Gutshot November 2020

Volume 1 | Issue 4 | Mumbai |

www.gutshotmagazine.com

Novemberr 2020 | Pages 45

RUMMYBAAZI Melding the Market

SAGAR VYAS India’s best FIFA player shares his advice

FANTASY ARENA

Tips to up your game

LEARN AND LEAD

All the ways you can improve your poker skills

BREAKTHROUGH BOOT CAMP AN INTERVIEW WITH INDIA’S PREMIER POKER COACHES

CONTENT

04 Editor’s Note 06 Poker News 08 RMG News

09 Esports News 42 Fun Section POKER:

30 Luck Or Skill? The Debate

10 Alton Hardin: Micro Grinder

Poker School

Around Rummy

12 How To Get Your Poker Fix

32 RummyBaazi: Melding The

Online

Market

16 Cover Story: Poker Bootcamp

ESPORTS:

13 Poker For Charity: VPL India

34 The Gaming Monk

‘LOVESX’ Vyas

FANTASY SPORTS:

21 World Poker Tour: Preview To India Series

22 Learn and Lead

24 Poker Is Tough But We Are Tougher!

SPECIAL FEATURE:

26 Make Your Money Work For You RUMMY:

28 The Rise And Rise of Online Rummy

36 Pride Of India: Sagar 38 HaD3S and the Megastars

40 The Fantasy Fanboy

42 It’s Time To Celebrate Our

Fantasy Sports Heroes!

EDIT Volume 1 | Issue 4 | Mumbai |

www.gutshotmagazine.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

Novemberr 2020 | Pages 45

A

RUMMYBAAZI Melding the Market

SAGAR VYAS India’s best FIFA player shares his advice

FANTASY ARENA Tips to up your game

LEARN AND LEAD

All the ways you can improve your poker skills

BREAKTHROUGH BOOT CAMP AN INTERVIEW WITH INDIA’S PREMIER POKER COACHES

www.gutshotmagazine.com

November 2020

Volume I

Issue 4

RMG + LIFESTYLE

MANAGING EDITOR Sameer Rattonsey EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Peter Abraham CONTENT Dwayne Fernandes Manthra Koliyer CONTENT STRATEGY Shriya Ghate DESIGN HB Design Pvt. Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sajid Moinuddin Volume I Issue 4 November 2020 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.

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NOVEMBER 2020

b ki baar Biden sarkaar! And with that, one of the most awaited political heads-up battles finally went into showdown with Joe Biden all set to become the 46th President of the United States.

From an online gaming standpoint, Biden becoming president might be a positive one for the industry and could pave the way for pro-gaming legislation across the world. All we can do in the meantime is wait and watch.

We feature two young men from the poker circuit on the cover for this issue.

Abhishek Goindi has been an accomplished poker player for several years and his partnership with another prolific player in Tanay Hargunaney in creating the Poker Boot Camp heralded a new chapter in the country’s poker coaching landscape.

Gutshot spoke to both men about their vision and future plans for the brand and their aim to grow and evolve the poker ecosystem in India.

Aside from an array of stories from different pillars of the gaming industry we also touch upon personal finance. With the kind of money in gaming these days, one needs to be judicious about investing it so we have a ‘personal finance lite’ article which talks about some must-dos.

Till next time, stay safe and keep crushing!

PETER ABRAHAM Editor-In-Chief

POKER NEWSS

Daniel Negreanu vs Doug Polk grudge match

Of late, quite a few heads-up challenges have been taking place among the who’s who of the poker industry. The biggest and the most awaited of them was the grudge match between Daniel Negreanu and his long-time arch-nemesis, Doug Polk. They’re calling it the poker match of the century and so far, a total of 1,000 hands have been played out of the 25,000 hands decided by the two.

They kicked off with the first session being played live and then turned to online poker, with the latter not giving the best results to Negreanu. Stay tuned as currently, Polk leads and is up by $268,031.82!

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Deccan Aces wins inaugural Virtual Poker League (VPL)

In a bid to do something which no other poker brand across the world has done before, Poker Sports League (PSL) held the first ever Virtual Poker League (VPL) which saw players from across the country play for a charitable cause, with all the action being streamed live on the Hashtag Poker app. After four days of enthralling action between 14-17 October, it was Deccan Aces who topped the six franchise teams to win the league, with the prize of INR 10 Lakh going completely to charity! The players from the winning team included Sam Reddy (owner), Kunal Patni (mentor), Smita Agarwalla, Rajat Sharma and Anant Purohit. #AllInForCharity.

Gaurav Sood takes home maiden Millionaire title At just 25 years of age, Gaurav Sood has been killing it on the virtual felts over the last couple of years and 2020 has just been the best of the lot for him, with INR 4+ Crore in cashes already. While he had almost every online major under his belt, Spartan Poker’s Millionaire is something that was elusive and early in October 2020, he managed to pouch that as well, bagging the Grand Poker Series (GPS) Millionaire United, beating 1,332 entries and winning the top prize of INR 17+ Lakh. This turned out to be his highest score on Spartan Poker, where he plays under the screen name ‘mozzie17’!

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GAMING NEWSS

Dream11 acquireS FanDuniya

Andhra Pradesh bans online gaming!

Updates from the world of gaming are always pouring in, both good and bad.

However, this development from the AP government was nowhere close to being good news as they passed an ordinance to ban all kinds of online gaming in the state. The umbrella ban included all

types of RMG such as fantasy sports, rummy, and poker, at a time when fantasy sports was booming thanks to IPL 2020.

