IOPC 11th Edition - A Virtual

IOPC 11th Edition - A Virtual Poker Coachella

The 11th edition of IOPC returned, bigger and bolder, in July 2021 with a colossal prize pool of � 30 Crores. The #MissionKhazana themed edition saw some valued treasures being won by poker players from every nook and corner of India. We took a quick sneak peek into what went behind the scenes of IOPC July 2021’s treasure hunt.

By Manthra Koliyer

ndia Online Poker Championship

I(IOPC) is like a coachella for poker. I draw this analogy mainly because IOPC holds a rigid history/position in the

Indian poker fraternity, awaken your inner self, and ignites the passion for playing and winning.

The series started as India Poker

Championship (IPC) in December 2010 aboard Casino Royale in Goa, and is the longest-running live tournament brand in the country.

As times changed, digitisation grew, and as COVID-19 decided to pay a visit, IPC transitioned into IOPC. The series that holds a majestic legacy offers crores in guarantees and an opportunity for poker players from every nook and corner to get recognition in the country.

IOPC 2021: The story so far!

The 11th edition of IOPC returned in July 2021 with a colossal prize pool of `30 Crore. The glorious tournament series witnessed 140 tournaments being played, along with some magnificent giveaways like distinguished badges, prizes, and a highly coveted diamondstudded 18K gold crown.

Bigger and bolder, IOPC 2021 was not just about hefty prize pools; prestigious gold and silver badges were on offer.

#MissionKhazana

The theme for IOPC July 2021 edition was #MissionKhazana,

Alicia Faleiro, Creative Director, Spartan Poker

and the championship indeed featured some valuable treasures to be won. The massive treasure hunt was full of adventure, thrill, and action-packed poker games, with poker pros competing for the crown.

The brainchild of Alicia Faleiro, Creative Director, Spartan Poker, this #MissionKhazana theme proved an opportunity for players to experience the joys of playing a treasure hunt even during a pandemic-induced lockdown. She said, “The idea behind coming up with the treasure hunt theme was to add more value to the IOPC 2021 series. It was a team effort. The Creative team at Spartan Poker brought several ideas to the table, and I just weaved them together. We added the map to this treasure hunt theme to add more colors to the mission along with scrolls, gifts, and certificates, which added more value to the series.”

The Hunt for Leaderboard

The first day saw poker coach Abhishek Goindi of Poker Bootcamp India making his mark by shipping Sunday Prime Tournament and leading the leaderboard. However, later, we saw two-time IOPC Leaderboard winners Bhanu Prakash and Anuj Yadav battling it out for the coveted position. However, just like nothing can be predicted in a ‘treasure hunt’, Anuj Yadav, aka ‘tittooTauji,’ topped the z1 crore leaderboard after sweating it out intensively. The leaderboard’s first, second, and third spots were paid `30,00,000, `20,00,000, and `10,00,000, respectively. The last player on the leaderboard (15th position) received an impressive sum of `1,30,000 in prize money.

The Marquee Hunting

Along with daily tournaments, IOPC also conducted six featured tournaments, namely:

• `1 CR GTD Blaze Of Glory

(11th July)

The first tournament, Blaze of Glory, was shipped by Harshad Barve, aka ‘Omglukbox,’ who cashed `16,97,615 in prize money. Barve is one of the pro players who grind recreationally and has previously shipped the APT Highroller (2012), IOPC Elite (2019), and was placed fourth at the IPC Highroller (January 2020), among others.

• `1.5 CR GTD IOPC United

(18th July)

The `1.5 CR GTD IOPC United tournament ended dramatically when Piyush Jain aka ‘jacks_apart’ and Amit Ajwani aka ‘DoctorGTO’ struck a deal. Jain claimed the United title and laughed his way to the bank with `20,72,882. Ajwani took home an impressive sum of `14,08,841 in prize money. However, the highlight and the most talked about part of this tournament was Gaurav Sood, one of India’s top poker pros and Final Table Series 2.0 Kick-Off winner, who was busted at the 5th position with prize money of `6,74,908.

