Gutshot June 2021 by Sajid Moinuddin

Volume 2 | Issue 6 | Mumbai |

www.gutshotmagazine.com

June 2021 | Pages 42

A COMMUNITY’S UNANIMOUS CHOICE TO MAKE A HERO CALL

A GAME OF HOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY

A CALL OF RESPONSIBLE DUTY A PREMIUM LEAGUE COVID-19 WARRIORS

SIDDHANTH KAPOOR A FORCE OF GOOD

https://bit.ly/GSNat8June

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https://bit.ly/GSSaint

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CONTENTS

Editor’s Note

ESPORTS

Bulletin of the month

30- 31

A Call of Responsible Duty

32-33

The mission of an octet: Interview

FEATURE

with Animesh Agarwal (THUG).

Founder and Partner at 8bit Creatives

The COVID-19 Survival Game

POKER 18-21

A Community’s Unanimous Choice to Make A Hero Call!

22-23

Poker: Interview with Rahul Bhatia,

Co-Founder, Poker Magnet 24-25

A force to reckon with, streams to

save the day: Interview with Peter

Chen, Natural8 Team Hot Ambassador

GAMING A Game of Hope and Responsibility

28-29

A Dedicated Past, An Aided Present

and An Empowered Future: Interview

with Shivam Rao, Founder, Trinity

Gaming India

Siddhanth Kapoor A Force of Good

34-35

A premium league COVID-19

RUMMY

36-37

An ISO Certified Rummy Blend of Culture

& Technology: Interview with Amit

Rummy’s The Name and Money’s The

Endgame: Interview with Priya Kumar, the

Director & Head of Content Strategy,

“Siddhanth can bluff you on the poker table, scare you on screen but he will always win your heart with his actions.” From donating plasma, ‘Find a Bed’ campaign and now the recently concluded ‘Poker for Cause’ Tournament with Poker High, he is on a mission to leave no stone unturned in our fight against the invisible enemy!

Kushwaha - Head Brand Strategy –

Gameskraft 38-39

26-27

COVER STORY:

FANTASY SPORTS

warriors

A Magnetic Endeavour to Online

Passion Gaming and Bobby Garg,

the CEO & Co-Founder, Passion Gaming

EDIT

EDITOR’S NOTE

www.gutshotmagazine.com

June 2021

Volume 2

Issue 6

Can you see it in the distance?? It is a mere speck but yes folks, that does seem to be the light at the end of what seems to be an interminably long tunnel called Covid. As we battle the second wave, the foremost concern of most authorities is to ensure that the spread is contained to manageable levels. Local and global data suggests that it seems unlikely that we will escape a third wave. However increased vaccinations and other healthcare efforts will hopefully allow us to effectively tackle this in a far better manner than when the pandemic first hit our shores.

RMG + LIFESTYLE

MANAGING EDITOR Sameer Rattonsey EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Peter Abraham CONTENT Manthra Koliyer Donna Amo Mrinal Gujare Amarylisa Gonsalves Jochebed Mendes Ananya Agarwalla CONTENT STRATEGY Athira Laji DESIGN HB Design Pvt. Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sajid Moinuddin COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Sheldon Santos Volume 2 I Issue 6 JUNE 2021 Printed and Published by: Peter Abraham for Gutshot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., S/6-8 Khira Industrial Estate, B.M.Bhargava Road, Santacruz (West), Mumbai-400054 Gutshot Magazine is not responsible for the opinions or views expressed by individuals or writers that may be included in any part of Gutshot Magazine. The views expressed are for encourage - ment and entertainment purposes only. By being an author on this site all writers transfers copyright ownership of the manuscript to Gutshot Magazine. for publication in print, on line and in downloadable form. Permission is also given to publish all subsequent electronic media, reprints, and any other subsidiary print rights worldwide of this article for Gutshot Magazine. The author(s) will have the unrestricted right to reuse this material on condition that credits are included for prior publication in Gutshot Magazine, to include the issue and date of publication. Interviews are the personal opinions of the interviewee and are not necessarily the views of Gutshot Magazine or it’s Publishers Gutshot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. take no responsibility for any of their answers or comments. All interviews are subject to editing spelling, grammar, and any content that is not useful may be disregarded when posted/published. Gutshot Magazine reserves the right to change, update this disclaimer and policy at will without any notice.

Keeping in line with the monumental efforts being carried out at every strata, it felt appropriate that we cover the good works being done by the gaming industry as well. While all brand shave their bits small and big, individuals too have contributed to their own capacity with the gentleman on this issue’s cover being one of them. Siddhanth Kapoor dons many a hat, from DJ to assistant director to actor and of course, we know about his passion for poker as well. We talk to Siddhanth on his career, poker journey and doing his bit towards pandemic awareness and relief work. Aside from poker, other brands from the gaming, e-sports, fantasy have also put in efforts towards this fight against Covid-19. We take a closer look at all that, speak with people involved and throw a spotlight on their contributions. Please continue to do all the right things like masking up and maintaining social distance regardless of whether you have received one, both or no jabs at all. Till next time, stay safe and keep crushing!

PETER ABRAHAM Editor-In-Chief

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ADVISORY BOARD

ADVISORY BOARD As a part of our journey to develop into a world-class publication with the highest reputation, we happily present Gutshot Magazine’s first Editorial Advisory Board members. These thought leaders in their areas of expertise will vitalise the editorial scope and focus of the magazine and will be our eyes and ears to the Real Money Gaming industry.

Amin Rozani, MD, Spartan Group

Siddhant Sumon, CEO, PokerHigh

Karan Vig, Head of Production, Mind Sports League

Richard Haridasoham, Poker expert and commentator

Muskan Sethi, Professional Poker Player Responsible Gaming Ambassador

Ramesh Rao Thotapalli, Casino Pride 1 Poker Room

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BULLETIN OF THE MONTH

Real Money Gaming Operators Services To Be Streamlined By State Ministers

he State Government of Gujarat has formed a 7-member panel consisting of state ministers for better valuation of services by online gaming portals, casinos and racecourses for imposing the Goods and Services tax (GST). The panel was set up by Nitin Patel, Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister and it will look into the changes that are necessary in the legal provision to get a better valuation from the services provided by real money gaming (RMG) industry. The committee will also be looking into the valuation of 08

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other services like the lottery. The panellists include Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, Goa Transport Minister, Mauvin Godinho, Karnataka Home Minister, Basavaraj Bommai, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, P Thiagarajan, West Bengal Finance Minister, Amit Mitra and Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein. Talking about the panel, Rajat Mohan, Associate Senior Partner of AMRG said, “During the COVID-19 induced pandemic, the online gaming sector and the casinos have seen a mas-

sive user traction and flow of investments which poses a big challenge for the entire real money gaming (RMG) industry. In our country, online gaming companies are in nascent stages and this has led to multiple unresolved issues around taxation and valuation.” He further added, “Now that a Group of Ministers (GoM) has been formed, the uncertainty surrounding the valuation of services like casinos, online gaming companies, and racecourses can be resolved.” Within six months the panel is expected to submit a report to the GST council.

NEWS

POKER

Chris Moneymaker Will Be Suing PayPal Famous poker player Chris Moneymaker will be suing PayPal, an online payment processing company. Moneymaker’s attorney, Eric Bensamochan mentioned in a press release that due to a breach of contract, unjust enrichment and bad faith from PayPal they will be suing the company. As per reports, more than ₹12,000 was confiscated from the PayPal account of Moneymaker. The pro took to Twitter to spread the message and tweeted, “So, PayPal froze my account last year and said I could access my money in 180 days. Well they straight up stole the money! Money out of my account.”

FANTASY SPORTS

MPL Donates `5 Crore Virat Kohli – Anushka Sharma’s Initiative Mobile Premier League (MPL) donated `5 crore to #InThisTogether initiative started by Virat Kohli and actress Anushka Sharma. The duo started this campaign in partnership with Ketto, a crowd-funding platform. The couple launched this #InThisTogether initiative on 7 May. Both of them shared a video on social media urging their fans to support them in their initiative. In a single day, the campaign raised around `3.60 Crore in a single day including the `2 Crores that the dynamic duo contributed for the cause. So far, the cricketer and the actress managed to raise around `11 Crore. The funds raised through this initiative were supposed to be donated to ACT Grants, a non-profit organization that is actively focused on resolving oxygen shortage problems in the country. ESPORTS

Battlegrounds Mobile India Gains More Than 20 Million Pre-registrations Battlegrounds Mobile India, developed by Krafton has received over 20 million pre-registrations in less than 20 days. PUBG Mobile was banned in the country last year over security issues. The brand had a huge fan base from first and it motivated the developer to launch Battlegrounds Mobile India to replace PUBG Mobile. There are claims that the game is the exact imitation of PUBG with a few minor tweaks. Krafton had announced pre-registrations for the game on Google Play store, which kick-started on 18 May 2021. Within 24 hours, the game received a whopping 7.6 million registrations. Within a span of just 16 days, Krafton managed to receive over 20 million pre-registrations.

