Heads-Up With PokerGuru Ambassador Ashish Ahuja – Winner of MPL Poker’s IPF ₹1 Crore GTD Main Event

CHAMPIONS SPEAK WITH IPF MAIN EVENT ASHISH AHUJA
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  • Arpit Jain June 16, 2022

Speaking to us in this Champion’s Speak interview is our PokerGuru Ambassador, Ashish Ahuja! While Ahuja`s poker resume is loaded with breakout scores, the MTT pro recently added another major title to his name after taking down MPL Poker’s inaugural India Poker Festival Main Event title. Ahuja outran a 1,153 entry-field to claim a hefty ₹17 Lakhs payday.

 

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Ranked #4 in annual winnings, Ahuja needs no introduction. He is one of six players on our tracked database with over ₹10 Crores in tracked online winnings and has earned the reputation of being one of the most consistent winners in the circuit.

Ashish Ahuja
Ashish Ahuja

 

 

Ahuja has been playing poker for almost a decade, and his poker prowess is no secret. The former lawyer was among the first batch of players to be mentored by India’s poker superstar Aditya Agarwal at PokerGuru Staking.

Aditya Agarwal
Aditya Agarwal

 

Here are excerpts of the interview:

 

Afterthoughts of Winning the IPF Main Event

Talking about his IPF Main Event run, Ahuja recalled, “I really enjoyed playing the IPF series because it’s a new one launched by MPL, and I was excited to see how it is. I even won the Main Event. I just wanted to see how the software is, and winning the event, it’s like a cherry on top.”

 

Playing Against Unknown IDs on MPL Poker

With MPL Poker being relatively new for the MTT regs, it was no surprise that most of the field was full of unknown usernames. Elaborating on this, Ahuja shared, “Right now, everyone knows everyone, and playing on a new site where you don’t know which player is which ID, that had an element of surprise for sure. Back in the day, poker was played like this only right. We really didn’t know who your opponent was, and it was a good experience.”

Further elaborating, Ahuja added, “Even I had the edge over this face because people don’t know that I am playing from this ID, right.”

 

The Standout Hand From His IPF Main Event Run

Recalling a standout hand in the Main Event, Ahuja mentioned how he got a massive double-up with four tables left when he got dealt pocket aces against pocket queens. He said, “After that, it was pretty smooth sailing because I had the chip lead. When the final two tables were remaining, I lost a hand with pocket queens, but I had such a chip lead that it didn’t affect me.”

 

Epic Hand on the Final Table

Entering the final table with a commanding chip lead, Ahuja applied maximum pressure on his opponents. However, after one specific hand, Ahuja had no choice but to feel bad for the opponent. Recalling the hand, Ahuja said, “I had opened from the cut-off, and opponent defended the big blind. The flop came with one spade, and the opponent checked, I bet, opponent check-raised, and I called. She was pretty shallow and had eight bigs at the start of the hand with, and turn was . She had 3-4 big blinds left behind. She jams, and I call. She shows . She had nothing on the flop, she just check-raised me and got there on the turn, but I clipped on the river. (chuckles).”

 

Views on MPL Poker Doling Out Massive GTD Events

Sharing his views on MPL Poker taking a significant leap as a mainstream MTT site with the IPF, Ahuja said, “I am pretty excited because the more, the merrier, right! (chuckles). And yes, I really liked playing on MPL; they are trying to change the market. They are getting new tournaments, new series like IPF with huge GTDs, and I want to give a shoutout to them for starting their first tournament series with a huge prize pool, and it was a huge success for them.”

“And it’s better for other poker operators too because now, other poker operators cannot take it easy right because now they can see that MPL Poker is also trying to get in the game,” he added.

 

Playing Live Poker After the Pandemic

With live MTTs back with a bang after a prolonged hiatus after the lockdown, Ahuja couldn`t be happier to make the most of the opportunity. Stating as much, he said, “Ohh, I was dying to play live, man. I am really happy that live poker series are back in action. The last three months have been pretty hectic for me, but I am also excited because I was dying to play live.”

 

2022 WSOP Plans

Ahuja had made a strong impression in his first WSOP outing in 2019. Sharing his plans for attending the ongoing 2022 WSOP, Ahuja said, “Ohh, I miss Vegas, man. Hopefully, I get my visa in time so that I can make it for the World Series this time, and the Indians are going in numbers this time because everyone has been waiting to play live. Our main man, the pioneer of poker in India, Aditya Agarwal, has already made a mark, he has already made a final table in Event 3 of the World Series, and I am really happy that it’s been a good start for the series for him. Big shoutout to him, and hopefully, the entire Indian contingent does well this time, and we can add 3-4 bracelets.”

 

Plans For the Rest of 2022

Ahuja already has a lot of poker travel planned for the rest of the year and said, “I really want to travel more this year. There are a lot of events happening in Asia this year, so I hope I can make it to WPT Cambodia and APPT Manila. I think I am going to be on the move this year.”

It’s always a delight to speak to one of our more decorated ambassadors, and we can’t wait for Ashish Ahuja to win more such events, both live and online!

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