• `1 CR GTD Highroller

(22nd July)

The much-awaited Highroller tournament was shipped by Mohit Bhati aka ‘jacktheripper’, who steadily made his way to the throne amongst the massively celebrated victory. However, the main highlight was how ‘jackthripper’ broke the ultimate IOPC chip leader jinx by being the first player to lead the final table (chip leader) and also go on to win the tournament. Indeed it was a good ‘Bhatti’ Day!

• `1.75 CR GTD Legends

(25th July)

Following suit, Amit Gehani aka ‘Kavipri,’ beat top pros on the IOPC Legends table and yet again broke the chip leader jinx. The Legends was a bloodbath nonetheless, and everyone was waiting for the winner to emerge. This finally proves that the chip leader can crush the final table, too, in every way (twice now, though!). The talk of the show was how Amit Gehani, after sweating it out intensively, beat the top poker pros of India - Abhinav Iyer (WSOP

bracelet winner), Arsh Grover, Sumit Sapra, Rajeev Kumar, and Armaan Kochhar awnd went on to bring home a massive `30,00,510!

• `1.4 CR GTD Super

Highroller (29th July)

The stakes were higher at the IOPC Super Highroller as it is a coveted title to grab. A mystery player called ‘Pradzzz’ took the lead and became the chip leader and as the game unfolded, finally crushed the jinx for the third time and went on to win `35,22,400 at the sought after IOPC Super Highroller title. Veteran Highroller pro, Sriharsha Doddapaneni aka ‘Sygrayem’, who had made history by winning both the IOPC January 2021 Highroller and Super Highroller titles, was busted at the 3rd spot for `15,47,000.

• `3.5 CR GTD The Crown

(1st Aug)

The ultimate title that poker pros fought really hard for! Ultimately it was Vaibhav Temani aka ‘AllinPavBhaji’, who nailed The Crown Main Event. Temani bounced back from his fourth position, in a way nobody expected, to become what many dreams of—IOPC July 2021 champion. The winning title of IOPC July 2021 now sits comfortably in Temani’s kitty along with the gigantic prize money of `57,26,064. Trust us, the final table was no cakewalk, and we are prettyviewerfriendlyuldn’t have it easy as he was up against India’s ‘PokerGuru’ Aditya Agarwal. Despite Agarwal leading with a 10:1 ratio, Temani shipped the much-awaited tournament along with a gold badge, a diamond badge, and a coveted diamond-studded 18K gold crown.

Catching the Hunting Stream Live

The six featured tournaments were live streamed across social media platforms. The flight tournaments paused on the final table on Day1 of each marquee, were resumed the next day, Day 2, and were live streamed for the audience. The IOPC live streams have always been a favourite among poker players, and why not! We had Nikita Luther, Kanchan Sharma, Zarvan Tumboli, Raj Juneja, Goonjan Mall, Siddhanth Kapoor, Aditya Sushant, and Gutshot’s very own commentary veteran Peter Abraham, entertaining and putting us at the edge of the seat throughout the streaming.

Karan Vig, Founder, Hashtag Productions

The Backbone Never Say Never

IOPC partnered with Hashtag Media Productions, run by Sidharth Mishra, Karan Vig, and Sreetama Vig to host live streams. Talking about his experience with IOPC, Harsh Vig said, “IOPC streams are always fun! From the day we started, we have aimed to capture a fresh new audience. With the 11th edition of IOPC, it feels good to get such great turnovers in viewership. This really motivates us to innovate and make the streams more interactive and viewer friendly.” Streaming has changed the way poker is looked at. Karan mentioned, “As a company, we realised that streams offer interactive learning and also increase awareness towards poker as a mind sport. India is a country where several misconceptions have always surrounded poker. With the increasing number of viewer-friendly streams, people have slowly realised that skill is the prevalent factor in winning this game, and it’s not a game of chances. This has inspired many to learn poker and play it.”

The curtains are drawn

IOPC concluded on a very cheerful note and highlighted a seemingly unlikely interplay between the virtual world of poker and the unmeasurable amount of emotions shared by human beings. This included the competition for the radiant crown, with a sense of brotherhood and a whimsical tone at times shared among all players. IOPC turned out to be a festival that celebrated diversity and appreciated the efforts, individual bankrolls, and more compassion, for one another.