It’s said that these were all forms of ‘gambling’ that were pushing the youth on the wrong path and that people practising such activities should be punished!

Easily the largest fantasy sports operator in India, Dream11 is always looking for new ideas for expansion and they found another one in AI fantasy sports startup FanDuniya. The IPL 2020 title sponsor made the acquisition through its subsidiary, FanCode, an app which live streams various sporting action from across the world. To make the overall fantasy gaming experience even better, FanDuniya co-founders Ramkumar Venkatasubramanian and Viswanath Kommalapati joined the management team!

They later released videos online called ‘Dream11 Expert Predictions by FanDuniya’!

Goa casinos allowed to reopen Forced to be shut for over six months, the Goa government finally decided to give the nod to reopening casinos in the state early in November. The first to open doors to customers in River Mandovi were Big Daddy and Deltin Jaqk, though they did so with several new regulations and safety protocols in place, keeping in mind the Covid-19 pandemic. Soon, the Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) decided to renew the trade licenses for the six offshore casinos operating in the Mandovi. In a couple of weeks, the casino industry received some positive developments and we hope to see them back to normal soon.

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ESPORTS NEWS

The Battle Arena For Valorant Agents Is Set! Released on June 2, 2020, Valorant has seen a huge rise in the number of players and has managed to take the world of esports by storm.

Taking it a step further, Riot Games is all set to host its first ever Valorant tournament in November. Given the success story of Riot Games in the world of esports with LoL, fans already believe

that Riot will turn Valorant into another game that will become one of the largest competitive games. Open qualifiers for Valorant First Strike: Europe are set to kick off in November.

Matches will be defined in a best-of-three format save for the finals, which are best-of-five. Logitech will be the major sponsor for this tournament.

TSM Bjergsen puts a full stop on his game!

2020 has given surprises to everyone, most of them being sad. One of the recent big announcements in the world of esports was on 24 October, 2020—the retirement of legendary LoL player, Soren Bjergsen, popularly known as ‘Bjergsen’ of team TSM. Bjergsen has bagged a number of titles The Bond of Team Liquid & Marvel Continues in his career of LoL. He After a successful year of has won LCS six times, collaboration, team Liquid owns four MVP awards, and Marvel have decided has participated in the to renew their partnership. world tournaments five Marvel, an entertainment times and has played All giant came together with Star events a couple of team Liquid last year to entimes. While he will retire ter the world of esports by as a professional player bringing a new collection of from the team, he will take clothing and merchandise. up the role of coach for This year Marvel and team TSM which he believes he Liquid have decided to has been doing informalcontinue their relationship ly so far and hasn’t been bringing out the best possible products for the fans. able to focus on due to With the new ‘Liquid X Marvel’ Retro clothing collection, the pressure on self-perthe team is all set to surprise their fans. formance in the game.

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09

INTERVIEW

as my priority has always been to teach. Roughly, 9,000 students have enrolled into this course over the past five years, so that averages out to around 1,800 new students per year over a period of five years. But, obviously, as the course has become more popular, I have gotment. Gutshot interviewed ten a lot more students MANTHRA KOLIYER Alton about his courses on annually in the past couple Udemy: of years, than I did in the first few years. lton Hardin is the How and why did you founder of decide to work with As a mentor, what is MicroGrinder one reason why stuPoker School and Udemy?

I used to be an adjunct dents should opt for the best-selling author of professor at a universithis course?

Essential Poker Math For One main thing that difNo Limit Holdem. He is the ty, but moved away and was no longer teaching. ferentiates myself and my creator of numerous online In the recent past, I have course from other poker poker courses (30 coursseriously gotten back into training courses, is that es on Udemy), with over poker, so I decided to post Udemy regularly offers 10,000 students enrolled, a course on Udemy for sales and people can geared towards beginning pick up my course for and struggling poker players. fun, mainly to check how it would fare. That then a fraction of the cost of Alton has been playing snowballed into 16 cours- anywhere else. I’ve seen it poker for over a decade, es on Udemy now, and as low as INR 399, which both live and online. He 30+ courses on my Poker equates to only around first became fond of the School website, as well $5 USD. Whereas, most game because he paid as my best-selling poker poker training sites cost his college fees with live anywhere from $30 to low stakes cash games in books. $100 per month. I’ve nothe early 2000’s. Based Tell us about, ‘Crush ticed as of the past several in Woodland, California, Micro Stakes Online months, I’ve actually had Alton is also a full-time Poker: The Complete a large influx of students business and I.T. profesin India, as online poker is sional, working in the field Mastery Guide.’ How many students enroll really booming there, and of cyber security. He has themselves every year? micro stakes online cash earned two graduate degames are very soft, so grees, an M.B.A. and M.S. I have never kept track of the number of students my students are reaping in IT Network Manage-

Alton Hardin:

Micro Grinder Poker School

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the benefits! I also answer student questions at the earliest in the course, and have an active Facebook student community with almost 1,800 subscribers right now.

