Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
India

Indian-Origin Canadian Player Shyam Srinivasan Among Contenders At Poker Tournament

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Jan, 2019 02:04 AM

    An Indian-origin professional poker player is among the top contenders in the Pokerstars tournament here, even as the top winning price goes up to Rs 36 crore ($5.1 million), helped by new players who joined in till noon on Tuesday -- the cut-off time.


    Shyam Srinivasan, a Canadian citizen born in Toronto with parents from Chennai and Bengaluru, is still among the top players, even as 215 players are left in the fray, after being in the top six on Sunday.


    His stack, though, had come down, after going up four-fold on the first day against the starting chips of $60,000.


    Other Indians or persons of Indian origin are way behind in the tournament which boasts of having one of largest stakes and the highest number of players among such global events.


    The tournament is being held here at the Atlantis hotel.


    Some of the original entrants were eliminated on day two, but others cannot be written off as it's still early in the game.


    A total of 1,039 players entered the $25,000 buy-in level, raising the total pool money to $26.45 million. The winner gets around 15 per cent of this with an extra million thrown in by Pokerstar as incentive.


    The rest of the money would be shared by players till number 181 - the last 27 just about getting back the entry money.


    There will be six who would become millionaires, apart from the winner.


    "I am just aiming for the top. There is no other goal," Srinivasan, who has played in several global poker tournaments, told this IANS correspondent during a break.


    He stood 6th in 2014, 10th in 2016 and 25th in a $25,000 buy-in tournament in 2017.


    He said that unless you aim for the top you would end up nowhere.


    "Even if you fail in achieving that level, you would get some measure of success on the way up", the 37-year-old said, adding that it was important for poker players to look after their physical and mental health because tournaments like the one in the Bahamas, spread over five whole days, can take a toll on the best.


    A golf player, Srinivasan started playing cash games about 13 years ago and then moved on to online games, something which most players do in the reverse order. He says he has been one of the most successful online players, having made at least $10 million over the years. Even in sit-down cash games, he has won around $2 million.


    He said one needs to adopt several good habits to be a good player -- like self-awareness, shunning ego and arrogance, being humble and checking all the time where one went wrong.


    Srinivasan said his game in the last two days have been "quite smooth" with some of his best hands holding till the last and some of his bluffs going through.


    "I played a fundamentally sound game," he added.


    He said he had done well for himself in poker because several good players had held his hand when he was learning the professional ropes.


    In turn now, he's mentoring several youngsters in the game, one of whom had gone on to become famous on the poker circuit. He has not been to India in the last 20 years but would like to visit his home country this year, "since I heard that poker has become very important there".

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Rahul Gandhi My Captain: Navjot Sidhu’s Dig At Capt Amarinder Singh Over Pakistan Visit

    Rahul Gandhi My Captain: Navjot Sidhu’s Dig At Capt Amarinder Singh Over Pakistan Visit
      Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said it was Congress President Rahul Gandhi who sent him to Pakistan to attend ground breaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor.

    Rahul Gandhi My Captain: Navjot Sidhu’s Dig At Capt Amarinder Singh Over Pakistan Visit

    Indian Government To Bring Bill To Prevent NRI Husbands From Abandoning Their Wives

    Indian Government To Bring Bill To Prevent NRI Husbands From Abandoning Their Wives
    The government would bring a bill in the coming winter session of the Parliament as part of its efforts to check the menace of NRI husbands abandoning their wives, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.

    Indian Government To Bring Bill To Prevent NRI Husbands From Abandoning Their Wives

    Navjot Sidhu Returns From Pakistan; Makes Light Of His Photo With Pro-Khalistan Activist

    Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu returned from Pakistan on Thursday and played down his photographs with pro-Khalistan elements which went viral during his three-day trip to the neighbouring country.

    Navjot Sidhu Returns From Pakistan; Makes Light Of His Photo With Pro-Khalistan Activist

    1984 Massacre Show How Law And Order Machinery Broke Down: Delhi High Court

    1984 Massacre Show How Law And Order Machinery Broke Down: Delhi High Court
    Justice RK Gauba said the civil administration did not take timely or effective action to prevent the riotous conditions from spiraling out of hand, the criminal law process was slow and delayed and it all led to such matters continuing to linger in courts.

    1984 Massacre Show How Law And Order Machinery Broke Down: Delhi High Court

    Fight Will Continue: Tej Pratap After Divorce Hearing Gets Deferred

    Fight Will Continue: Tej Pratap After Divorce Hearing Gets Deferred
    Tej Pratap Yadav, away from Patna ever since he filed the petition on November 3, arrived at the court minutes ahead of the commencement of hearing.

    Fight Will Continue: Tej Pratap After Divorce Hearing Gets Deferred

    On Pak PM's Offer Of Opening Temples To Indians, Mehbooba Mufti's Reply

    Mehbooba Mufti's tweet came in response to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's interaction with Indian journalists, in which he reportedly said, "We can consider other proposals, including opening up travel for the Sharada Peeth in Kashmir, Katasraj and other Hindu shrines too."

    On Pak PM's Offer Of Opening Temples To Indians, Mehbooba Mufti's Reply