RUMMY

Despite IPL Suspension, User Base Of RummyCulture Grew By 30% The user base of RummyCulture shot up by 30% despite the sudden suspension of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). Fantasy sports operators witnessed a huge drop in new users once the IPL was suspended due to the COVI-19 issue. Amit Kusha-

wa, Head of Brand Strategy at Gameskraft said, “Especially this year, we didn’t notice any drop in the number of users or sessions per user. On the contrary, we noticed a jump in the number of players, and this might be attributed to our brand campaign

which helped us increase awareness and trust for the platform.” As per the Q1 financial reports of RummyCulture in 2021, the number of users had spiked by over 30% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) basis as compared to 2020 Q1.

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F E AT U R E

The COVID-19 Survival Game By Ananya Agarwalla

020 - 21 would probably go down in history as the year that totally changed one’s perspective of life. Many have tried to ameliorate their lives by finding ways to cope with the pain – whether it be forms of social interaction or mental and physical engagement.

sector is generating, will tell the story of how the Indian gaming industry is one of the top gainers in this pandemic!

The escape we needed The idiot box and the computer got tested for their maximum capabilty and capactiy for the first time since their invention, in 2020-21. Gaming somewhat These years of turbulence caused became a second family to a lot many businesses to run out of of people. They sought comfort juice and for some, it turned out in these facets and used it as a to be fodder to flourish. What way to get through these trying started as a pass time activity, is times. They all offer not only a now a serious business. A quick way to be entertained but be look at the numbers, the gaming interactive and social as well. 10

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The world of fantasy gaming, esports, rummy and poker have undergone multiple changes to cater to every individual’s needs under these unforeseen circumstances. Online poker spikes the interest Though the pandemic has wreaked havoc on the live poker industry with the closure and suspension of casinos, online poker is thriving. There has been a surge of traffic to online poker sites with thousands trying their luck at the cash tables and even more playing tournaments.

This huge increase in interest has had an extremely positive effect on the industry with online poker circles attracting millions of new users. Tournaments which also usually happen in person are being streamed online by online poker leagues and companies like Poker Sports League. These events have grabbed the attention of a large amount of people while still adhering to COVID-19 protocols. The industry has worked with the circumstances of the world and benefited from it.

such as Call of Duty, Among us and Fall Guys have witnessed record-breaking sales in 202021 despite their simplicity.

day. The industry is working more to come up with activities to do on a weekly basis to keep users engaged.

Esports when shifted online attracted a much larger userbase with their streams generating millions of views which has become a hub for advertisers. Though esports events are not able to churn out profit from tickets or in-person merchandise sales which used to be a large source of their earnings, the industry has been able to find a new fan and advertising base through online events.

Giving back For the fight against COVID-19, we had warriors arise from every walk of life. The gaming community of poker, rummy, fantasy sports and esports didn’t think twice before becoming a support system for the community.

Krafton, the gaming company behind PUBG who donated `1.5 Crores to Covid-19, NatuGame for mental health ral8, an online poker company WHO posted an article in 2020 Gaming has also seen negative who initiated a campaign that which claimed that gaming impacts in their development raised `18,00,000 as Covid is one of the best activities to cycles. EA, Raven Software funds, Adda52, MPL Esports, and engage in during lockdown. This and Sledgehammer Games are 9stacks are just a few out of is because it allows for good still struggling to complete the many companies who have mental activity and even allows their projects stated for a 2021 donated funds for COVID. Fnatic for social engagement. But to release due to work from home has also launched a #Gamingtalk on technical terms during protocols and a shortage of ForGood initiative to raise funds these tiring times, 5G, cheap staff. New titles earn these com- to help those affected by the data plans and improved broad- panies billions and annual title pandemic. band proliferation led to steady releases are extremely importgrowth in India’s gaming sector ant as they have expectations The world of gaming has been which eventually gave a chance not only from gamers but from able to build a family and give to monetise. shareholders and other creditors back to those in need in these as well. difficult times all at the same Games such as Black Ops time. Cold War, Modern Warfare and The pandemic has still been Fortnite reward players for good for the industry and they When our own habitat became playing in a group rather than have adapted with it. Since the unsuitable to live in, the gaming alone. The gaming industry has industry has got the attention world created a refuge, proxy seen has seen a growth rate of of a much larger user base, worlds to inhabit - a major part 19.6% during the pandemic and studios like Sony have begun of our population kept their the revenue is expected to touch stay-at-home initiatives which mind sound & peace by taking $174.9 billion, nearly 15 billion is a reward based incentive of shelter in those proxy world. more than previous years. Titles playing x amount of hours per GUTSHOT

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Picture Credit: Sheldon Santos

COVER STORY

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Siddhanth Kapoor A Force Of Good By Athira Laji

hen someone calls poker a beautiful game instead of the usual ‘game of skill’ or ‘game of math,’ you know you are sitting across a person who has nothing except pure love for the game and its nuances. So, when we sat down with Siddhanth Kapoor, the first thing we noticed about him is how his eyes lit up when he talked about poker and his inexplicable ability to be a chilled-out entertainer - not easily defined and usually must be seen to be believed! Siddhanth Kapoor is as keen as mustard to learn new things now and then; otherwise, how do you think he is donning the cap of an actor, DJ, entrepreneur, poker player, and philanthropist!

Baweja recently was quoted saying, “Siddhanth can bluff you on the poker table, scare you on screen, but he will always win your heart with his actions.” This proved to be the case when he went all out to contribute to COVID-19 relief initiatives. From donating plasma, the ‘Find a Bed’ campaign, and now the recently concluded ‘Poker for Cause’ Tournament with Poker High, he is on a mission to leave no stone unturned in our fight against the invisible enemy!

Everyone is now aware that poker can be a force for good because of your initiative with ‘Poker for a Cause’ tournament!! So what prompted you to come up with such an initiative? We are going through one of the most challenging times. When asked about his bigThis is when all humankind gest pet peeve in our Tell Tales should come together and fight section, without a second one single battle against the thought, he answered ‘racism’! deadly virus. I personally feel So, all Siddhanth wants to do that poker as a community is a is create a better world, and for force to reckon with, and when that, he does everything possible such people come together for in whatever little ways he can a humanitarian cause, it is a for humankind! Actor Harman beautiful feeling that cannot

be put in words. A lot of poker players have been individually contributing towards COVID-19 relief initiatives. Still, when you come together, the impact is something different, in a good way and I too believe that we can do a lot more for humanity. Still, sometimes we fall short of platforms through which the entire initiatives can be implemented. When Poker High approached me with this idea, I was on board with it immediately. We have already seen many global platforms conducting such events and raising vast sums of charity funds for donations that go into the right hands through proper channels. The people in need are really benefitting because of such initiatives. That is when I thought to organise a tournament with PokerHigh and give a platform for the poker players to come together. Though the tournament turned out to be good, the turnout for the game was pretty low! The promotions we did were excellent, and because it was a

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COVER STORY

Sunday, the traffic was supposed to be great, but unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case for us. But no, we have not given up yet! You will be seeing a lot more such tournaments coming up to raise funds. However, this time, we would be working on what did not work for us the last time and maybe adding a different format to the tournament itself. Along with trying to aid the people in need, we are just reinstituting that poker can be a force for good! A picture of you donating plasma, flashing a victory sign, and a grin for the camera has gone the rounds on the internet. That picture clearly depicted the message “not to hold back, do your bit.” What are your thoughts on being one of the torchbearers of such an initiative? I was tested COVID-19 positive in December 2020. Post recovery and after the advised time gap, I decided to donate my plasma to help others fight the disease and could manage to donate to two people during these times. You cannot think twice before saving anyone’s life! We must give back to our society or humanity in any way we can. In the end, we are all humans, and we need to be there, do things and help each other most fittingly and positively possible. You had a good run for the past few months, and in one of them, you were quoted saying, “I was playing with one eye closed; I was that sleepy.” How much have you mastered poker? Absolutely not! I have not mastered poker; no one can really master poker in any way. It is always a never-ending learning process. I love the game, and I study hard to get the scores coming my way. They do not come often – but slowly and indeed hope to welcome them more. But yes, I want to win the main event of WSOP ASAP! Just striving to reach for that bracelet! When did you play your first poker, and what triggered you to get into the game? I played my first live poker tournament in a ball14