Here are some of the courses I offer:

sary to crush the micro stakes LEARN TO CRUSH THE • Understand Essential MICRO STAKES JUST Poker HUD Stats and LIKE ME Player Types that will allow This course will teach you to outplay your opyou everything you need ponents and attack their to know to crush micro weaknesses stakes online poker and • Master Pre-Flop Strateturn nickels, dimes and gies that allow you to learn quarters into hundreds of what cards you should dollars of profit. As a play- and can play profitably er, I have myself won over • Learn essential and $1,000 only playing $2, easy-to-learn Poker Math $5, and $10 buy-in micro all poker players should stakes cash games in know my spare time and I have • Understand Post-Flop used all of my experience Basics that will allow you to create the course. to win more pots • Learn the secrets to BECOME A MASTER OF profitable Flop Play and MICRO STAKES ONContinuation Betting LINE POKER • Learn to successfully In this course you’ll learn Bluff and Semi-Bluff your everything you need to opponents out of the pot know to crush online mi• Learn to navigate Playcro stakes poker. I will ing the Turns and Rivers to teach you how a tight-ag- make more money doing so gressive approach to the • Watch and learn from game yields tons of profits my Live Play Session through a fundamental Reviews and Hand Hisunderstanding of poker tory Analyses to see your strategy and tactics. course curriculum and • Master Fundamental winning poker play in Poker Concepts necesaction

If you are a beginning poker player who wants to maximize your winnings or even if you are an experienced and struggling poker player this course is for you! Through over 160 video lectures and 23 hours of learning material, you will surely learn everything you need to know to crush micro stakes online poker.

Student review is very crucial to the process of teaching. Here’s what one of my students that has benefited from the course has to say.

Kevin said, “This course is worth its weight in chips. I’ve been an intermediate player for years.

I won some back before “Black Friday.” However, I could never really understand why certain players were just able to own me.

I haven’t played regularly in several years and have recently decided to play more often. I bought this course as a “refresher.” It is so much more than a refresher. The sections on 3-betting, isolation raising, and over-limping (not limping too often, but limping after others have limped) have already transformed my game from a slight winner to a consistent winner.”

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POKER

HOW TO GET YOUR POKER FIX ONLINE

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ROHAN DAS

he sound of shuffling chips. The riffle of the cards.

The change in voice when your friends try to bluff you. The banter.

These are just some of the things about live poker that the current pandemic has taken away from us. With the festive season coming up, it hits especially hard not being able to play a casual poker game. Afterall, it’s the only time of the year when one gets to play a live game with their friends!

The pandemic has hit almost every industry and the economy very hard.

One place that is still thriving has been the online poker world. Now, if you’re a recreational player who has majorly played live poker it might be slightly intimidating to move to online play. You may have never played online or you will mostly be playing with strangers, and this might put you off from online poker entirely.

Fear not! Most sites these days offer you the option of hosting your 12

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own home game, which is basically your own private table where you and your friends can enjoy a game of poker like the old days.

Indian industry leader, Spartan Poker, has the option to set up a private table where you can decide the stakes, game variant and speed at which you want to play and you can set up a password so that only the people you invite can enter the game. You will have to convince your friends to make a deposit so that you can settle immediately but there are plenty of offers both on their site as well as on the Gutshot Magazine website to entice them to take that plunge.

New entrant to the market, Blitz Poker, also offers the same options. You can find the same or at least

NOVEMBER 2020

similar options on sites like PokerStars.in, PokerHigh. com & PokerSaint.com.

You can find exclusive sign up deals if you just look to the right corner of the Gutshot Magazine website.

In case you and your friends are weary of making a deposit online, these sites also offer the option of setting up a private table with play money or free to play chips, which don’t require you to make any deposits. Apps like PPPoker and Pokerr also allow you to set up your own private games to play with your friends for free and you can settle the differences offline.

So, for any of you itching to get your poker fix during the festive season, we hope this helped and here’s wishing you a ton of run good!

POKER

POKER FOR CHARITY: VPL! Super School India: Education for urban slum children and youth in India

still feels like a wonderful dream and I just don’t wanna wake up.

How does it feel to play for charity?

Sam: We are in one of those unique hardship situations due to Covid-19 and What do you think of PSL several organizations are in and why do you think the need of financial help. It or the first time ever, they stand out ? was a pleasure and in fact the best poker players Sam: I believe PSL is the an honor to be a part of a in India came togethonly true Poker League in charity event. Each of us er to play for a charitable India. The goal for each one played hard and none of us cause. of us—including the league wanted to miss out on the founders, team owners, glory of being a winner. The VPL was a phenomenal players, and staff, is to edwinner had the privilege to event in Indian poker. PSL ucate people that poker is choose the charity organichose the best players in indeed a mind sport like zation.

India to participate in this chess and to take it mainevent. Streaming from their stream. There is some social As the leader, were you respective houses for the stigma attached to playing under a lot of pressure? first time, this was a unique cards in India and it needs to Kunal: Not really. This is experience. Across six sube negated. The element of the third time I was the percharged teams, the VPL chance in cricket or basket- mentor for this team. We took place between 14-17 ball or any sport in general is were the underdogs (on October, 2020 and aired on in fact higher than in poker. paper) so I believe the the Hashtag Poker app. pressure was on the other As a part of Deccan teams. I was excited esThe organizations that Aces, how was your pecially in playing the final benefited from the 10L GTD experience?

SNG as it had the best prize pool in the inaugural Sam: It was my first time, Indian players and we had a edition of VPL were: and the event was truly great time playing!

United Way Chennai: enthralling. Playing with Fighting for health, education the top 30 poker players Globally, the poker comand financial stability for all in India was itself a oncemunity has time and again ASSCOD: Providing free in-a lifetime opportunity canvassed for charity. The tuition centers for tribal and winning the events tournament is indeed a children was just unbelievable. It stepping stone in India.

We caught up with players from Team Decan Aces, Kunal Patni and Sam Reddy.

