Young Gun of Poker: Akash Malik

Delhi based 32-year-old Akash Malik (cover image) had his first brush with poker in the US in 2005 and is unabashedly frank about how he learnt the skill. Unlike many who got to learn the skill through Facebook or books or media, Akash is one of those who learnt poker sheerly by playing it and he advocates practice saying, “There is no better way of learning anything in life than to practice”.

The high stakes cash game player has studied undergrad Business Administration, with marketing as his major and economics as his minor at St. Mary’s, Texas. His hobbies include sports, travel and movies.

This easygoing, extensive traveler, transited from cash games to tournaments, for the glory and high that these provide. Though, he admits that cash games are where good players can make money and professes his love for both formats.

An entrepreneur, Akash runs his own commodity trading company. He confesses that he can indulge in his poker passion, only on weekends, due to work commitments.

After his return to India in 2006, Akash once again played poker, but at a home game, which paved the way for his future poker journey. The sojourn from then to now is no small feat and Akash credits his parents for their unflinching support for anything he dabbles in, including poker.

Akash tasted his first live tournament success in poker, way back in 2010, at the India Poker Championship in an ₹10k freezeout event, where he claimed the title and winnings of ₹2,70,000.

The subsequent years of 2011 and 2012 saw him continuing to collect two more 1^st place finishes, both at the APT Goa series. In 2012, he also took a 2^nd place finish in the ₹7K Bounty PokerGuru Tour for ₹1,00,000.

Akash was basically a cash games player, who wandered into the tournament circuit and has now become a regular on the Asian tournament circuit.

He made it to 5^th position in the HK$ 11,000 NLH Red Dragon Main Event at Macau in Jan 2014, bringing home $55,451. He again took a 5^th place, this time in Aug 2014 at the Macau HK$ 4,000 No Limit Hold’em – Team Event.

No stranger to western tournaments, Akash made a stir in June 2013, when he sailed through 535 players, to fight a heads up match with Richard Blanchar, finally finishing 2^nd with a prize of $33,708 in the Venetian Deep Extravaganza III in Las Vegas. He again notched up another credit in the $500 No Limit Hold’em at the Deep Stack Extravaganza III, Las Vegas, collecting $18,587 for a 3^rd place finish.

In recent years, Akash spread his wings to online tournaments, playing under the moniker, “proFISHnal”.

He made 5^th place at the PokerStars Sunday Million in January 2013, marking up his biggest payday to date. A successful March 2013, caught him making two more great finishes – 7th and 3rd in the Super Tuesday and $215 Rebuy events.

Akash has several big-field tournament wins to his credit and has grossed more than $350,000 in online MTT cashes till date.

An extremely candid Akash, is objective while analyzing his performance at WSOP this year and the fame that high profile wins attract. He recommends start-up players visit Macau, before graduating to the mega-event of WSOP.

Akash sums up his current dreams – “Making it to the November Nine and Travelling the world”!

We wish the suave pro fulfills all his dreams and has a wonderful life ahead!

Here, we reproduce our tete-a-tete with him, about his unique poker journey…

Hi Akash, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. You have been around in the Indian poker circuit for quite some time now. When and how did you get started in poker?

The first time I played poker was in 2005, in Shreveport Louisiana at The Horse Shoe Casino and I still remember it was a 100-dollar minimum buy in, 50 cent 1 dollar blinds and I didn’t even know the hand rankings at that point in time. Fortunately, I won the bad beat jackpot for the day, as my quads lost to a straight flush and I got 1,250 dollars. I used to live in Dallas, Texas at that time. After that, I didn’t play again in America. I moved back to India in 2006 for good and one day my friend randomly invited me for a home game in Delhi, which was a 3,000-rupee buy in and the rest is history.

What was your bankroll when you first began?

When I first began, I didn’t know what bank roll even meant, so no I didn’t have a bankroll at all.

Describe your poker journey right from the start. How did you train for the game, any mentorship, videos or books that helped your game?

Believe it or not, I have never ever read any book on poker or seen any coaching videos ever. I believe the best way to learn is to actually play the game, so I put in as many hours as I could playing the game. There is no better way of learning anything in life than to practice. Also talking to experienced players about hands and real life poker situations has helped me a lot.

Were you a winning player since the start, or you had to face your share of struggles?

Let me just put it this way that poker has been good to me till date.

What has been your biggest influence in poker?

The biggest influence has been my parents, just because they have always been super supportive, no matter what I have decided to do in my life.

You were primarily a cash game player, when and why did you decide to switch to tournaments? On hindsight, do you think it was a wise decision?

Yes, I was primarily a cash game player, but the first tournament I ever played in Goa I won and that is how I got started. The thrill of winning a tournament is far more than winning all the money in the world in cash games, but on the flip side only one person goes home happy from a tournament so most often than not you end up being disappointed. I still love both formats of the game, but since I started my business a few years back, I haven’t been able to put a lot of time in cash games. Tournament variance is a lot, so its not very easy to deal with, as compared to cash games, where a good player more often than not will win, so I am not sure myself if it was a wise decision.

Do you play online, and if so, which is your preferred site and why?

I only play tournaments online and on PokerStars for obvious reasons, but mostly on Sundays because the guarantees are a lot more than usual on Sundays. Also sometimes, if something special is going on at full tilt (Full Tilt Poker) then I would play on full tilt as well.

What is your general online schedule? Is it more weekends centric? How does your standard week look like (both live and online poker wise)?

Like I said, as far as tournaments go, I only play Sundays unless WCOOP or something special is on during the week. I used to play cash all the time but in the past one year, I haven’t been playing much at all because of work.

With your 5th place finish at the MPC Red Dragon Main Event earlier this year, do you think your game has evolved over time? Do you think a final table at a major international series has gained you respect at the tables?

Of course, I think I have evolved as a tournament player, the more you play and practice the better you get. Also playing internationally, in big fields and with some really good players gives you invaluable experience. Well I don’t think I am recognized at the tables because of my 5th place MPC finish, so no, its not like coming 5th in the main event of the WSOP.

Was this your first WSOP outing this year? How was the experience?

This year was my 2nd outing at the WSOP and I didn’t do well at all. But, sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. Last year was much better as I shipped 2 tournaments at the Venetian or I should rather say I chopped 2 tournaments. But still, WSOP is always an amazing learning experience and there is never a dull moment in the sin city.

What in your opinion is a better platform in terms of value for Indian poker players – WSOP or Macau?

Well the fields are huge at the WSOP, as compared to Macau, so inexperienced players should probably start in Macau and then gradually once they gain more experience, give WSOP a shot.