Vaibhav Temani A Disguised Poker Maestro

OVID-19 has made

Ceveryone dream, and quite often, of being on a tropical island, sipping Pina Coladas, and unearthing cookie jars! How about adding badges, scrolls, and a treasure chest to your dream! Some may say it is an extravagant dream bonus! But India Online Poker Championship (IOPC) made it all come true with their July 2021 edition of IOPC. The IOPC July 2021 edition theme was #MissionKhazana, and the event saw many industry insiders going, ‘really?’. With jinxes broken and the newbies taking the limelight, IOPC July 2021 was full of surprises and jaw-dropping moments!

The most significant jawdropping moment was when our own ‘PavBhaji’ clinched the crown! A ‘newbie’ they would call him; but this ‘newbie’ warrior fought the biggest poker tournament, went head on head with the biggest names of the Indian poker fraternity, crushed the chip leader, and emerged victorious with flying colours, quite literally, to ship the IOPC July 2021 Main Event.

Make sure you remember the name Vaibhav Temani aka ‘AllinPavBhaji’. We are sure many people will! ‘AllinPavBhaji’ started with just 55 big blinds against poker beast Aditya Agarwal aka ‘Yennefer’, who had a chip lead of 10:1. While all eyes were glued to the screen, clearly expecting ‘Yennefer’ to win, ‘AllinPavBhaji’ meteorically played his superlative ‘A’ game, beating the ‘Sachin Tendulkar of poker’. With a win of whopping �57,26,064, a gold and diamond badge, and a coveted diamond-studded 18K gold crown, Vaibhav Temani, from being our favourite ‘PavBhaji’ went on to become the ultimate treasure hunter!

Temani’s gameplay began with the commentators exclaiming, ‘Oh! He opened,’ with discussions about his username, which were afloat until he spread his wings and took it all in his stride.

As we caught up with Temani on a Zoom Call, the one thing that struck a chord was his humbleness! It was quite insightful to watch the ‘Golden Man of the Hour’ speak about his achievements, the final moment on the Final Table, and how he is taking it all in one at a time.

A big congratulations on shipping the IOPC Main Event. How is the feeling of shipping the biggest marquee shipping India’s biggest poker tournament?

The initial week was extremely exciting, but I am now trying to get back to the routine as the excitement is waning. I have taken a break from the game. I am in my hometown, Jaipur, until the month-end, after which I will get back to the grind.

What were you gunning for the title, crown, or the prize money?

It was the prize money owing to its enormous value. Of course, it is terrific to have everything, but honestly, I went for the huge prize money.

As the IOPC July 2021 Main Event winner, has your perspective towards the game changed in any way?

No! The perspective has not at all changed. This is mainly because there is a very strong feeling at the back of my mind that this is just one tournament, though big. My skill level remains the same before and after the tournament.

I did not have a consistent result with my game before the event. So, I cannot expect anything to change. I am much motivated to study and go back to grinding. Once

I have understood all of it, the subsequent result of all those studies will reflect in my gameplay.

Tell us a little about how you transitioned yourself into the game.

The transition into the game and the change that happened in my gameplay were gradual. There were lots of ups and downs, but thankfully nothing was a steep one. I even happened to bust my bankroll once. But then I decided to push myself to study harder and kept on pursuing the game.

You went up against Aditya Agarwal! How was the overall feeling? How did you make sure to keep your mindset or confidence intact! Were there butterflies in your stomach?

A little backdrop to that. I was speaking to a few people about the FT. So the people I spoke with asked me to consider this to be any other poker tournament. They asked me not to get overwhelmed by the prize money but just play my usual game. I went onto the Final Table with that in mind and put the same into practice on the Main Event FT. Only after the tournament got done, I understood that I was against Agarwal.

In an interview, you had mentioned that once

“There may be a 20% chance that my decisions might fail, but again, there is a remaining 80% chance it may work. This sort of understanding the odds and variance comes through poker.

you started working in Bengaluru, you started grinding online. What is your daily poker scene in Bengaluru like?

