was the other favorite pastime for many.

C. Most poker players seemed to be mentally prepared for an extended lockdown and were surprisingly content staying indoors. Many among them also ruled out travel for the foreseeable future.

Now, after speaking to poker players in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai, and Bengaluru, we bring you updates on players from other parts of the country. For this penultimate feature in our Lockdown series, we spoke with online phenom Anant Purohit who lives in Bengaluru but is currently in Coimbatore, Wilson Yomso (Arunachal Pradesh), Phanindra Akkina (Andhra Pradesh) and Jaydeep Dawer and Vivek Rughani from Gujarat.

Let’s find out how these pros have been dealing with the lockdown and what they’ve been doing!

 

Anant Purohit

Anant Purohit needs no introduction. Known more popularly by his online moniker “Pro,” this is one player, even the pros don’t like playing. Originally from Bengaluru, Purohit is currently in Coimbatore.

Anant Purohit
Anant Purohit

 

To say that Purohit has been in phenomenal form would be an understatement. With over ₹1 Crore in MTT cashes this year, Purohit is undoubtedly crushing the online MTT`s!

Like the other online regs, he is also making the most of the extra time at hand by playing more poker. “I’m playing 8-10 hours poker and spending on spending 2-3 hours daily to watch poker videos on YouTube/Twitch.”

Apart from the fact that all his weekly outings have been put off, the lockdown hasn’t changed things too much for him. “In fact, due to increased value in tourneys because of lockdown, now I’m giving a bit more time and volume to poker,” Purohit said, adding that it wouldn’t matter to him if the lockdown gets extended. “I think that’s true for all poker players. We all were already in quarantine with a couple of outings weekly. Just that now we have given it a name and stopped those few outings also!”

He did caution that it was essential to maintain proper hygiene and be careful. “Just take care everyone. Those who usually don’t get time to study poker now have perfect time as well as free content on websites to improve themselves. If you are not doing it now, it’s definitely your fault if you are still losing after 6 months,” he cautioned.

 

Wilson Yomso

A well-known reg, Wilson Yomso, is as good in raking in massive scores as he is in changing his hairstyle! Last we came across Yomso was at the IPC in Goa, and he was sporting a Mohawk then! So we asked Yomso who lives in Arunachal Pradesh what he’s been up to during the lockdown, and he replied, “Yo!! I am in a somewhat “unfortunate” situation here 🙁 I am an Assistant Manager in SBI, ergo no lockdown for me. The only silver lining being I get home a little earlier and start my poker grind a bit earlier than I used to. I get home by 6 PM now compared to 7 PM pre-Corona.”

Wilson Yomso

 

Yomso added, “No life-altering situation for me, poker or otherwise. I play close to 7,9 hours (depends on how deep I run, and I primarily play tournaments).”

His advice to the poker go-getters out there? “Pick up a new skill set and practice. Learn a musical instrument, say a guitar or piano, and devote 1 hour every day. Read up some poker stuff; there is a lot of good free content on the net. Hopefully, we all become a better version of ourselves in all aspects post-Corona. Cheers!”

 

Jaydeep Dawer

The co-founder of The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) and avid poker pro, Jaydeep Dawer, is at home in Surat during the ongoing lockdown. Since Dawer had returned from Sri Lanka just days before the lockdown was announced, he was asked to remain on quarantine for 21 days with a guard placed outside his door!

Jaydeep Dawer

 

“I returned from a Poker event in Colombo on 17th March. A couple of days after that the local authorities came to my house and took all details of my travel plans. They ordered me to be in self-quarantine for 21 days due to my international travel history. I had a guard sitting down to keep a check on me and have to send regular location and health updates on their app. Haven’t stepped out of the house since then,” Dawer divulged.

His playing regime, though, remains more or less the same. “I grind from 8:30 PM almost every day. The only difference is earlier, I was taking a couple of days off during the week, but with this lockdown, I have been grinding daily.”

Since the many poker players that I have spoken to, even Dawer felt that the lockdown has its own upside, and that is getting to spend more time with the family. “I have been spending quality family time, which is the best part of this lockdown, I feel. We play card/board games during the day time which is fun. I have plans to start a self-poker learning course too from tomorrow, which should take up quite a good time of the day.”

We wanted to know how a prolonged lockdown would affect him, and he said, “Well haven’t thought about this as yet. If that happens, surely, I will have to get to a more constructive routine apart from poker. Will put it in my mind when the time comes, I guess!!”

“Jokes apart, these are testing times, especially for our country, considering the population and hygiene conditions. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I fear the virus explosion in the days to come. Keeping my fingers crossed, though.”

He agreed that everyone needs to take social distancing protocols more seriously. “The next few days are crucial, and so I would definitely advise every citizen to practice social distancing with strict discipline, spend quality family time, indulge in indoor hobbies, and make the most of it. Poker players are anyways having a feast online with the GTDs going higher and getting crushed. Praying to God for everyone’s good health, and together we will sail through this tough time.”

 

Phanindra Akkina

Phanindra Akkina holds the distinction of being the first player in the country to win Spartan Poker’s flagship Millionaire tournament twice. Having won his first Millionaire title in 2017, he repeated the feat in December 2019 when he took down The Millionaire Legends ₹2 Crores GTD for a massive ₹41.33 Lakhs! An old-timer, Akkina is one of very few Indians to have final tabled PokerStars’ Sunday Millions. The memorable tournament was the $5 Million GTD Christmas Special edition that took place in December 2015.

Phanindra Akkina

 

Based in Tanuku, Andhra Pradesh, Akkina, like many others, has been primarily spending his time playing online poker. “Playing 4-5 hrs cash mostly during daytime and Sunday MTTs.”

Talking about his plans for April, Akkina said, “I am planning to put more volume in MTTs in April as it’s the best time with AOPS, Millionaire Legends, Endboss all lined up. No other activities. Spending more time with my family and my daughter.”

Looking at the bright side of the lockdown, Akkina said, “This lockdown period is gold to all online poker players, make the most of it. Stay healthy, disciplined, study, and grind hard. good luck all.”

His words of advice to others, “To all: be safe, stay at home until the lockdown ends.”

 

Vivek Rughani

Vivek Rughani is someone who has been around the poker block for a long time now. He made quite the splash with his “Poker Boom” comment during the televised coverage of the 2018 WSOP Main Event, where he ultimately finished 88th for a career-best $77,695 (~₹53.47 Lakhs). He has come a long way since and presently boasts of ₹1.71 Crores in live tournament earnings and ₹71.14 Lakhs in recorded online winnings.

Vivek Rughani

 

Spending the lockdown in Ahmedabad, Rughani talking about his grind routine, said, “No fixed timings as I play high stakes online cash, so it varies from short sessions to long marathon ones. I used to play live 4-5 days a week, which has stopped now. So, more time for online poker and a lot of Netflix than usual.”

Discussing the recreational activities that he has picked up during the lockdown, Rughani said, “Recreational activities would include playing FIFA on ps4 when other poker buddies are not grinding.”

Sharing his views on how the extension of the lockdown could effect poker players, Rughani stated, “Not much changes since poker players are inhabited for such a lifestyle. Will miss live poker for a while but not that much trouble and more volume for online cash.”

Like the others, his advice was, “Stay home and stay safe. Grind harder. I have noticed the prize pools are bigger than usual, so make the most of it!”

That’s all for this update. We will be back with one final feature in this series next week!

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