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COVER STORY

Poker Bootcamp India: Lifting Up Each Other To Lift Up The Game

PHOTOGRAPHS : REBECCA D’COSTA

MANTHRA KOLIYER (PBCI), have been hard at work, teaching poker and bhiskhek Goindi making the most of the and Tanay Harpandemic to help out their gunaney, foundstudents. ers of India’s One of the best placpremiere poker school, es to learn poker in the Poker Bootcamp India country, PBCI has grown

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leaps and bounds over the last many months and Gutshot decided to feature the duo behind the system, as they recently completed one year of operations. If you haven’t heard of them yet, here’s

your chance to meet the young men pushing the game forward.

The Hello Poker course is our flagship course. When a new student joins, we conduct a basic test to Abhishek, please tell assess their knowledge us about the courses at about the game and dethe Bootcamp currently. pending on the test we Initially, we only had the suggest they join the ‘Hello Poker’ course, which course. It is for any person is a foundation course for who does not know the people that have never fundamentals and technitaken any formal education calities of the game. We in poker. Other than that, focus on the core of the we have the The Pot Limit game. With a fresh set of Omaha (PLO) course and students we teach fundathe MTT camp for intermentals, strategies, and mediate and advanced the ABCs. We provide a poker. Our goal was to roadmap that has a month create a system that has over month structured a specific something for plan, which eventually every player. Tanay comes helps them review what from a PLO background they’ve learnt during their while I’m an MTT person. time at the bootcamp. The The way poker is growing PLO course focuses more in India, there’s a massive on the cash game and it shift in trend towards PLO is priced differently. It is cash games. As we always distinct as there are more say, the process of learntechnicalities to it. ing never stops. We offer a perspective to learning What are the individual by joining the team and contributions that you spending as much time as bring to the camp? possible, utilizing every little Goindi: Tanay handles bit of information that we operations and discord, provide. We want students while I head marketing to learn and study as much and overall growth of the as possible. Without learn- business. As a team, we ing there’s no earning! look after the entire program. We also look at creTanay, please ating the content together, elaborate on the Hello journeys together. Since Poker course and the I’ve reached this level from PLO course. a basic INR 10 buy-in, I’m

more of the motivating kind, while Tanay handles the nitty-gritties of the business.

The bootcamp recently hired another coach.

Tell us about this milestone.

Goindi: One of the prime reasons why we decided to have a new person in the team is because the number of students and inquiries related to the bootcamp has been on a steady rise. As much as we love teaching, we have to run the business as well as concentrate on our own game.

Shardul Parthasarathi is the new coach. So far, he has been consistent and he loves what he’s doing. As a coach, he is at a position where he can now help low and mid-stakes guys who are trying to learn more. He is adding the perspective of a player, and intends to motivate students with his game. As a by-product of coaching, his game has improved as well.

Shradul has been crushing mid stakes and high stakes on the Indian side and has been in tune with the current field. His perspective adds a fresh value to the courses.

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In this one year, what was the biggest catalyst for the growth of the bootcamp?

Goindi: I believe the Covid situation played

This lockdown helped us to move online and scale out to many more people that were interested but based in other cities across the country

the role of a catalyst. This lockdown helped us to move online and scale out to many more people that were interested but based in other cities across the country. The physical bootcamp was a unique concept, which provided great learning, of course. For us, moving online and still managing to provide meaningful content was itself a significant change. As a team, it helped us to maintain performance.

Hargunaney: One of the most important factors is that the three coaches are doing really well. Some of the students at the bootcamp have stuck with us for 8 months to a year now and their game has changed phenomenally. Those players have started winning now.

The sheer fact that other people are recognising them has been a catalyst. When people notice, we start believing in our work. Just our focused efforts in helping, wanting people to grow and our intent towards what we’re pursuing is also showing results.

What are some of the

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major challenges that you two had to face in the past one year?

Goindi: Some people believe that they cannot manage the cost, but what they do not understand is that they are investing in themselves and they’re surely going to reap benefits eventually. The other challenge is that we need to constantly create content that we can put out for people to watch and learn. The technological aspect is something that we want to work on as we’re still using the Zoom application to interact and teach students.

Hargunaney: I am more inclined towards operations of the bootcamp. I work on a one-on-one basis with the players. We’re constantly on the run to create a journey for each player that joins us. That is itself a challenge as the speed of learning for every player is different.

When will a physical camp be hosted again?

Goindi: Currently, we’re running classes online but we’ve had a lot of requests from students for a physical bootcamp. We wanted to keep the vibe of

enjoying each other’s successes. Our groups are still active on Whatsapp and Discord and we want to desperately meet each other. We are still in talks, so there may be a giant offline bootcamp sometime soon.

sal, while Neil Joshi and other players will be giving their perspective too.

The price point is another important factor that we’re currently working on. At the moment, we are only able to cater to a segment of the audience.

Any immediate expansion plans that you have for the growth of the bootcamp?

Hargunaney: Due to our approach towards the game, we take only 15 students per batch. This helps with one-on-one interactions during the session as well as after.

We discuss bankroll management, mental game management, etc. In the future, we will be looking at expanding the number of sessions.

How do players get your guidance even if we don’t join the bootcamp?

Hargunaney: To the players that want to learn but are a little skeptical because of the budget, I would recommend they join our channel on Discord. Even if they are not onboard the camp, we still provide support, we’re open to helping players grow. Once or twice a week, every student gets to discuss and address their issues.

