Heads-Up: In Conversation With 9stacks Qualifier Mayank Jaggi on His Inaugural Las Vegas Trip & Final Table Finish in Wynn $1 Million GTD Event

The desert of Vegas is the place to be for any poker lover as the 2018 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway, and living that dream is ace poker player, Mayank Jaggi who won a paid trip to Vegas by cracking the #LFGVegas contest run by 9stacks.

Jaggi not only hit Level 42 on 9stacks and won the trip to Vegas, he also went on to crack Level 75 on the site to win the $10,000 Main Event Ticket, the highlight of the WSOP.

He flew to Vegas as part of #9stacksTeamIndia which includes professional poker players like WSOP Main Event top 100 rankers, and fellow #LFGVegas contest winners, Nishant Sharma and Vivek Rughani.

A highly affable player, Jaggi’s determination and resolve was evidenced by the three scores he picked up at his debut appearance at the series. He followed that up with his career-best score in the Wynn $1 Million GTD Event where he finished sixth for $56,379 (~₹38.56 Lakhs)!

In an exclusive interview with PokerGuru, Jaggi shares snippets about his journey, including his WSOP experience.

Jaggi’s outlook on the mind sport displays a complete understanding of the practicalities of building a bankroll. His mantra of moving on from bad beats shows his maturity. Jaggi started off as many did by playing Zynga poker on Facebook, but clearly he has come a long way since. Read the excerpts here.

When and how did you first discover poker?

I came across poker in 2012 with Zynga poker on FaceBook.

What inspired you to continue playing poker?

My love for cards inspired me continue playing poker

Please share your experience playing the Wynn Summer Classic NLHE $1 Million Guarantee event.

I had a great time playing the Wynn $1 Million GTD event, I chipped up pretty quickly on Day 1 but lost a few pots at the end, came back with 22 big blinds on Day 2. I lost a few hands in the beginning and was down to 7 big blinds on the bubble. After the bubble burst, I doubled up twice and started opening my range. Soon I chipped up to the tournament average and knew I could have a good run. When the event was down to 22 players, I busted 3 players and was among the top stacks.

I entered the nine-handed final table being 7^th in chips but two people busted in the first 3 hands. Then a huge hand developed between two big stacks and one was knocked out. I finally picked up pocket nines and shoved my 16 big blind stack from middle position and got called by hi-jack who had pocket queens.

Any key hands/takeaways from the Wynn Summer Classic deep run?

Yes, when I lost a huge pot 3-way all in with 11 left. I had pocket kings and another big stack had pocket aces and small stack had pocket queens! The shortest stack busted and I was down to 40% of my stack. That hand changed everything.

How do you prepare yourself for a tournament?

Before a tournament, I like to get proper sleep, get ready and stay relaxed. I don’t like to rush into anything, be it an event or a cash game. Event for the Main Event, I tried to get maximum rest before the event.

What is your best memory at a poker table?

It is a latest one that I had in Golden Nuggets. An uncle had a small car in front of his stack, when he had to go all in he would first send the car rolling in and then announce all in. That was just funny.

How do you manage variance and tilt?

Variance is a part of the game, so if you keep playing within your bankroll, variance won’t be that big an issue. Reduce your buy-ins a little when on a major downswing, take some breaks and similarly when tilted don’t play at that time. Just cool your mind and it will all pass.

What are the most outrageous things you have said to get out of a date/social obligation to play poker?

I said I have an office meeting.

What are your plans for the rest of the summer. Any set goals?

I want to play as many tournaments as possible and hopefully ship something.

Any parting words or anything you would like to add?

WSOP is a great experience. The taxes are bad but still the experience is awesome.

Jaggi signs off!

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