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room in Worli in 2007. I clearly remember that I was very nervous, and I was waiting for the right hand, and I had pocket Threes, and the other guy got A-Q, and I just pushed because I was down to like 12-13 big blinds. Then there was a re-raise, I just pushed, and the guy calls with A-Q, which was a flip, and then he rivered a queen; like everything was good with the turn and the flop until the river card came out. I still remember that. Then again, it is just a part of the game. It was the first taste that I got of poker. It made me learn and study poker more in-depth. Post that, I played a lot of poker on Indian and international platforms and even went for live tournaments. The trigger for me to get and stay in the game was that poker has got this beautiful positive vibe. It is a great game, and let me tell you; the poker community has some of the most incredible guys with the biggest hearts! That is the best thing that I like about being a part of this vibrant Indian community. I am at home! It is simply a great thing to happen to me! You have time and again called Poker and Texas Hold’em a beautiful game. Which facet of the game do you find the most beautiful? The whole buzz of having a positive vibe around poker makes it and everything about it beautiful. The first and the foremost thing I like about poker is that there is a lot of role-play involved for skill, rather than luck. Watching the turn, the river, the flop, then playing with friends and acquaintances in live and online tournaments and the different formats that tournaments implement and the other most crucial part, traveling around the world – makes poker one of the happening games in the world. I am very fond of all these things, and whoever plays the game would probably describe it in the same way. You have always mentioned how poker nurtured the value of patience in your life. So, was there a moment during any of your games where you played too fast and too loose, and all your chips ended up in the middle of the table, and you thought to yourself, “Maybe next time I’ll remem-

ber to slow things down a bit?” It was the EPT Barcelona National Event that I went for in 2019. The main event had a $5,500 buy-in. I remember I was sleep-deprived because I partied the previous night, which I should not have done. I ended up playing without any patience, it was a bit rough, and things ended up going wrong. I traveled almost halfway around the world to reach there and sat at the table for just 3 mins, and I got out. I did recover the money at another time and event. But that incident was a bummer and an eye-opener. I was a very impatient person in life, and poker really helped me nurture patience in all my things, be it playing poker, acting, DJing, music, anything.

What sort of poker player are you? Are you an intuitive player or more like a math guy? I am a very intuitive kind of a guy. Being an actor, you read and study people, and it really works for me on the poker table. I am a very fun, moody poker player because it all depends on my mood. If I had a good shoot, a good night’s sleep, had a good gig, and had no arguments and stress around, I play a lot of good poker. How do you get through your downswings in poker? What is it that made you a better player? Downswing for me is break-time! I cut off, take a little bit of break, listen to some good music, and travel. I am then back in the zone. Every poker player has downswings, and that’s how you come back on top – bankroll management, patience, playing lesser tournaments. There are a few games that I did play very fast and did not pay much attention. But after I started studying it with time and patience, my scores started looking pretty good! That is one of the reasons why I am now aggressively studying the game. Who do you look up to from the industry, and who do you prefer to play against the most? Why? I look up to Aditya Agarwal a lot. I think he is one of GUTSHOT

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lockdown. What was yours? Self-conscience, be positive, and keeping control over my mind are what I worked upon during the lockdown. It was a tough time for all; everyone went through so much stress. So, what I try to do now is control my mind and fill it with positivity. This plays a big difference in your life. You’ve done a few movies over the years. What would you say are the similarities between an acting job and a job playing poker? Patience, holding your nerves, focus, talent, and many other things you might find similar between acting and playing poker.

the nicest people I have met and one of the greatest poker players. Also, I like to play against everyone and anywhere – irrespective if the people are new or old, friends, acquaintances, everyone. But I wish to play with Liv Boeree.

with not too many words.

An actor, DJ, entrepreneur, poker player and philanthropist! How did you manage such versatility? Are we expecting more titles on your crown? I do like to do many things. That is What role does music play in why I put my hands into all things your life? possible. I do not want to do one Music plays an essential role in my thing and prove to the world that I life. It makes a positive shift in your am the best. Instead, I enjoy doing mind, heart, and soul – be it listen- a few things, not to prove anything ing to music while playing poker, to anyone but to myself. I want to or on the dance floor, or before a do it right, enjoy the work and life. shoot. Music can move mountains. I am a fan of not-so-loud electron- Everyone went through a ic, chill out and fast-free music, self-discovery phase during this 16

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What are some of the acting projects you are working on, and we can see you in, soon? A lot of fun projects are coming. Bhaukaal, Chehra with Mr. Bacchhan, I would be shooting for Bhaukal season 2, and many short films are in the pipeline and or maybe writing something on the game itself. Let’s see, fingers crossed. There was a statement by Harman Baweja saying, “Siddhanth can bluff you on the poker table, scare you on screen, but he will always win your heart with his actions.” So I guess now the entire community believes what Harman said. That is really sweet of Harman to say that! Really sweet! I hope to continue what I do and be of any support to humanity!

TELL #Human TALES

• Poker crush? YourLivnot-so-secret Boeree ingredient of your ‘A’ Game? Patience • $2 million to never play poker again. Would you accept? Favourite No place to play poker? Barcelona • At gunpoint, you had to choose only one between acting, Favourite DJ-ingpoker and poker. movie Still Itowould be made get shot! Live or online tournaments? Live tournaments Dream tournament? WSOP Your favourite poker player Nikita Luther One poker book/coaching series you vouch for BBZ Poker and DTO Poker Coolest thing about being a poker player? Being a poker player You are binge-watching? Poker Tournaments Biggest pet peeve Racism Hashtags that describe you #Human Poker crush? Liv Boeree $2 million to never play poker again. Would you accept? No At gunpoint, you had to choose only one between acting, DJ-ing and poker. I would get shot! GUTSHOT

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POKER

A community’s unanimous choice to make a hero call! By Manthra Koliyer

OVID-19 started as a China’s problem in January 2019, until it toppled the world into a vulnerable situation. The rosy days that everyone looked forward to in 2020 had fallen short and a new task to curb the spread of this deadly virus began.

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Stuck in four walls, everyone started practicing the most effective tool against the virus, which is to break transmission by reducing or completely cutting off social contact. Within four walls arose love, inconvenience, invasion of privacy, and a new culture called work from home. Even as the virus ravaged us and our loved ones, work from home

kept people going. The biggest dilemma for the central and state governments was to start opening the economy again, as it was required for people’s livelihoods. To rescue the lives, to fight the mutant virus, soldiers rose from every walk of life. Good Samaritans from across the globe have made their efforts to help people

during the COVID-19 outbreak. For the poker community, who was trying to play the best hand during this pandemic, underwent a change to shift itself from the live casino scene to an online one. However, what the poker world experienced was a resurgence during the COVID-19 lockdown. So, because it got reinvigorated, India’s poker community decided to come forward and share their strength with the other communities of India. By organising live tournaments and online streams, the poker community brought together thought leaders and influencers together to raise funds and pitch in donations to PM CARES so that India can be relieved off some burden. Pledging the winnings Hundreds of poker players and brands took every chance out there to save humanity and Indians from the nightmare. Millionaire Series veteran Sriharsha Doddapaneni pledged to donate 50% of his Sunday cashes to charity. He communicated this via a Facebook post in the The Players Group (TPG), a group for people acquainted with the Indian poker world. This thread went on to reveal the other charitable causes that players have been supporting during that time. Players like Nitin Arora, Pranay Chawal, Kumar Vatsal, Harsh Kumar Dembla, Shagun Jain, Kunal Patni took to sharing screenshots, while others pledged to contribute 10%, 20%, and even 50% of their winnings to the COVID-19 relief initiates. Players also rolled out all the links that required help and weighed it in

equally with the amount of money raised.

others.