Goindi: To add more colour to the courses, we’ve always had guest lectures. Prominent players from the poker industry in India such as Gaurav Sood, Pawan Bansal and Raghav Bansal have conducted sessions with us in the past. Most of the players want to give back, and we are enjoying that aspect for now. We had a talk about improving the mindset by Raghav Ban-

Who has been your best student so far?

Both: It will be a close call between Dhiren and Vivek Karwa. They are the top two candidates that we believe are performing exceptionally well. If you look at the other scores, Sonu (full name) is equally good. Dhiren is one of our most improved players.

He came to us during the month of April when he

To the players that want to learn but are a little skeptical because of the budget, I would recommend them to join our channel on Discord was a losing player and now he has become a consistent winner. At the bootcamp, we pay a lot of attention to consistency as it definitely pays off.

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We’ve had people like Navalkar who only had a bankroll of 75,000 when he joined and now he has 6.75 Lakhs.

Students need to know that it’s not about winning that one tournament, it’s about consistency. Sam Reddy had his first profitable year after he joined the MTD. He was consistently losing for the past 6-7 years. Though his skill is not like a top pro, the mindset shift is a huge deal and a success for us and the Bootcamp.

WINNERS TESTIMONIALS Dhiren :

es take care of all doubts My game changed a lot. I and we also get to see the already had basic undercoach live Sunday grind. standing but with use of It just helps how Goindi is different tools like Flopzila/ taking spots and taking care HRC/PIO overall the game of typical situations as per improved. I tried YouTube action flow, board structure videos but you need regand table dynamics. People ular daily assistance and can ask questions during PBCI served this purpose. breaks.

I took an intermediate Currently, I have some MTT course. We usually commitments, but once I get study typical spots in tools time I will join PBCI advance and do regular hand recourse. Nevertheless if there views. Plus there are topis any doubt or I need assisics like 3bet pots, stealing, tance Shardul/Tanay/ Goindi short stack game, ICM, are not that far. board structure. All these topics one has to study to Aditya Navalkar : improve the game.

My experience with the During the training, coach- bootcamp has been noth20

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ing shor t of awesome!

You can expect great things almost immediately af ter joining PBCI, provided you are willing to implement all the knowledge they are impar ting! Mindset, bankroll management and skill in that order are the most impor tant aspects to poker in my opinion and the bootcamp teaches you all of these things in great detail! There is a good mix when it comes to the learning bit, theor y, hand histor y sessions and even play and explain sessions.

PREVIEW

WORLD POKER TOUR:

PREVIEW TO INDIA SERIES poker community who can participate and join the action from the safety he WPT (World of their homes. Nothing Poker Tour) is a can be compared to the globally popular fun of offline networking series consisting but today technology can of international poker tourdeliver a nearing experinaments where thousands ence. In the current situaof poker players come tion the gaming websites together to battle it out for can weather the crisis a massive prize pool. In ries guarantee (approx $1.8 better than the estabApril 2016, Adda52.com million). lished brick and mortar became the official India It is my pleasure to welgames. It can be said partner of WPT to bring come WPT and hope every that the industry has seen the coveted WPT event to user will enjoy the game a major surge during the our country. on the Adda52 Network. pandemic, since everyGutshot had an exclusive The event has built a great body is at home or workinterview with Adda52’s relationship with the Indian ing from home.

CEO, Mr. Naveen Goyal, poker community and we’re Vikash Mantri from Viabout the WPT Online India proud to offer this landmark sakhapatnam took the that will take place between event once again.

WPT India Main Event 5-22 November, 2020.

2019 by topping a field of Given the pandemic, 527 players. He won the What is different about how different will the prestigious title and INR the WPT series taking tournament be this 6.03 million first-place place this year? year? prize. When we caught WPT is itself a unique The current situation up with Vikas, this is what tournament, but for the first because of Covid-19 pan- he had to say: “WPT time, we’re set to take the demic is a challenge and India has done a pheWPT India series online. an opportunity. WPT India nomenal job of promotWhile past seasons have is an event where players ing poker over the last 4 had up to seven live tourget together, compete, years. It’s a forum where naments, the online festival and have fun. With WPT the champions battle out. will consist of a massive India moving online for the With the pandemic, WPT 154 events on Adda52 first time, it has opened has gone online, I wish all with an INR 13.5 Crore se- doors for a much larger the players good luck.”

MANTHRA KOLIYER

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F E AT U R E

Learn And Lead!

MANTHRA KOLIYER

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ard games have been played in India for centuries. Although

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a relatively new entrant, poker is a card game that everyone in India is now hooked to due to its

NOVEMBER 2020

sudden popularity during the pandemic. Poker has always been of academic interest globally, triggering

endless debates and analysis of the benefits of this game of skill. Universities such as MIT, University of Berkeley, Harvard and Yale in the US have been offering online as well as offline opportunities, including courses on poker theory and analytics for some time now. India too has a vast number of poker players who take the game seriously, spending hours playing and mastering their skill. Educational institutions in India are beginning to appreciate the greater impact of learning Poker too.

Take for instance the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode, Kerala, which is the first institution in India that adopted poker to teach MBA students competitive analysis as early as 2014!

The elective subject in particular is ‘Competitive Strategy—the Game of Poker’, designed for second year students. Since the time the subject was introduced, the institution has seen a rise in the number of students opting to learn competitive analysis this way!

