Heads-Up With Avish Sharma – Winner of Spartan Poker’s Sunday Superstack

Avish Sharma
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  • Attreyee Khasnabis February 19, 2022

In the absence of any flagship series, this past Sunday was perhaps one of the most muted ones we`ve seen this year. However, that didn`t stop Avish Sharma from making a splash. The 36-year-old lawyer from Jammu outran a 314-strong field in Spartan Poker’s ₹35 Lakhs GTD Sunday Superstack, banking the week`s single-largest score worth ₹8.40 Lakhs and his second-best career finish.

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It`s been a breakout start to 2022 for Sharma, as only a few weeks ago, he chopped the PokerBaazi Classics Game Changer three-way for a career-best ₹19.40 Lakhs.

Sharma has been playing poker since 2015. A close look at his online poker scorecard reveals his penchant for Turbo events. He`s won an impressive 13 Turbo events on PokerBaazi alongside other marquees like the BSS SuperStack, PPL#27 M.E. Warm-Up, The Summit, and The Endeavour.

 

Blockbuster Start in 2022

We have just about crossed the mid-way mark in February, and Sharma has already banked two breakout scores. While his Sunday Superstack victory was just about a week ago, he also placed third in PokerBaazi’s PBC#7 Game Changer last month for a career-best ₹19.40 Lakhs

Avish Sharma
Avish Sharma

 

Talking about his recent successes, Sharma said, “It’s amazing. I am happy. Overwhelming. But most importantly, you get the feeling of contentment and satisfaction that you are good. You are playing your A-game, and when you get rewarded, you feel that sense of satisfaction and achievement.”

Recapping his Sunday run, he recounted, “For the initial three-four hours, I was just thinking everybody is bluffing me. So, it was new learning. Sometimes it’s good to be bluffed. You have to lay down the hands. So, that’s how it went the initial few hours. And then there was a hand where I made a clubs flush on the river, and I went for max value with all-in. The villain called with just a pair. He should not have done that. On the final table, when three or four players were left, it went on for like two hours. At that time, I kept my patience, and that was rewarded. So, yes, it was a good run.”

 

Introduction to Poker

Like many other poker players, Sharma picked up the game in college. After completing his schooling in Jammu, he moved to Pune to pursue his law degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University. It’s here that the poker bug bit him. As Sharma recalls, “Seven years ago, 2015, one of my friends introduced me to poker. At that time, there used to be only PokerStars (international). He came from the US, and there everybody is hooked to poker. So, he introduced me, and we started from there and just kept on going.”

 

Secret of Success

With almost ₹95 Lakhs in tracked online winnings and over a third of that in net profits, it would be safe to say Sharma knows what he`s doing when on the MTT grind.

Avish Sharma - Total Profit Graph
Avish Sharma – Total Profit Graph

 

Sharing his mantra for success, he said, “Now, I can assess that situation well. If you have to be a good player, in poker you need to shift gears. That is very important. I have probably now understood when to shift gears, assess the situation, change the game, and be more patient. That also works out. Keep on thinking and improving the game. That is the secret,” he shared.

 

Work-Life Balance

Sharma worked in law firms in Pune for almost three years after completing his degree as a full-time lawyer. Later, he launched his law firm, ‘Prodigy Legal,‘ all by himself and his trusty laptop. He has a good team of associates working for him remotely for the time being due to the pandemic. His law firm specializes in intellectual property law, business law, patents, trademarks, copyrights, disputes, advisory, etc.

Given his demanding legal career, it’s hardly surprising to see Sharma put in most of his poker volume during the weekends. Confirming the same, Sharma said, “That is because of the workload. Being a lawyer, we usually have work and go to court during the weekdays. And weekends, like Saturday and Sundays, are off. I do play other times whenever there is a holiday. Sometimes even on weekdays when there is nothing the next day. The problem is that the games go pretty late.

They end quite late. If you are busting out early, fair enough, you can go and sleep. But if you are running deep, then you have to consider staying up till 4-5 in the morning. So, a suggestion to the sites is that maybe they should start a little earlier, say 7 (PM). By then, everyone is done with their office. Especially on Sundays. On Sundays, something major should start somewhere around 4-5 (PM) and could end at around 12 (PM) to 1-2 (AM).”

 

Sports Background and Poker

Sharma always had a keen interest in sports, and many skill sets that he acquired playing skill games like chess and snooker translated well into poker. Elaborating on this, he shared, “I have been a sportsperson, and I believe that coming from a sports background really helps you in poker. I love playing and still play football. I play snooker and am very good at it. I have played cricket and chess. Probably my love for chess drew me to poker. Also snooker. A lot of players who play snooker also play poker. Because these mind games require you to keep a lot of focus for a good amount of time, those attributes are also required in poker. You have to be focused, play your A-game – concentration has to be there. So, I think coming from a sports background makes me like poker more.”

 

Advice to New Players

Sharing his 2 cents for budding players, Sharma says, “When someone plays a lot, they get exhausted. I believe that players should give themselves time to rest, so then they can play their A-game.”

Another piece of advice that Sharma shared is that there is no free money in the game. He says, “You have to put in time and effort. You have to invest your energy in learning the intricacies of the game. As the saying goes – It takes a minute to learn poker, and it takes a lifetime to master it. There are a lot of aspects like science, patience, gear shifting, bankroll management that you have to learn in order to get better at the game.”

 

Poker Goals

Sharma’s poker goals, while ambitious, are also probably something every player desires, i.e., to win every tournament they play. Talking about them, he shared, “Keep playing recreationally and probably winning as much as possible. Every tournament I play, I want to win it,” he said.

He also wants to play more live tournaments. With the live MTT scene gradually opening up, maybe his goal will be accomplished soon. “I want to go live and play. I have been to Goa just once. I have played there at the inaugural Baazi Poker Tour (BPT). I think I finished third in that. So, I want to play live more, both Indian and international circuits. Try them out. Prove that we are good at poker. Make India proud.”

A big shoutout to Avish Sharma on his applause-worthy wins!

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