Platforms to strengthen the Actor turned philanthropist initiatives Siddharth Kapoor started with Online poker brand PokerBaazi donating plasma for COVID-19 stepped forward in April 2020 patients and urged his Instagram by organising fundraising tourcommunity to follow suit. He also nament series to donate a minstarted a #Mumbai plasma drive imum of `10,00,000 to support in association with Red FM 93.5 India’s battle against Covid-19 and Aaarnaav Shirshat. Kapoor by associating with Delhi Youth is also advocating the ‘Find a Welfare Association (DYWA). The Bed’ initiative where he has been entire fees were donated to the supporting 20,000 students cause and to support the daily across 160 cities to help find a wage workers with money and bed or build a quarantine centre ration. Baazi in partnership with for COVID-19 patients. Kapoor GiveIndia, also conducted ‘The has raised ₹15,00000 so far and O2 Initiative’ tournament on 7th plans to raise even more with the May 2021 and successfully raised initiatives that he is taking. `3,31,000. 100% of the tournaDelhi-based Anmol Mehta and ment fee went towards providing oxygen to those in need. Akshay Kapoor conducted a hand history session on 4th May In March, a special tournawhich invited everyone to make ment, Falcon by Adda52 raised a minimal contribution of `2,000 `2,50,000 for donation. The to charity. Two high-stakes AOPS (Online poker series) Warm players, Shashank Siddharth and Up event, a part of the April Rajnish Kumar also planned to Edition AOPS series by Adda52 raise `70,0000 and buy ambuthat offered a guarantee of lances for the transportation of `30,00,000 raised funds for the COVID-19 patients, so no loved poor and the underprivileged. one ever goes through days of The amount collected from the ‘gasping for air.’ This initiative warmup events were donated was backed up by poker superstar to the PM Relief Fund. An iniPatrik Antonius who urged the tiative called ‘Play for a Cause’ players to donate to the Akkaara donated funds to the Hemkunt fundraiser initiated by Shashank Foundation and ACT Grants. The and Rajnish. The cause by these initiative further reinforced the two players received tremendous #EveryHandCounts implying how support from others from the every little help during this tiring community like Abhishek Matime can help save lives. zumder, Awnish Kumar Singh, Irshad Chaudhary, Kanish Upreti, Natural8, too launched one of Zarvan Tumboli, Gaurav Sood, the biggest fundraisers to supMuskan Sethi, Harsh Raj, Ankit port COVID-19 relief efforts Jajodia, Rishab Jain, Jaldeep in India. This ‘Unite to Fight Vadera, Shashank Singh, Manish COVID-19 in India’ campaign saw Jain, and Naveen Kumar, among Natural8 matching every donaGUTSHOT

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POKER

tion dollar for dollar. All contributions went to community-run fund CryptoRelief, which provides aid in the form of medicine, oxygen, and other essential items. So far, they donated close to $1,000,000 with the goal of providing #OxygenForEveryone during the ongoing crisis in India. BLITZPOKER too joined the fight 20

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with the ‘BLITZ Covid Relief’ tournament which hosted a `249 entry buy-in. With the GTD of `75,000 prize pool, all the proceeds went to the Hemkunt Foundation to provide oxygen cylinders and ventilators to those in need. PokerHigh in association with

Siddhanth Kapoor hosted the ‘Poker for a cause’ tournament (30th May 2021) on PokerHigh where his celebrity friends also contributed for the cause. This tourney helped raise money for hospital beds in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Along with poker brands, Poker Bootcamp India also conducted a campers stream

along with Hemkunt Foundation.

and Porvorim.

The old Indian fable about people gathering around an accident, Not only poker brands but even This COVID-19 pandemic gave rise whispering but not helping has casinos took the initiative on their to a human collage filled with now changed. This is a form of shoulders and extended their help a tragic miasma. Poker players holocaust faced by everyone and in every way possible to the peo- registered their gut-spilling anger poker players shook off every fear ple in their locality. Casino Pride, towards the virus by choosing from their shoulders to add as a cruise ship located on the coast to give back and by rescuing as much luminescence as possible of Mandovi river, Goa started many as they could from this during this morbid countrywide providing free lunch meals for deadly virus. emergency. COVID-19 patients around Panjim GUTSHOT

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POKER

A Magnetic Endeavour to Online Poker

he increasing popularity and demand of online poker has created potential for newer firms to bring more development and innovation in the poker industry. One such online poker platform committed to innovation and delivering exceptional poker experience to players is RVOnline which has Poker Magnet as its flagship company. Founded by two poker aficionados, Rahul Bahtia and Govind Agarwal, aims to popularise poker in India. We connected with Rahul Bhatia, co-founder RVOnline, who believes poker is to cards what jazz is to music. How did the idea of starting a poker platform conceptualise? I was introduced to poker on my business trips to the US and Canada and I gradually evolved from a curious onlooker to an avid poker enthusiast. In India, there was a mismatch in terms of players’ expectations and the legacy online platforms were offering in terms of the gaming experience. I always felt a pressing need to elevate the players’ experience and customer service. I then shared my concerns with my long-time friend and fellow poker enthusiast, Govind. Soon, we were drawing plans on paper, 22

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By Amarylisa Gonsalves

and eventually, we were able to introduce a worthy poker app to the Indian market.

You are a pro poker player yourself, with a few international titles to your credit. How has your journey with poker been? I have been a poker veteran myself which enabled me to build my player pool and it has been a great boost for me to sustain in this industry. My journey with poker has been nothing but exhilarating. It amazes me how far we have come and still, there is a long way to go in terms of establishing Poker Magnet as the leading app in the market.

What are the players loving the most on Poker Magnet? We are from the poker ecosystem, so, we understand the needs of our players in terms of our game interface, and user experience and try to address them. We do have various stand out features such as customised emojis, the ability to host a private table, and heads- up display option.

Work from home with limited outdoor entertainment options and reduced travel time, acted as the major catalyst in driving new users to our app and creating a surge in time spent on our app. With enhanced smartphone and internet penetration, the evolution of 5G, and raising awareness, we are poised towards a long runway for growth.

Players before profits are our motto. We are constantly striving for swiftness in resolving customer concerns. Our players can reach out to our customer support at any time of the day and night. We adhere to absolute commitment to the players.

How are your advertising campaigns breaking the taboo of poker being gambling? Our advertising messaging is driven by our internal beliefs indicating that poker is a sport that offers a great interplay of intellect and psychology. In gambling, if you have a bad hand, the loss

Rahul Bhatia

is guaranteed, while in poker, your fortunes can be flipped around with skillful maneuvers even if you have been dealt a bad hand. The consistency of this messaging strongly resonates in our advertising. How much of the market has Poker Magnet been able to capture so far? We are a noob in the gaming industry and are taking baby steps every day to establish our footprint. The cost of customer acquisition is very high in this industry so anyone entering the market must have deep pockets. We started two years ago on a relatively small basis as compared to the market leaders. However, we are catapulting to be a prominent name and quickly grabbing major market share. As of today, we are amongst the Top 10 players in the market. Greater internet and smartphone penetration, as well as increased marketing in tier 2/3 cities, will be the defining catalysts that bring more players into the fold.

outs (KYC adherence). How did Poker Magnet help COVI-19 affected society? At Poker Magnet, giving back to our community is at the core of our ethics. While we gained maximum traction during the lockdown, we had our users’ attention and used it to contribute towards the ongoing Covid-19 relief efforts. We witnessed the plight, people are in with many losing their loved ones. In our humble way, we have contributed to Hemkunt Foundation – a non-profit entity that demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Covid relief efforts. We helped facilitate oxygen supply and supported affected children get short-term care facilities in various locations of SOS Children’s Village, India.

Any contributions towards daily labourers and migrants? The pandemic took a major toll on migrant workers and daily wagers leaving them stranded in dire need of financial and medical support. Under the food relief What mechanism do you follow program of SOS Children’s Vilfor securing the monetary lage, India, we helped to provide funds of the players? a month’s dry ration to migrant We have a very secured payment workers. This helped these vulnergateway in place with stringent able communities cope better in audit practices. All our customer these trying times. transactions are done via secure online banking or through our How did you ensure the B2B agents (trusted Affiliate well-being of your employees partners). Our cashout policy is in such times? extremely rigorous & systematic Regardless of adverse circumwith a 24/7 turnaround for cash stances, at Poker Magnet we have

always worked as a team and helped one another whenever required. This created a sense of belonging and support multiplied during the pandemic. Employees reached out to each other and the management when they needed Covid relief resources. We also made a WhatsApp group where we posted, updated, and verified leads of all available resources. Our employees’ mental well-being is of paramount importance and given the current scenario, almost everyone had a difficult time dealing with their emotions at some point or the other. We made sure to keep a tab on our employees and their families and offered monetary support like Soft Loans to help them meet ends in these trying times. Share your plans for Poker Magnet. With rising disposable incomes and an ever-growing global exposure, poker is destined to capture India’s significant mind space. A Poker penetration in India will quickly catch up with the benchmarks of US and UK. We have a dynamic and skilled team that has helped us to create a product that is a cut above the rest and stands out in the market. We are planning to come up with exciting cash game variants, launch large-scale poker tournaments and create a first-inmarket poker loyalty program co-branded with a major banking partner. GUTSHOT

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POKER

A force to reckon with, streams to save the day! By Mrinal Gujare

ete Chen is a name that most aspiring poker players in Asia would definitely know. The Natural8 Team Hot ambassador’s motivation stems from his own growth in the game and it is this passion that keeps the fire in him alive. This This No-Limit Hold’em champ who also aces Pot-Limit Omaha, HORSE and the 8-Game Mix shared some insights and laughs about his achievements in poker and also humbly opened up about the COVID-19 relief efforts he has undertaken. 24

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How and when did you decide on playing poker professionally? I first played poker, mostly home games with my friends in 2008. However, in 2014, I decided to drop out of college and move to Macau to play poker. I set a target of earning HKD $1 million in one year. If I win, I will keep playing poker. If I fail, I would have gone back to Taiwan to finish my bachelor’s degree and find a job.

poker player to book major wins like this to stay motivated? I believe that if a poker lover needs to stay motivated by getting money, then he can’t be called a poker lover. Even if I lose a lot of money from playing poker, I would keep playing and take every game seriously. I stay motivated by seeing my progress, by winning, learning, and playing poker.