For those who want to learn the game seriously,

interview we did with Alton Hardin on page 10) • The next one in the lineup is the BigStack. com that teaches you to be a poker pro! It starts with free modules initially, and then lets you access packages as you progress. Known for teaching you the nuances and the confidence to face players on the table, BigStack is one of the best platforms available for a learner.

• The best in-line course there are options available for Indian players is Abhiskek Goindi and Tanoutside these hallowed ay Hargunaney’s Poker institutions as well. Here are some of the top cours- Bootcamp (also our cover story for this issue). Cones that you can opt for to sidered one of the prilearn and ace at poker, mary courses for anyone quickly and effectively: • Udemy, a leading global seriously interested in enterprise for teaching and poker, it focuses not only learning, is known to have on the technical and tactical facets of the game more than 130,000 onbut also the mental enline courses for students. durance required to play Udemy provides a Crush high stakes games Micro Stakes Online Poker: The Complete Mastery Poker helps you unGuide course. It is created

by Alton Hardin, the found- derstand the opponents’ psychology and your own er of Micro Grinder Poker deep insight into how you school. feel when you win versus This course gives you a how you feel when you basic understanding of lose. As corporations, No Limit Hold’em poker with the help of resources, schools and universities online videos, articles and take a hand, it’s aces high for poker in all also a certificate of comaspects! pletion (take a look at the GUTSHOT

NOVEMBER 2020

23

POKER

Poker Is Tough But We Are Tougher!

‘Poker Mom’, Radhika Shankar, shares her inspiring story MANTHRA KOLIYER

F

rom an 18-year-old to an 80-year-old, card games lure everyone. We’re talking about poker and its lovers! One such player who has made heads turn in the recent past is Radhika Shankar a.k.a Poker Mom. This inspiring lady tried her hand at almost everything else before choosing poker with a vengeance. Gutshot had a conversation with her to find out just what makes her tick.

Beginning her career in the advertising sector in her 20s, Radhika who is proficient at writing, music, directing films and designing logos finally chose Poker. Now, at 43, she says that her

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fast-paced life has come to a crossroad. In order to be a full time mother to a daughter, she chose to make a decision to put her action-packed advertising career on the back burner. Unfortunately, she lost both her parents in a short span and turned to poker, which helped her through her rough patch by not only allowing her to focus on the game but also defocus from the harsh realities of life.

One of the reasons why her game stood out among the others is that she started in the DTPX with INR 225 and went on to win INR 2.8 Lakhs.

“To be honest, the moment I busted third and got up from my seat, the

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last thing on my mind was money. The money I won was pale in comparison to the elation of winning a trophy!”, she says.

Radhika is a student at India’s premiere Poker Bootcamp. She considers her coach, Abhishek Goindi, her mentor. She believes her skills have grown leaps and bounds since the time she joined the bootcamp.

“Last November, it was just another day when I stumbled upon an advertisement about the camp on Facebook. Almost instantly, I enrolled myself and left for Goa, to the bootcamp. The Poker Boot Camp India was the best gift I ever gave myself.”

“It was a little difficult ini-

tially to get back into student mode after enrolling at the bootcamp, but all that anxiety got sidelined when I met Goindi and Tanay, and learning from them was extremely easy, because they made it that way,” she says.

“They assure you solid poker fundamentals, something many recreational players think they know, but the course really helps you tighten up intermediate and advanced concepts of the game.

I have been with Poker Bootcamp for almost a year now, and as the months have gone by, I

day or night, you can be sure there’ll be at least one camper somewhere, who’s just a message away, to help solve a doubt, discuss a hand, review a session, fix a leak, etc!,” she explains.

Women have always been known to take bigger and bolder steps when they’re on the wire. Radhika is one among many phenomenal women, who chose this path despite the difficulties of her personal life.

She strongly believes, “There is nothing a man can do that a woman can’t do better. And there are no hurdles in life unless have seen a steady growth one chooses to create, acin not just my understand- knowledge and succumb to them.” ing of poker’s intricacies As much as Radhika is and possibilities. a realist, she also believes I recommend the bootin luck. “George!! He’s camp to anybody and evone of Meera’s (daugherybody who wants to imter) favourite toys. When prove their game, wants to I was on my way to Goa increase their bankroll and wants to become a winning for the DPTX, Meera flung him into my palm and poker player for life.” said “Mama, keep him The Poker Bootcamp with you all the time. That India has, in just a short way, I’ll be with you all the span of about a year, become a massive family time!” That was the time I told myself that I would of 80+ students from all surely bring the trophy walks of life. home, and so I did. That’s “Yes, poker is an indihow Meera and George vidual sport, but at the helped me win my first bootcamp, you are never trophy!”, she concludes. alone. Whatever time of GUTSHOT

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25

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU

With millions in prize money on offer for gamers, we take a look at some basic tips to manage one’s personal finance.

PETER ABRAHAM

E

ven as little as five years ago, the landscape of gaming in India was very different. The gaming community was (and still is) an enthusiastic one but mere mentions of being a professional gamer was met with reactions ranging from eyebrow raising to downright derision. But all that changes when money, and serious money at that, enters the picture. These days it is not uncommon to come across professional poker and esports players who earn, in the millions, in some cases.