The live poker scene in Bengaluru is not something I am aware of, as I don’t play live. However, to summarise my daily routine - I get up in the morning, do my usual stuff, study, read, and watch poker content. By evening 7 PM, which is the prime time, the major MTTs start, and the grinding lasts till 12-2 AM, 3 AM, or 4 AM.

You have been playing poker for a few years now. How has the experience in the game shaped the way you think or take other life decisions?

Definitely shaped my life! Poker teaches you to start thinking in bits. Suppose I am thinking of investing, I begin to think of the upsides and downsides and the particular odds I face. I start calculating if I have enough upsides as compared to downsides. Be it investing or general decisions, poker teaches you to bear the short-term outcomes. I think having faith and keep investing and trusting yourself is what poker teaches you.

You can think through all possible outcomes, risks, and the gamut of outcomes that can occur. So, you devise a plan in mind based on what the likely outcome might be. In the long run, thinking of the outcomes, variance, and more will help our life in place. There may be a 20% chance that my decisions might fail, but again, there is a remaining 80% chance it may work. So understanding this sort of variance comes through poker and its study.

Usually, when something works out for us, we believe that ‘something’ is good based on hindsight. What poker teaches you is to not take much from hindsight but during the process that took place. The process teaches you to think logically during that particular time when something is underway and not after it is over. With the help of poker, you understand that the outcomes smoothen out rather than getting volatile.

Does the game empower you in any manner?

Poker gives you free time and flexibility. By teaching you the pros and cons of your decisions, poker gives you a sense of entrepreneurship that makes you the boss of your life.

Do you have any mentors in the Indian poker circuit? You mentioned bonding with Goonjan Mall and Anant Purohit.

Our bonding started through a WhatsApp group where we talked about hand history, tournaments, results, and other poker-related stuff. This was at a time during the pandemic when I had taken MTTs seriously and started playing more intensely. It was and is very tough to learn and improve on your own in poker.

We believe this is exactly how Temani got up the next day of the FT grind - with such a big grin on his face!

It would be best if you had a bit of assistance. So, we have this group, where I reach out to the players from time to time to discuss.

Are there any instances where you felt you should have or shouldn’t have made a particular move when you look back?

When I reflect, I think that there were several situations where I was scared of getting busted. Those were the moments when I was thinking and making decisions based on emotions. I was also thinking of the pay

“Poker operators should realise and rework the rake structure. I think, otherwise, the cash tables could run out dry very soon because of the rake.

jumps at a point, three bets, and more. In poker, you could play the worst game of your life but still ship a tournament, and on the contrary, one could play their best game and not win.

If there is one change that you wish to bring about in the Indian poker circuit, what would it be?

The rake on cash games must be reduced. It is too high, and if one does the math, one would realise that the rake percentage is much higher than anticipated. Operators should realise and rework the rake structure, and I think the cash tables could run out dry very soon because of the rake.

As a poker player, where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Five years is a very long time, but I would definitely be improving my game in the next six months. To be honest, I do not know if I will be associated with poker in the next five years; I may or I may not.

Temani made it big in the IOPC 2021 July Main Event and also secured a special place for himself in the history of Indian poker. The live streams, blazing action, and the conviction with which Temani shipped this tournament will be spoken about in the years to come. Cheers to convictions and chivalrous moves on poker tables!

TELL TALES

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND ‘ALLINPAVBHAJI’

Planned to start a poker-themed Pav Bhaji restaurant.

DESCRIBE POKER IN ONE WORD

Beautiful

PLAYING WITH ADITYA AGARWAL WAS LIKE

Intense

ONE PLAYER FROM THE INDUSTRY YOU ADORE

Laksh Pal Singh

WHEN ON THE FT, WHOM DID YOU WANT TO KNOCK OUT?

Aditya Agarwal

A POKER PRO, YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY AGAINST

A FT with Anant Purohit

DREAM TOURNAMENT?

World Series Of Poker

THE COOLEST THING ABOUT BEING A POKER PLAYER?

Brag about your winnings Don’t have a boss

YOUR 2 AM FRIENDS FROM THE INDUSTRY

Vivek Nityanand Naitik Jain Ameya Gokhale

HASHTAGS THAT DESCRIBE YOU

#Agressive #Allinpavbhaji