Your biggest cash was at the 2017 WSOP $5,000 No Limit Hold’em in Vegas, where you won $382,122. Is it vital for a

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your game? Many live games have been canceled since 2020 because of

ed the prize money to help India. We streamed the game to attract players to watch and promote the initiative by Natural8. As a player who contributed to the COVID-19 relief efforts, what message would you give to other players to make contributions towards a cause like this? Hope everyone takes the vaccine, everyone should be safe when playing live games. If you can’t, then stay home and play poker online.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS COVID-19, so I spent a lot of time playing online poker. Although playing online poker is more effective, it’s relatively boring than playing live games. I hope to spend equal time playing live games and online poker alongside learning. Help Fight COVID-19 In India’ initiative by Natural8 received a lot of support from all quarters. Your views on what more could be done to aid people? I think everyone should come forward to help India. Of course, money is important, but celebrities could use their influence to encourage more people to help. As long as you are willing, every action could be of great help. As an internationally acclaimed poker player, what can poker players collectively do to aid

COVID-19 relief work? I think poker players should donate money if they can. Famous poker players can use their influence to encourage more people to help. How did you go about making a contribution to Natural8’s COVID-19 relief initiatives? On May 26, I hosted a Heads-Up Challenge with Taiwan’s famous poker streamer Yo (Chinese name: Chih-Wei Fan). The winner donat-

FAVOURITE COLLEAGUE AT NATURAL8’S TEAM HOT Bryan Pari FAVOURITE VENUE TO PLAY LIVE POKER Australia and Taiwan! Taiwan is very safe. ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE NATURAL8 Fun! ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE PETE CHEN Hard-working! YOUR CELEBRITY POKER CRUSH Pete Chen. (Yeah, myself) $3 MILLION DOLLARS TO NEVER PLAY POKER AGAIN No! I love poker.

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GAMING

A game of hope and responsibility By Donna Amo

hen we entered 2021, we were hopeful that the COVID-19 pandemic would soon come to an end. However, even with vaccines being available, for millions of Indians, the pandemic was far from over. The second wave of COVID-19 is nothing short of a nightmare for the citizens of the country. Gaming to the rescue Despite the bleak nature of the situation, the highlight was the humanity and kindness of people during these times. NGOs such as the Hemkunt Foundation, Give India, Breathe India, and many more have taken the initiative to help during this time of need. Joining them in their fight against the COVID-19 was the gaming industry in India. Putting their best foot forward 26

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and assisting the situation, many gaming companies like OpraahFx, Krafton, Trinity Gaming, MPL Esports, Stick Pool Club and more have done their part in providing aid or hosting charity events. In a time when in-person gathering poses a danger to the health and safety of people, holding a regular charity event is not the best idea. Online being the only way to safely communicate and interact, many NGOs resorted to holding charity functions online. The gaming industry was a big contributor, not just through monetary help but also taking advantage of the growing gaming community to hold engaging charity functions. “We remain committed to supporting the efforts of the government in battling this un-

Changhan Kim precedented crisis. We hope our contribution to the PM CARES Fund will help the aid efforts currently operational on the ground,” said Changhan Kim, CEO of Krafton Inc. The South-Korean company donated around `1.5 crore. Positivity is what we need Since the pandemic struck, the gaming industry has seen tremendous growth globally with an estimated value of $162.32 billion in 2020. Out of this, the Indian

gaming industry was responsible for around 55% of that valuation. This has now paved the way for gaming content creators and influencers to establish themselves in this field - the ability to engage with audience gave the gaming companies a perfect opportunity to host charity live streams.

believe that this is the time when influencers need to join hands and create a larger social impact collectively.”

“We received an overwhelming response - 10M+ total views and concurrent viewership of 200k for the charity live stream. It was a great moment of pride when we hit the 50,00000 marks and Gaming talent management truly unleashed the power of firms OpraahFx and Villager influence,” said Panpalia when Esports extended their support he talked about the reach of the by collaborating with top gaming event. During the live stream, the influencers for a #MaskonIndia influencers engaged with the auonline charity stream. Hosted dience by playing online games, by Slayy Point and Mythpat, the encouraging them to donate, YouTube live stream was joined and created awareness about the by over 35 plus content creators pandemic. In the end, the event like Techno Gamerz, Viraj Ghelani, was able to raise more than Technical Guruji, Salonayy, Total 50,00000 in funds which were Gaming, Ashish Chanchlani, Carry then handed over to Hemkunt Minati, Abish Mathew, Ankush Foundation. Bahuguna, BeYouNick, Tanmay Bhatt, Ranveer Allahbadia, Dolly Singh, etc. Pranav Panpalia, Founder of OpraahFx stated, “We have all been observing a healthcare emergency with the very large demand of necessary and medical resources in the country since the last few weeks. We

Pranav Panpalia

Shivam Rao Trinity Gaming hosted a live stream event in collaboration with the Hemkunt Foundation and raised over 2,00000 in funds. When asked about the event and what more the gaming community can do to help, Shivam Rao, Co-founder of Trinity Gaming replied, “Charity live streaming is the best step taken

by the gaming industry so far. It promotes helping people without actually being in contact with them and encourages lakhs of audiences to help the pandemic stricken citizens.” Looking out for their own Besides donating to charity foundations, gaming companies also focused on the health and well-being of their own employees. Recognising the need to cater to the well-being of their own employees, many gaming companies took various measures to take care of their own employees. “We believe in the well-being of our employees, community, and clients. For us, it is our employee’s health before our targets and deadlines. We tried to minimise the stress level at work by dissolving targets and extending deadlines. We also came up with an ‘anytime leave’ policy to encourage employees to take care of their mental and physical health by taking leaves as and when required,” said Panpalia. The fight rages on The gaming community is determined to continue contributing positively to end the crisis and will be using their platform to bring awareness and encourage people to get involved in a humanitarian cause. By channeling the power of social media and technology, the gaming industry’s collaboration with numerous NGOs have managed to shine hope amidst these dark times. GUTSHOT

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GAMING

A Dedicated Past, An Aided Present and An Empowered Future By Donna Amo

s the gaming sector steadily emerges as one of the top industries in India, gaming content creators and influencers are fast becoming a favorite way for brands to market their products. While the industry may still be at a nascent stage in the country, there is no doubt that it holds a lot of career potential for aspiring gamers and content creators alike. However, while there is no shortage of talent, many of these gamers still lack the experience and knowledge to monetise their content. Building dreams Started in 2019 by two passionate entrepreneurs, Abhishek Aggarwal and Shivam Rao, Trinity Gaming was founded with a vision to help gamers turn their passion into a successful career. “Abhishek and I always had an entrepreneurial spirit in us. We started out as freelancers and saw the huge potential that the gaming market had. So, we left our other jobs to fully focus on our freelance work. In 2020, we saw the esports boom and decided to register

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“Through talent management, we were able to support gamers who are good entertainers but don’t know how to monetise it. It’s encouraging to know that we were able to help them out,” he further added.

Shivam Rao our company,” said Rao. Through their dedicated efforts in the past two years alone, Trinity Gaming has been able to successfully stamp its presence in the gaming community. On the topic of why they decided to venture into the gaming vertical, Rao replied, “When we started out, the gaming scene in India was just beginning to grow. We had a good connection within the community and a good relationship with brands and platforms, which is why I think it was a good decision to not venture out into other industries and to control our niche in the best way possible.”

While being a talent management firm, Trinity Gaming also focuses on influencer marketing and esports tournaments. With influencer culture booming thanks to social media, gamers and are now being sponsored by brands to promote their products. “A lot of mobile phone brands like Samsung and ASUS ROG for example, sponsor gamers to do an unboxing or promotional video so that their (gamer’s) audience are able to see the product,” said Rao. Gaming has come a long way in India, from being just a pass-time activity to a full-blown sport complete with its own athletes. When asked what is driving young minds to consider gaming as a viable career option, Rao replied, “When we look towards

pursuing a career, we always see what type of opportunities a particular industry has, how is the market responding to it and are there any big brand supporting that industry. With regards to esports, there are plenty of brand sponsored tournaments with prize pools in lakhs while esports professionals also receive a salary. All this has helped portray gaming as a worthwhile career option for young people who are interested.”