But to paraphrase that famous quote—with great money comes great responsibility. Monetary benefits in the form of fat salaries, bonuses (if you are signed onto an esports team for instance) and of course millions in prize money make gaming 26

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a serious business. But handling that money is still something young millennial Indians are coming to terms with. Personal finance has multiple facets to it but there are a few simple concepts one must try and follow, especially at the start of your career. The sooner you start, the sooner you will achieve setting up a secure financial future for yourself. So let’s look at some ‘Must Do’ items, once you get your first pay cheque:

of funds for that weekend trip to Goa is NOT an emergency! You do not need to put together this emergency fund in one go but ensure you keep aside as much as you can right from your first pay cheque. It would be a good idea to park this money in a liquid mutual fund which will fetch you slightly better returns than your bank’s savings account.

Insurance - Health For health insurance, make sure you choose a plan which has a premium that you can comfortably pay Emergency Funds since health insurance Never has it been more apparent than these times premiums usually need to be paid annually in a lumpwe live in, that having an sum. A health insurance of emergency fund is superat least 5 lakhs is a good critical and an absolute starting point and you can must. Once you calculate your monthly expenses, set increase this in later years.

Check out inclusions and aside an emergency fund exclusions, no co-pay worth 4-6 months of that monthly expense. DO NOT option, cashless facility, hospital network and othtouch this fund unless it is an emergency. A shortage er factors provided by the

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insurer whilst comparing insurance plans by various companies and see what options work best for you.

A health insurance premium gives you tax benefits under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act. Insurance - Life In case of an unfortunate and tragic situation like loss of life, one needs to be able to safeguard one’s family and dependents by way of life insurance.

Make sure you choose a good and financially viable Term Plan option. DO NOT choose Endowment Plans which are offered by your friendly neighbourhood LIC uncle/aunty. This is a waste

of money! You can claim tax saving benefits under Section 80C. Investing Merely saving every month is not enough. You need to make your money work for you and help you beat inflation as well as grow wealth in the long term.

A safe and solid start is to invest in instruments like PPF or ELSS funds (both of which will additionally provide tax benefits under Section 80C) as well. You can also consider investing via a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) method in a balanced large and midcap oriented or multi-cap equity fund which will help

you in wealth creation over the long term.

Doing a monthly SIP instills financial discipline and you must increase SIP amounts proportionately with every salary increment you get.

Personal finance is a massive subject and there are many varied options to invest your money.

Doing the above mentioned things will get you off on the right track towards investing and wealth creation. The mantra is start early, start small (and then build on it) and be disciplined in saving and investing.* *The author is not a finance professional.

Please do your own thorough research or consult a good financial advisor before investing.

GUTSHOT

NOVEMBER 2020

27

RUMMY

The Rise and Rise of Online Rummy

T

SHRIYA GHATE

he Rummy Premier League is only the tip of the iceberg for the Online Rummy Industry.

In the nine years that Junglee Rummy’s Rummy Premier League (RPL) has been around, the latest edition, No.9, was the biggest yet. Just to give you an idea of the size of the tournament, here is a lowdown on the prizes: a whopping 10 Crore prize pool including give-aways of iPhone 11 mobiles every week, a grand finale of 2 Crores and an assured cash prize of 75 Lakhs for the top players plus a brand-new Hyundai Verna car at the end of the tournament. Some might say this is a big deal considering the fact that online rummy is not known to dole out these kinds of prizes. But the pandemic seems to have changed things.

Over the last few months we’ve been hearing about how more and more

Indians are turning to online real-money-gaming.

The CEO of the All India Gaming Federation(AIGF), Roland Landers, claimed there was a 10-12% increase in user engagement in India in March alone[1].

An increase in new registrations was welcome but a reactivation of old players was an even bigger achievement. In July, The Hindu reported one company’s claims that their reactivated players grew by more than 100% in April compared to January 2020 and received a 2.5X increase in overall player registrations compared to February the same year.

[2] With the The Online

Rummy Federation (TORF) expecting a growth of 25% YOY ($0.5 billion by 2022) [3], it makes all the more sense for companies to offer such large prize pools to both retain and gain customers.

Rummy Circle, which has more than 20 million registered users, concluded the RPL on 10 November, 2020.

[1]‘Quarantine life sees a surge in online gaming’, Hindustan Times, March 25, 2020 [2] ‘Thousands in Tamil Nadu try their hands at online rummy’, The Hindu, July 10, 2020 [3] Thousands in Tamil Nadu try their hands at online rummy’, The Hindu, July 10, 2020

PROMOTION

Getting to know Jeevan Goyal - 1 Lakh winner at Spartan Rummy

J

TEAM GUTSHOT

eevan Goyal recently won INR 1 Lakh at Spartan Rummy, a leading online rummy game website.

We spoke to him about his love for the game and his elation at winning this grand prize. Here’s the exclusive scoop!

How were you introduced to the game and what really ignited the passion in you?

With my hectic work schedule I was looking for a way to cool off and came across my colleagues discussing this game. It piqued my interest and I began browsing for good online rummy sites, when I stumbled upon Spartan Rummy. I checked it out and went through the rules of the game, played my first game and instantly loved it. I began playing this game for two hours every day. And as you all know, the rest is history.

How has the experience

been with this platform?

I really love this game and especially the Spartan Rummy website. On this platform, I get a chance to play and compete with so many online players from various regions. It offers very friendly customer support that provides easy resolutions to my problems and also gives detailed instructions about the game.

it and with every small cash winning, I was motivated a little more. I looked into the variety of rummy games that Spartan Rummy offered and the challenges only strengthened my resolve to make a jackpot.

That’s when I hit my first jackpot of INR 1 Lakh.

How do you feel after winning 1 lac on Spartan Rummy?

