The last few years have seen exponential growth for online poker, and in that time, a lot of fresh blood has been infused into the industry. With the pandemic at large, several promising players turned to poker as a full-time profession, taking leave of the more conventional path. Among them was one Anmol Mehta.

27-year-old Anmol Mehta started playing poker full-time a little over two years ago, leaving behind a more secure career as a lawyer – a legacy that has been running in his family for three generations. And what a successful decision that has been!

In the short time that he has played the game seriously, Mehta has already accumulated over ₹5 Crores in online MTT winnings with an impressive profit graph!

Entering the ₹5 Crore Club

Mehta started playing poker full-time in December 2019. The MTT pro started out slow, but it took him a little over two years to cross the ₹5 Crores benchmark in online winnings. For someone acutely aware that cashes alone mean little, Mehta boasts an impressive ₹2+ Crores in net profits. While this is a commendable achievement, the lawyer-turned poker pro played it down modestly.

“I have thought about it, but it’s not like a big achievement per se because you can have like ₹10-₹15 Crores in cashes still be not a profitable player. It does matter in terms of being there in the game, playing competitively for a period of time. So, in terms of that, just keeping a score, etc. It definitely means something in terms of longevity. Having said that, it’s been a long journey. It took a while to get my first few scores. The last eight months were frugal for me as well. So, it’s been a long, tough journey but at the same time very-very rewarding.”

Working on His Game and the Strive to Improve

A strickler for constant improvement, Mehta displays maturity beyond his age. Talking about how he works on getting better at his craft, Mehta revealed, “It’s sort of like the most GTO answer that most poker players give that is ‘Trust the process, stick to the routine.’ So, that’s probably helped me. We as poker players have to be grateful that during this pandemic, so many people have lost their jobs. We are still competing in the virtual world. We have something to look forward to. So, we have to be very grateful for that. And that’s what kept me going. That motivated me to get up every single day. Stick to my study routine. Do my meditation. I practice Buddhism as well. That has helped me a lot with my mindset. With poker being a mind sport, you have to be ready to have your mindset on top to go through those tough phases, which I have gone through quite a few times. So, that kept me going. And at the end, of course, the love for the game. I have always wanted to improve my craft. There is so much to learn. Every single day when I play a session, I make probably 20 to 30 mistakes. So, there is a lot to learn; it’s a huge long journey ahead. So, that keeps me inspired because the game is so complex that you keep wanting to know more.”

Leaving the Family Legacy For Poker

Coming from a family of three generations of lawyers, choosing poker for a career wasn’t an easy decision to make for Mehta. After completing his B.A.LLB from Jindal Global Law School, Mehta worked as a lawyer for two years before deciding to walk on the road less taken.

If choosing poker as a full-time profession is a difficult choice to make, then informing one’s family (especially in a relatively conservative country like India) of the decision is, perhaps, even more nerve-wracking. However, the pandemic provided him with the window of opportunity he needed to convince his family to give his poker aspirations a chance.

“Well, I haven’t been so successful that you say, but like a little bit of success that I’ve had, of course, it helps. In the beginning, when I told them, first of all, it took a lot of courage. For an Indian, you know, a kid to tell his parents that you want to do something that is completely non-mainstream, it took me a lot of courage to sit them down and actually tell them that ‘The pandemic is here. Let me pursue this full-time for at least six months. If the results are there, if I’m feeling fulfilled, if I’m feeling satisfied, then you’ll see it yourself.’”

“They’re much happier today than they were two years ago because I was very unhappy in my previous gig as a lawyer. So, they’ve reacted very positively. They’re actually my sources of strength more than a critique. So, they’re always backing me up in the morning, asking me how was the session last night, do you need any help with food at night, what’s happening. My dad gives me a lot of pep talks whenever things are not going my way, and they’re my strongest pillars of strength and support, including my sister as well. So yeah, it’s been great.”

Advice For Beginners

Having made it so far entirely by himself, Mehta, like many of his peers, has personally experienced the high and lows of playing poker professionally. And he had some excellent advice to share for beginners.

“For players who are beginning to take this game very seriously, I would definitely recommend training courses. Online training courses because books tend to get outdated so I get asked this question a lot that you know what is it that we start off with. There’s a lot of free content even if you don’t want to pay for anything if you don’t have a big bankroll to purchase a course. There’s so much stuff on YouTube or Raise Your Edge. Then there’s Run It Once and Upswing Poker.”