Mobile in 2020 to host some of their esports tournaments, Trinity Gaming has come a long way. Aiding a crisis

While slowly contributing to the budding gaming ecosystem in the country, the company has also put their foot forward to help raise funds for the COVID-19 crisis in India. “Despite the boost in the esports/gaming industry, our country was deep stuck by the pandemic. As an industry, it’s our responsibility to help With so many talented but in-ex- our country in any way possible. perienced gamers out there, we Being an industry that mostly asked Rao how Trinity Gaming operates online, we organised a help players does who are at the charity stream with the best for cusp of starting their careers, to our Facebook creators and sucwhich he answered, “Whenever cessfully raised a good amount of we on board a new talent in our more than 2,00000 for the panagency, we look at their history demic struck citizens,” said Rao. and what kind of content they Gamers such as Gaming Guru, produce, and the quality of their 22G Gaming, Sunny OP, The Mad content and the type of games Bros, PENNEM MADHU, Sniper they play. Accordingly, we creLord, Titanium, Rog Stream, JD ate a report and work on it. We Gaming, Taisen, GodofGames, help them out with everything in and more joined the charity live terms of content, communication, stream hosted by the compaand social media managing. From ny. The funds raised from the being a Creator Service Providevent were then donated to the er (CSP) for Facebook Gaming Hemkunt Foundation which was to working closely with PUBG the foundation chosen by most gamers involved. “Industry creators and companies can also use their influencers to encourage their audiences to wear masks and get vaccinated to avoid being affected by the virus,” commented Rao. Apart from donating to a good cause, Trinity Gaming were also determined to take care of their

own employees first. “We aimed to avoid office operations to keep our staff and ourselves protected from the adverse effects of the pandemic. It has not only caused physical damage but also emotional and mental balance. Therefore, to help our creators to stay motivated, Trinity Gaming also organised a mental wellness workshop for the mental well-being of our creators,” said Rao. As gaming is an activity that is mostly held online, it became one of the saftest ways for people to practice social distancing while keeping themselves connected and entertained. “I definitely think that gaming does promote social distancing as gaming can be done even if the players are apart. It only requires good coordination with the teammates. I believe that gaming is a good way to make people stay at home and virtually connect with their friends.” While still a growing brand, Trinity Gaming is willing to lend a helping hand in times of need. In a world where social distancing and isolation has become a new norm, the company’s tag line, ‘Game, Connect, and Build’ is something that truly stands out. GUTSHOT

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ESPORTS

A Call of Responsible Duty By Amarylisa Gonsalves

he gaming industry and the esports industry have seen newer and greater heights during the past year. Something that the niche market had been struggling for years, happened due to the unfortunate arrival of the pandemic. Well, by now we all know games, gamers and esports tournaments are a thing. PUBG hosting its individual tournament before the ban and Loco coming up with India’s largest Call-of duty mobile open tournament enabled many young gamers to dream of being a gamer or esports player. Taral Patel, Head of Esports, Loco, says, “The pandemic was unfortunate, but it caused a significant rise in the number of people playing games, precisely the number of people playing games at competitive level. There were close to 20-25k gamers participating in a single tournament. The Call of Duty tournament had 10-15k gamers participating. There are always game tournaments happening starting from ₹10000 up to ₹5,00000 prize pools.” Patel’s statement just gives us a gist of how tremendously the esports ecosystem has been flourishing since the past year. Undoubtedly, it’s safe to say that the pandemic has boosted 30

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the online gaming and esports industry, but on the negative side, it had adverse effects. Negative news has now become a normal affair, it’s scary yet it’s the reality. The army we needed Though the esports community had not been given its long-standing credit, in such times of crisis, the esports com-

Taral Patel munity stood-up to help those affected like a true hero. From streaming to raise funds and organising tournaments, to them

stepping out and helping in dangerous situations, the esports fraternity has done everything for the country. MPL Esports’s ‘Gamers For India’, Red Owl Gaming’s ‘Give for Good ‘, Loco’s ‘Stream For India’ are just a few, there were other initiatives undertaken too, which contributed a small but significant slice to the cake. As Parv Singh aka Regaltos rightly says, “Content creator , big or small, can help out in so many ways. It does not matter if you have 1,000 followers or 10 million followers, everyone’s message is important during these times. In times of such crisis, reaching out to people through relevant and timely resources is the least I could do.” Regaltos is a well-known and followed name in the esports industry. He has participated and won international titles and runs a

Stay Safe’ message. So, it is not just the money these gamers are raising but also creating awareness which is something all of us need to do. I think the esports community has done that really well,” he says. We could not agree more with Patel.

YouTube channel which has 1.89 million subscribers. Apart from the charity streams, Regaltoes also made personal donations. When asked about the same, the esports star says, “I used social media platforms to amplify SOS calls of patients across Delhi and Mumbai. I also donated to Covid-19 Relief Services in India.” Non-monetary aids The COVID did cause a financial void, but was money the only resource required during these testing times? The contributions included creating awareness among the audience regarding the things that need to be done or precautions that need to be taken during these times; keep checking on one another; connect with one another. Patel says, “One simple example is, ever since the lockdown started, every creator and streamer ended their stream or video by giving the ‘Stay Home,

Non-monetary aids were also required and deserve a notable mention. Dr. Mitsu Chavda, an esports lawyer, who volunteered at COVID isolation centre as a frontline warrior, says, “I strongly

felt that youth should come out and volunteer, but as we know, that was not entirely possible. I got vaccinated early but still there was always a risk of get-

ting infected by Covid. So, I met the in-charge Doctor and started volunteering in the covid isolation center. I feel like I have been a part of those Covid patients’

Dr. Mitsu Chavda journey of survival. I have had to see a couple of unfortunate moments too, but overall, at the end, there were a maximum of happy faces that left the covid center with recovery, showering us lots of love and blessings.” Well, the stakeholders did not technically stop there - they reached out to the voiceless friends too. Patel says,” We raised funds to feed the for stray dogs. During the lockdown, a lot of people who used to feed the stray dogs could not step out. So, we helped!” Just getting started Everything is heartening and uplifting. A year that came as a bolt from the blue for all of humankind, certainly brought out humanity and sensitivity from every nook and corner. A busy world focused on higher goals, realised the importance of little things and what was truly ‘essential.’ We appreciate and acknowledge the vigorous efforts of the esports fraternity in stepping forward and doing their part, above and beyond. GUTSHOT

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ESPORTS

The mission of an octet By Amarylisa Gonsalves

he esports scene in India is ment titles. Recently we merged bigger than ever before. The SouL and 8bit to form S8UL. We credit goes to many people launched a gaming house that’s behind the scenes, but the industry owes a huge citation to the pioneers who took the responsibility of making esports the next big thing in India, onto their own shoulders. One of them being ‘8bit Thug’ - you talk to anyone in the esports fraternity or an esports enthusiast, it’s impossible to come across anyone who hasn’t heard of him. A pro gamer, an entrepreneur, a streamer, an influencer, an owner of two of the best teams, an inspiration to millions, a philanthropist, and a humble person, Animesh Agarwal aka 8bit thug is a visionary who aims at making esports the biggest in India. Here’s everything the esports star had to share with us. You’ve been a professional esports player for a long time now. What has been your journey in the esports industry like? I was a professional player for the initial first year of my career. I was the first person ever to represent India at the PUBG mobile tournament in Thailand as an Indian captain. It went well, but eventually I took a step back when I realised there are better players than me and I went ahead to form two of India’s most successful teams, that is SouL and 8bit. These are the biggest names when it comes to mobile gaming and 8bit is a team that has won many tourna32

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worth a million dollars, something that has never been seen before India. The journey has been going great. I have shifted more towards the entrepreneurial side of gaming and esports and I am trying to create more opportunities for people to join in. Tell us about your journey from a player to team owner with 8bit. How did the idea of 8bit conceptualize? 8bit has been in existence for four years now, out of which the initial two years were casual social gaming. There was a game, where we

used to have a clan called ‘8bit.’ The team had 50-60 people, where we socially interacted. But when I went to Thailand, I saw how big the esports ecosystem was. I had heard about how big esports is in America, in Europe and the opportunities available, but I never got to experience that firsthand. Thailand changed my experience completely. When I saw the kind of facilities, the quantum at which esports is being practiced, I realized that there is a big void in India that needs to be filled in by someone and someone needs to step-up. I came back to India and I was one of the first people to start an esports company especially based on mobile gaming. That changed the esports scenario in India completely. I would say, Thailand gave me the motivation to start a professional team and convert 8bit into a more professional organisation. The journey of 8bit has been great, we have added many trophies to our shelf over the last couple of years before we merged into SouL and formed S8UL. We have had excellent results. We are one of the very few companies in India who are actually making profit. How does it feel representing India on an international level? I can tell you how my boys prepare for it because the last time I played on an international level was in 2018 and things have changed quite a lot after

by predicting their moves. You recently participated in MPLs charity stream. You were also a part of the #GamersStandWithIndia charity Stream. Share your experience. The stream by MPL was a great initiative. MPL stepping up with such a huge donation was itself something that enhanced the whole experience. I was playing with my colleagues from S8UL and from the community. It was great fun, the stream was full of banters, but ultimately the cause was to help the people affected by COVID.

