3rd Edition of Emerald Poker Tour (EPT) Turned Out to be the Biggest Yet

The Casino Bellagio in Sri Lanka once again played host to the third edition of the Emerald Poker Tour (EPT) which had the biggest turnout since the cash game festival’s inception. The tour has been attracting some of the most established names of Indian poker to the port city of Colombo since October 2018 when the first edition of the EPT was held.

With the EPT weekend coinciding with the start of the 12^th season of the ever-popular Indian Premier League, the third edition was the biggest success for the festival ever. Starting from March 21, the EPT picked up steam as the weekend approached. Slated to culminate on March 25, the event was extended for another day on popular demand and is still ongoing.

Early in the year, the core management team of EPT, namely, Gokul Krishna, Sunitha ‘Suni’ Sunder and Vikram ‘Lungi’ Kumar, had pulled in re-enforcements in the form of industry leader and co-founder of one of India’s leading online poker site PokerBaazi, Navkiran Singh who came onboard the venture as the fourth partner. The collaboration worked wonders for the brand with this latest edition turned out to be a resounding success.

The Emerald Poker Tour (EPT) 3^rd Edition

The third edition of the EPT was home to some insane cash game action and saw four tables running round the clock at Casino Bellagio starting from March 21 with the table buy-ins ranging from ₹2 Lakhs to ₹5 Lakhs. With the blinds set at ₹500/₹1,000/₹2,000 on the ₹100K buy-in table and ₹1,000/₹1,000/₹2,000 on the ₹200K buy-in table, the cash game extravaganza had something on offer for everyone.

In a brief chat with PokerGuru, on the opening day of the cash game festival, the core management team at EPT had shared their enthusiasm at the grand opening of the tour.

Vikram Kumar, co-partner and in-charge of overseeing player management, said, “It’s a pleasure to start the ball rolling for EPT3 [Emerald Poker Tour, Third Edition]. Looks like an action-packed week ahead!”

Sunitha ‘Suni’ Sunder, who handles marketing and hospitality, stated, “I am really happy with the response. Players are enjoying themselves and the action is just heating up. I am sure EPT3 is gonna be huge success!”

The newest addition to the management team, CEO of PokerBaazi and venture partner – Navkiran Singh, expressed his excitement of being part of the festival, “Being a part of EPT 3 has been really amazing. It’s been super smooth. You will see a lot more EPT’s going forward.”

Player Reaction

The cash game festival organizers had previously promised bigger and better events and going by the player reaction, it seems that the management team has more than delivered on its promise!

Commenting on the hospitality and organization of the event, Rohan Dhawan said, “Very well-organized event. Tables are very well managed. The distribution of players and the stakes are done brilliantly. This is very rare to find in event as preference are given. Hospitality is fabulous!”

Veteran pros Kavin Shah and Amit Jain also praised the event. “Great experience, great people and great work done!” said Shah, while Jain commented, “Great hospitality and very soft games.”

Players even commented on why the EPT is such a fun and exciting event to attend. Bhuvan Bansal explained, “What I believe is that in India we don’t have much option for poker (especially cash game). EPT gives a great platform for cash games. The EPT team are well renowned. Most of high-stake players attend. Players who prefer mid-stake also get a good opportunity to play with high-stakes players.”

Aman Dhamija complimented the management, stating, “It’s like home when you’re in the Bellagio. Will come for any event which will be hosted by Navi [Navkiran Singh] or Lungi [Vikram Kumar]. They treat with players with great care.”

Apoorva Goel wrapped up his sentiments in a short and sweet comment, “Very good event! Good action. Everything is well organized. Having a lot of fun!”

Future of the EPT & Upcoming Editions

Previously Gokul Krishna, who is in charge of planning and execution at EPT, had hinted that high-stakes tournaments were also on the cards for the EPT brand. Given the overwhelming success of the third edition and the inclusion of Navkiran Singh to the core management team, the future prospects for the brand seems bright and prosperous!

Keeping following PokerGuru for exciting updates on the Emerald Poker Tour!

[All buy-ins and blinds have been converted from LKR to INR]