“There’s so much more than you can keep learning that if you and you sort of have to connect to the coach that you’re actually studying with. Whether it’s one-on-one or through a training course, you have to have a connection with that person. If you do not understand what he’s saying and apply it in your own game, it will not help you out. So, you have to see what works for you. For some people, it might be doing a daily quiz. You know there are so many quiz software like Pairrd or DTO, you know, so there’s so for some people that might work. For some people watching training videos might work. Recently I’ve started working a lot with Solvers like PioSolver, ICMIZER.”

“I, for one, when I started out, I did not have you know anyone to reach out to, and you just have to sort of let your ego go. I just randomly reached out to the likes of Nishant Sharma, Sriharsha (Doddapaneni), and they were so kind enough to actually help me out with the spots, and they didn’t need to do it. But they still did it.”

Big Plans to Play More Live MTTs

Since Mehta started to take poker seriously around the time the lockdown hit, his exposure to live poker has been limited. Predictably, he is very excited about live MTTs returning to Goa with the Baazi Poker Tour later this month.

“I’ve been looking forward to this one for a very, very long time. There was also a lift in the lockdown in the middle, and there were some series that happened, but I couldn’t make it. So, this one will be like you know, after 2020, I believe January when you have the IPC (India Poker Championship) and BPT. So, I was there for that. So, this will be like a long time coming, I guess two years and you know a few months, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve made so many friends virtually last few years since I started playing the game. I’ve made so many poker friends virtually. So, I’m really looking forward to interacting with them physically because I feel like I know them, but I’ve never chilled with them.”

WSOP Plans

Unlike many players who must be itching to make their way to Las Vegas in the summer to participate in the world’s biggest poker festival, Mehta feels he is not yet ready to take the plunge.

“Of course, like every poker player will tell you that it’s the dream to go to Vegas. Fighting it out for that bracelet. But right now, I don’t feel I’m ready this year to actually go to Vegas, and also, because of the pandemic, I don’t know how the situation will pan out and the visa issues, etc. This year I may not be traveling to Vegas, but definitely, I’m looking forward to other domestic ones like the BPT coming and, of course, the Asian circuit as well. Even in the Asian circuit and there are any series, I’m definitely looking forward to traveling for those ones. Because last two years we’ve literally just been clicking buttons.”

Views on the Evolving Poker Landscape

Talking about how the poker scene has evolved in the country, Mehta mentioned the transparency now offered by the online poker sites has helped with the legitimacy of the game. He particularly mentioned the featured final tables, especially how seeing the hole cards of the players has added more transparency to online poker.

“The game has sort of grown a lot; it’s growing especially in the pandemic in the virtual world. The operators are making that effort to cater to larger players, for example, featuring hole cards. Just showcasing what it is for a pro to play the game or how a reg you know approaches the game. When I started off, I was always on the defensive. I still get these questions a lot that are these websites legitimate. If you’re playing, are you being cheated? So, having that sort of clarity and transparency and seeing the best of the best play on the final table with their hole cards up, I think that’s been one of the more important changes that have been brought, and that’s brought in more players as well.”

But it is not all bed of roses. Mehta also pointed out some leaks in the industry that he feels need to be addressed by the operators.

“There are quite a few things that need to change from the operator side, like addressing the problems of players on a speedy basis. That’s, I think, one change that needs to be brought about because you might like to have an urgent issue while you’re playing a major tournament, but you’re not supposed to write an email that time and then expect an answer after 24 hours. If there’s a certain helpline number or some speedier disposal of these issues, that will go a long way in attracting more and more players as well to the game.”

Mehta wrapped up the chat by praising our work, and we are grateful to him for his kind words.

“It’s non-stop for you guys. Sometimes I just see that one player has won a tournament, and it’s already been published on the Facebook groups. So, it’s literally non-stop for you guys. But that’s amazing, and you guys have been doing a really good job bringing all the information at such speed and finesse. It’s amazing to watch, and it definitely inspired a lot of players to come into the industry and look at it in the right light. Because this industry hasn’t been seen in the right light. So, it’s very important to showcase it in the right way.”

Well, kudos to Anmol, and we hope to be chatting with him soon for crossing the ₹6 Crore milestone.