When people talk about esports and gaming in India, people should remember there was a team called S8UL and there was a guy called 8bit Thug, who changed how people look at gaming in India. That’s the goal. For that we have big plans of course, expansion, going global with our teams, expanding to Europe. But let’s see, let’s hope for the best.

We did that charity stream to donate through Give India and successfully raised `25,00000. Another team with sc0ut and other players donated `25,00000 from their prize winning and MPL added an amount of `50,00000. For me it was more about the cause, we all came together and the sentiment that we stood up for our country was the best part about the stream. Can you share some details about what you’ve done and how you’ve helped those affected? I don’t really talk much about what they’ve done but just to give you an idea, I did collaborate with Hemkunt Foundation, wherein we donated close to 50 cylinders to Hemkunt and then I made personal donations of `1 Lakh each to around 3 different initiatives. Apart from that I’m also donating twice my YouTube income for the month of May. So, I think this is what I’ve been trying to do.

Any message for upcoming gamers and esports enthusiasts? To every upcoming gaming and esports enthusiast, I would just like to say come and play, there is a lot of space in the field and a lot of scope. If you have the skill, don’t worry, you will get noticed but always keep a backup, study hard. All the influencers have been very instrumental in amplifying the requirements whenever plasma was required or when oxygen was needed. Initially, when the COVID wave hit India hard,. What are your future plans? My future plan is pretty simple. We want to make S8UL the biggest ever organization. I want to make an impact.

You don’t have to pursue gaming by giving up your education and troubling your parents. Take out free time, play in your free time and if you think it’s working for you very well, you will definitely get noticed. Everyone started somewhere, so don’t fear starting.

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FA N TA S Y

A premium league COVID-19 warriors By Mrinal Gujare

he fantasy gaming space took off in a way nobody anticipated. They set the temperatures soaring with respect to generating revenues and expanding user base and is now looking to be a billion-dollar industry within two years! No one would have anticipated the impact fantasy sports would have on Indian economy. Even when the dreaded call of the IPL season being ‘postponed’ came about, fantasy sports sector pinned on hopes for hassle free participation. The playbook of these fantasy games underwent a change owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Though it has not been a smooth sail, a lot of fantasy sports platform came together to do their bit 34

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in organising COVID-19 relief initiatives for the society. Indian fantasy sports’ operators supported those who were severely impacted by the brutal outbreak of COVID-19.

mentioned how their employees were working from home even before the Government of India

Lifting the veil of fantasy Intrigued by the way things were going for the Indian fantasy sports industry, Gutshot Magazine spoke to Sreeram Reddy Vanga, Founder, OpenPlay Tech, one of the thriving fantasy sports brands in the country, and to Vickram Assomull, Co-founder, BlitzPools to know how the firm led from the front amid such arduous times and about the initiatives they undertook in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While talking about the initiative done by OpenPlay Tech, Vanga

Sreeram Reddy Vanga

Dream11, through the philanthropic arm Dream Sports Foundation (DSF), has pledges its support to “feed the daily wager” by partnering with Zomato. Mobile Premier League also joined hands with Give India to organise ‘Gamers for India Fundraiser’ for Covid relief in partnership with some of the most revered names in the Indian gaming community on 15tth May. A whopping number of `81,00,0000 was accumulated, out of which MPL Esports contributed 75,00,000 towards the cause.

Vickram Assomull announced it. The founder of this popular fantasy sports platform also added that the brand was determined to take care of its employees and their family members in case of any emergencies. He further mentions that OpenPlay Tech is committed to the safety of its employees and bought COVID-19 insurance for the employees. It is important to know that to keep the morale high of the employees during such trying times; a step in that direction is to make sure the employees get their statutory benefits, requisite insurance, and annual increment.

brand’s COVID-19 relief efforts, proudly mentions about the Free Pools they created to engage the players and generate funds. The fantasy sports platform donated `5 to each team that participated in COVID-19 Relief Free Pools.

Assomull adds how the brand witnessed a spike in daily users who wanted to play their part in the relief efforts. BlitzPools managed to collect `1,10000 in donations and collaborated with the Helping Hands Foundation to provide aid to the people affected by COVID-19. The fantasy sports Mobile Premier League (MPL) brand along with Helping Hands also donated `5 crore to Foundation provided food to #InThisTogether initiative started marginalised communities with by Virat Kohli and actress the funds raised via BlitzPools. Anushka Sharma. The duo started The COVID-19 relief aid was also this campaign in partnership with given to senior citizens, families Ketto, a crowd-funding platform. who have COVID-19 and cancer patients. While talking about the vaccination of employees When we look at the COVID-19 Vanga stated that the firm is crisis in the country, one surely in talks with various hospitals feels that any and every help will in Hyderabad to finalise a definitely make a difference. The vaccination partner for its Indian fantasy sports operators employees and their family are doing their part well when it members. OpenPlay Tech is a comes to providing support and shining example of how a firm COVID-19 relief aid not just to its should do everything in its employees but even to a larger power to ensure the safety of its population that is suffering due employees and by extension the to the pandemic. family of its employees. Vickram Assomull, Co-founder, Be it a Free Pool or a fundraiser, BlitzPools while talking about the the Indian fantasy sports community has rolled up its sleeves to put up a tough fight with the coronavirus pandemic. It is heartwarming to see fantasy sports players, firms, brand ambassadors among others taking steps to reach out to people who are adversely affected and generate more awareness towards the COVID-19 relief cause. GUTSHOT

JUNE

2021

RUMMY

An ISO Certified Rummy Blend of Culture & Technology By Athira Laji

he dramatic change that rummy has undergone owing to the boom in technology and internet, has made it immensely popular, especially the cash games. However, with money one becomes sceptical; so, it is utmost important to have a platform that is trust-worthy and widely acknowledged credibility. We ended up speaking to the head of such a credible platform which is also said to be India’s only ISO 9001:2015 certified gaming platform, Amit Kushwaha - Head Brand Strategy – Gameskraft. Their RummyCulture platform was launched with the sole aim of boosting the rummy status in India. How did the journey of Rummy Culture begin with? RummyCulture was launched under Gameskraft in 2017. Our aim and games are simple and clear - a premium and hassle-free rummy playing experience on our website, android, and iOS app. Rummy was chosen as our launch game owing to its rich history and popularity in India. We also saw an underlying opportunity in the way other 36

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2021

major platforms were operating at the time. Furthermore, we

Amit Kushwaha realised that we could improve the gaming experience for our users by using tech intervention at each stage, thus resulting in higher gameplay. What were the steps taken to secure game and be a recipient of such a certification? Our aim was always to provide a seamless and most trustworthy experience to our players and ISO certification is a big milestone in our path of making it possible. To build the trust factor, some steps and platform enhancement we performed are:

• RNG verified platform • Limit daily and monthly add cash; we do not allow users to add more cash on the platform than the set limit • History feature allows users to see their last 5 games to improve performance • Instant withdrawal using IMPS and UPI • 24/7 customer support in multiple languages makes us the only platform which gives customer support to all users irrespective of their gameplay value • A minimum distance of 1 Km is maintained between the player on the same game table • Player profile verification to ensure one is playing with real players and not bots What makes RummyCulture unique? RummyCulture was started by a bunch of passionate gamers, from premier institutes like IITs, IIT-BHU, ISB, IIMs, and NSIT. With tech in our DNA, we want to solve every problem using technology so that there is less human intervention, and the solutions are highly scalable. During the making of RummyCulture,

we looked at player operations and found that there were a lot of technical gaps that needs to be filled. We were the first to launch the Instant withdrawal feature in the category along with the history feature where users can check their last 5 games. This inclination towards technology and high customer centricity makes us a game apart in the segment.

with the help of influencers.

manner we can.

