Heads-Up With Abhinav Iyer, India’s 1st Solo WSOP Bracelet Winner

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  • Attreyee Khasnabis July 21, 2019
  • 4 Minutes Read

Team India enjoyed a blistering run at the 50th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) raking in over 100 cashes this summer. But the breakout performer at the series was indubitably the latest poster boy of Indian poker and our very own Young Gun Abhinav Iyer (cover image)!

In what is perhaps the most awaited interview of this summer, we bring you a candid conversation with the Mumbai lad who brought India her very first solo gold bracelet in one of the last bracelet events at the 2019 WSOP – The Closer.

Iyer has had a breakout year both online and live. He started the year with a bang after taking down the 2019 Asian Poker Tour (APT) Vietnam Main Event in January for VND 2,269,092,000 (~₹69.51 Lakhs) – his career-best score at the time. But it wasn’t just the live felts that he was dominating before his second visit to the WSOP. He had already built himself an enviable resume online, and was especially unstoppable from January 19 to 21 when he won back-to-back high-value tournaments on PokerBaazi, starting with the FRI-YAY ₹10 Lakhs GTD for ₹2.30 Lakhs on January 19, The Monster 6-Max ₹5 Lakhs GTD for ₹1.38 Lakhs on January 20, and the BSS SuparStack ₹25 Lakhs GTD for ₹5.04 Lakhs on January 21.

Even before flying off to WSOP, Iyer had gained valuable experience by picking up scores in the Melbourne Crown Casino Recurring Tournaments, PPPoker World Championship in Manila, 2019 WPT Vietnam and the 2019 Asia Poker League (APL) in Vietnam.

Being one of the early arrivals at the 2019 WSOP allowed Iyer to put in a full schedule and he made the most of the opportunity by registering a total of eight cashes worth a massive $585,548 (~₹4.03 Crores). After posting deep runs in Event #19: Millionaire Maker – $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em (274th for $6,657 – ₹4.62 Lakhs) and Event #26: $2,620 No-Limit Hold ‘em Marathon (75th for $5,444 – ₹3.78 Lakhs), he finally got the big break in Event #84: The Closer – $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em – bringing home India`s first solo gold bracelet.

Incidentally, it was in this very event last year that Paawan Bansal had come close to winning the gold bracelet, but instead finished runner-up to former World Champion Joe Cada and collected $378,765 (~₹2.60 Crores). This year, Iyer not only bettered Bansal’s finish but also set a new benchmark that will be difficult to surpass.

PokerGuru caught up with India’s latest poker superstar, and in a candid interview, Iyer talks about his experiences at the 2019 WSOP, his bracelet win, and his plans for his exponentially increased bankroll. Here are the excerpts.

 

Hi Abhinav! Thank you for speaking with PokerGuru and congratulations on winning the coveted WSOP gold bracelet! July 16 was a big day for you and a historic day for Indian poker. How does it feel to become the first Indian to win a solo bracelet?

Honestly, it’s been a few days now, and I still am almost as excited and elated to win it! The euphoria of winning the gold bracelet is yet to subside. It feels incredible, and I feel blessed to have gotten it back home!

 

What does this win mean to you and your family? What impact do you think this win will have on poker in India?

My family has been very supportive of poker, and they’re really ecstatic about this result! It could create a positive impact with more new players taking the game up. But we have to wait and watch.

 

You started the year with a bang – winning the APT Vietnam Main Event in January – followed by PPPoker Championship, WPT Vietnam and APL Vietnam. You put in the full schedule at the 2019 WSOP giving APT Vietnam a skip altogether. Why?

The World Series is the biggest tournament series in the world! I had an average year in Vegas last time around and wanted to do the whole summer this time around. Hence, APT was a skip.

 

Things went well for you at the series – you had six cashes even before entering this event – what do you think has helped you the most in your game?

I had a decent run through the summer. I tried to be as calm and composed as I could be. I had a few deep runs, which certainly helped to boost my confidence. I made sure to take breaks as soon as I thought I wasn’t playing or feeling optimum.

 

Manig Loeser had once said that he won big early on in his career and spewed most of it recklessly. What are your plans now that your bankroll has got a significant boost?

There are no major plans as such. This is a big boost of course, but I will continue to keep grinding both online and live poker as I have been doing in the past. I will definitely try not to do what Manig [Manig Loeser] did!

 

Coming back to The Closer, talk us through your journey in the event. Day 1 – Day 2 and then FT. The game played out like a super turbo. Any adjustments you had to make?

I had a really good Day 1. We played 20 levels of 30 minutes each on Day 1, which ensured that the field was less than 10% coming back to Day 2. I ran really good on Day 2 as well. I was never really at risk throughout the day’s play.

I started the final table as the chip leader. I had an excellent seat draw as well, which allowed me to put the pressure on the middle stacks.

 

Any standout hands or critical situations that you feel tilted the game in your favor?

There were two or three huge hands which changed the balance in my favor. I won a 60BB pot once the event was down to 32 players. I took down the pot with pocket queens against Jeff Gross’s AT off-suit. That was probably the biggest hand.

Another important hand took place when play was down to the last three players. I flopped a gutshot, with T9 on J74r. The turn was a K for a double gutshot straight draw, and the river brought the Q!

These were the two biggest hands, I think.

 

How much of a help was the enormous support you got from the Indian rail at the venue? There was also a massive virtual rail that was cheering you on from back in India!

The rail, as I said, was incredible at the venue. The virtual rail was even bigger than I expected! I checked my phone during one of the breaks, and it was incredible to see so much support and love. Thank you so much!

Abhinav Iyer With the Indian Rail at the 2019 WSOP
Abhinav Iyer With the Indian Rail at the 2019 WSOP

 

Any parting words or advice to other budding players who might be planning to come to play the WSOP next year taking inspiration from your impressive run?

Tournaments in Vegas or the WSOP are super high variance because of the big fields. My advice to our country’s budding talent would be – work hard on your game, put in the volume online, get live experience, prepare and try to stick to a schedule. Don’t go to Vegas if you think you’re under-rolled.

With those words, Iyer signs off.

This article was updated on July 22 (2 pm) due to a factual mistake in one of the answers.

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