How are your player retention numbers looking? Through our internal analysis of repeat players, we have noticed that player retention in the gaming segment is highly correlated to game play experience and trust factor. So, we took various steps to enhance both these parameters – the results talk. Options like How secure and eamless are the 24/7 customer care support for all transactions on Rummy Culplayers irrespective of their play ture? value, the history features, and We realised very early that secure fraud-stopping mechanisms helps and seamless transactions were us build higher trust and helps in an important parameter for every better player retention. user. We have put up the best of systems and reliable payment How was 2020 -2021 for Rumplatforms like UPI, Paytm, Payu, myCulture? Visa, Mastercard, Rupay, and Am- 2020 and 2021 will be known for azon Pay to ensure that transacthe biggest uncertainty it has tions are safe and secure. thrown at everyone. No doubt, it has helped the gaming industry What was the result of Chamas other options of recreation and pions ka Culture campaign? leisure was shut which made peoThe association and the overall ple turn towards gaming, but this campaign bought us good numhas also made companies look ber. There has been a 50% jump more seriously towards gameplay in website visits, healthy growth experience and other crucial pain google searches as well as CTRs rameters. Many players who did on our all-digital campaigns. Our not fare well on gameplay, saw digital mentions saw an increase a drop in their user base as soon of more than 100% and we had a as lockdown eased. But we were strong association between Rum- able to hold our ground even post myCulture and a positive percep- lockdown. tion of it being akin to a champion platform. This campaign was In what ways did you contribnot just for RummyCulture alone; ute towards bettering the preswe did this to reduce the negaent condition of the economy? tivity around Rummy, and wanted As a proud socially responsible people to see it as a sport and corporation, we keep doing our game of skill. We have the bestbit along with various NGOs to in-class engagement numbers support people in whichever

What is the ‘Survival of the fittest’ story? These are unheard and unprecedented times for everyone including us and this is something that cannot be planned for. But as a team, we are proud to say that we changed our strategies very quickly to address and adapt to the new conditions and implemented them smoothly which allowed our platform to face challenging times with minimum jerks. We did not notice any impact on player experience, gameplay, or any other operational issue which could affect the player’s experience. How would you sketch out a plan for your company post the COVID-19 era? We are a young organisation looking for various avenues to fuel our growth. We noticed healthy growth before the lockdown and was able to sustain that momentum even post that. Good growth numbers come in from the western and northern parts of the country and we are continuing to look for new opportunities in various markets. Moreover, we strongly believe that if we can change the perception of rummy and bring positivity around it, the game will gain more popularity will help us in the long run. Thus, instead of just focussing on the growth of RummyCulture, our focus will be on the overall growth of Rummy also.

GUTSHOT

JUNE

2021

RUMMY

Rummy’s the name and money’s the endgame! By Jochebed Mendes

he season’s almost over, the pandemic seems never-ending and not everybody is okay with binge-watching movies or binge-eating over the weekend. So, spice up your life by adding an old traditional game of cards to it? It is true that the gaming industry has been soaring heights since a long time now, but the COVID-19 induced lockdown has increased the online gaming traffic. Rummy, a little less popular a few years back has surprised the market stats by the pace it has picked up.

thusiasm until the tourney ends.

Do you enjoy playing the game live or online? Is the line between the two situations thick or thin? The 13-card game became available online two decades ago. Although, basic rules are the same, yet there’s a lot of difference in the experience of playing rummy online vs the traditional way. In online rummy, I have the luxury of playing at my convenience, and also play tournaPriya Kumar ments as frequently as I wish to, without worrying about being amongst the tech-savvy who are on the lookout for entertain- cheated in the game. Moreover, Priya Kumar, the Director and ment options with a competitive there are amazing cash rewards Head of Content Strategy of to be won, something that is not edge. It is like riding a rollPassion Gaming sheds light on so common in playing rummy er-coaster in the virtual world rummy being recognised as a with its up and downs (victories the traditional way. popular sport in today’s times and losses). as well as its progress amidst Your say on Rummy would eithe global pandemic. Bobby ther excite the player to play How does it feel to take the Garg, the CEO & Co-founder of more or cause doubts in the seat at the tournament when Passion Gaming then wraps up mind of a beginner? hundreds are playing against the interview with a little insight you? If you are a true rummy lover, on keeping up with the losses nothing can dampen your pasEvery rummy game brings new during COVID-19. sion for the game. Every rummy challenges but competing in player would agree to the fact tournaments, tests on a differWhat is your take on rummy ent level altogether. I would say that the game is immensely as a game of skill? engrossing and offers unique that there’s a lot of pressure Rummy has been a source of opportunities for players to even in a small-scale tourney, entertainment for many genera- but it’s my passion for the game win cash rewards. The rules are tions now. Today, online rummy that fuels the desire to give my simple and quite easy to learn. It is quickly gaining recognition best and play with the same en- is meant for everyone above the 38

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age of 18, irrespective of education, age-group, or profession – just learn the rules, practice new strategies, and play responsibly to lay your hands on the cash rewards. How would you differentiate rummy in India and on a global level? In India, the 13-card Indian Rummy Game is highly preferred, while the west prefers Gin Rummy. Although, all these games employ the same basic principles, yet the level of craze for the game differs from one region to another. In India, the game is extremely popular in the Southern region. The subcontinent’s own version of the game, Indian Rummy has further variants and sub-variants too which the players here enjoy immensely. Is rummy beginning to bloom in India? People have now started recognising rummy as a game that can build up the players’ mental capabilities. Online rummy has made it much easier to participate in quick rounds during short breaks. A major reason why people love playing online rummy, especially at Rummy Passion, is the world-class rummy experience they get right in their pockets – the user-friendly gaming interface, innumerable promotions, cash rewards, and high-tech security. Gaming companies’ revenue contributions was kind of a breather. Your comments? There has been a decline in

overall revenue collections because many brick and mortar businesses were severely hit during the pandemic. Gaming companies’ contribution in the form of taxes cushion the shock to our economy. They provide an

Bobby Garg

important service, especially in times when people get isolated. At the end of the day, gaming is a mental sport and contributes to the mental wellbeing of society giving a lasting impact on our economy. Many companies have lost the connection to the source of their daily bread in order to keep functioning. Do you think forming new alliances with other gaming companies will help the industry to economically break free from the shackles of the pandemic? Alliances do help to bring out the best by sharing of technology and people. Pooled resources often work for the benefit of all

involved. Gaming in India is relatively new, and we are seeing a few new alliances come up. The evolution has just started, but we feel it is likely to happen irrespective of the pandemic. Really, it is only a function of how leaders wish to synergistically share their strengths. As the CEO & Co-founder of Passion Gaming, how would you sketch out a plan for your company post the COVID-19 era? You may be surprised to know that online gaming companies are heavily dependent on technology - not just to run the games but also to process payments, for data analytics and to conduct marketing activities among other things. This makes us very nimble, and we have been quick to adapt to the changing times. For us, work from home is relatively easier. Our team is a highly engaged one and our philosophy is to invest in our people with high emotional quotients. In rough times, we are lucky to have been able to provide flexibility, so team members could take care of their personal situations as and when they arose. We collectively helped each other with health care situations and pitched in with all sorts of assistance. Post COVID-19 era poses new avenues for us. Our games are immersive, and we plan on adding new skill games to our portfolio very soon. We know our players find that exciting and we look forward to it. GUTSHOT

JUNE

2021

10 THINGS

10 Things You Didn’t Know About RMG

The largest game of poker had

More than variations of card games were derived from rummy.

225,000 grinders in total.

34 5 6 78

Lil Poison, aged 6, was the

youngest

Ginx Esports TV is the first official esports television channel

esports player.

34%

The Big One for One Drop tournament at WSOP had a

sports

$1,000,000

of the fantasy

players in

the world are females

buy-in

Rummy evolved from a poker format called

72% users stay hooked to esports due to fun and exciting elements.

9 10

Whiskey Poker.

118 million

people bet on fantasy sports in the US every year 40

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2021

Fantasy sports players watch more live sports and consume more sports news than others

http://bit.ly/GSBlitzP

INDIAN NEWS

http://bit.ly/Gutshot10 00

GUTSHOT

FEBRUARY

2021

Gutshot June 2021

Articles inside

Rummy’s The Name and Money’s The

An ISO Certified Rummy Blend of Culture & Technology: Interview with Amit Kushwaha - Head Brand Strategy – Gameskraft

A premium league COVID-19 warriors

A Game of Hope and Responsibility

The mission of an octet: Interview

A Magnetic Endeavour to Online Poker: Interview with Rahul Bhatia,

A Community’s Unanimous Choice to Make A Hero Call!

A force to reckon with, streams to

A Dedicated Past, An Aided Present

Bulletin of the month

The COVID-19 Survival Game