Never did I dream that it would be possible. Initially, it was just time-pass. With every game, I got better at

We heartily congratulate Jeevan Goyal for winning a jackpot of INR 1 Lakh on Spartan Rummy! If you are inspired right now, then go pronto to www.spartanrummy.com

What would you like to say to the beginners who are interested in playing online rummy?

What games do you usually play on Spartan I go by the saying, “Success usually comes to Rummy?

During the day I play Points those who are too busy to be looking for it”. I only rummy as my duration of have one suggestion for all focus needs to be small the beginners keep your and I have other things to do. But at night I play Pool cool always and do not worry about whether you and Deals rummy at INR are going to win or lose.

100 buy-in. I also play Sit Just focus on the cards and Go tournaments and rather than the money bag.

GTD tournaments.

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29

RUMMY

Luck or skill?

THE DEBATE AROUND RUMMY TEAM GUTSHOT

D

o you all remember your first rummy experience? I do. The memories come with two bags full of nostalgia. I saw how during our summer holidays, my older cousins would finish dinner as quickly as possible just to catch a round or two of rummy. Looking at the excitement in their eyes, the squeals of joy when someone won and the ooooo’s and aaaaah’s when they lost the game, I was really intrigued.

And the first time I tried my hand at it, it was nothing less than an utter disaster. But like the saying goes, “try and try until you succeed” kept me going.

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I did see light at the end of the tunnel after spending one full summer with my cousins playing rummy every evening. But how do you think I made it?

Was it luck or skill? I never stopped wondering. So let’s find out.

with little or no mistakes they finish the game in style! I would say the perfect recipe for a smooth win is coordinating with the rest of the players, becoming adept with the art of dealing cards and the will to never give up easily.

Initially when I learnt how to play, I was told this game was no rocket science. But my experience taught me that a couple of things are paramount here-strategy and a thorough analysis of every game.

You should constantly upgrade yourself with the latest updates in the rummy market. And if you want to be a master of the truly intricate versions of this game you need skills that come only with intense experience, a particularly watchful eye along with several hours of play at hand.

Ever notice how professionals play? All they need is a maximum of 3-4 moves, irrespective of what cards they get and

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Decisions will be needed while playing this game.

Let me break it you, you have no choice but to change your decisions and strategies as each round progresses.

You might as well start by keeping track of all the cards that have been revealed in the game. Like the ones that were discarded by you and your opponents, the cards that are about to be revealed from the hidden deck and of course the cards in your hand as well.

Maybe luck does factor in when you are playing a friendly match but when money is involved, the dynamics of the game change. The game is then played in a very scientific manner. That is when luck is eliminated and skill as the determining element kicks in.

So is the game entirely based on skill and nothing else? Is there no place for luck at all? The primary reason that the Supreme Court of India has declared online rummy gaming with real money to be legal is because... rummy is no doubt a game of skill.

Luck perhaps is only applicable at the beginning

of the game when everyone is served the deal from a randomly shuffled pack of cards. You can maybe say luck has some weight when you lose your internet connection right in the middle of a very crucial move in the game or your battery might die, thus nipping away any chance you had to win! But from the moment your deal is served, skill will definitely take over!

Some solid reasons on why skill is dominant over luck in rummy: Essence of the game: Rummy is essentially a game where you have to meld the cards in hand into sequences and sets.

There is no one-size-fitsall solution for each game you try to play. Cards are shuffled really well before dealing. That means there is zero probability of receiving the same set of cards twice.

Skills for the win: You have to develop certain vital mathematical, analytical and reasoning skills so that you can better understand the probability of the cards and the sequences. I have seen

players with great memory outperform others effortlessly. Also, you cannot undermine the importance of emotional maturity in this game.

Strategy is the key: Strategy can be the double-edged sword in this game. You have to use it to meld your cards faster than the others and also kill any chance the opponent has at winning.

Sharp focus: It is crucial for you to have single minded focus and not forget the rules and tricks.

Only when you are calm can you use all these skills to your analytical advantage!

So what do you think?

Do you still believe the game is purely based on luck? Or did this information change your mind? It is only practice that makes you perfect, my friend!

And skill.

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RUMMY

Have you seen a change in the behaviour of online rummy players since the lockdown began? With people spending more time online, how have you managed to keep them engaged?

In the initial two months of the lockdown, we witThanks to the pandemic, a lot more people are playnessed a slight growth ing online rummy. Gutshot caught up with the CEO of in the traffic by 25%. We RummyBaazi, Sunit Warraich, on why he thinks rummy understood that people are is seeing a meteoric rise and what they are doing to looking for ways to utilise keep a share of the pie. their time at home and this would be just a phase, if we didn’t engage them SHRIYA GHATE right. We quickly launched Why do you think that KPMG’s report in 2019 and new formats to keep the audiences hooked on to Rummy is such a popu- the 2020 report titled ‘The our platform and constantly lar game in India?

Era of Consumer A.R.T. – took and implemented the Rummy is one of the oldest Acquisition Retention and feedback from the commucard games that have been Transaction’ by FICCI and nity. With tried and tested played in India. The sheer consulting firm EY, we will offers like the flash codes mention of the game takes see a steep growth in the people back to their childonline gaming industry over and special deposit codes, new promotions like Cash hood when they used to the coming years.

Dash, Big Winnings Sunplay it and have a gala time The former estimated a day, and increased prize with their loved ones. It’s compounded growth rate pools, we were successful safe to say that rummy is a of 32% over a five-year in retaining the newly acpart of our culture. period approximated to a quired audience and conThrough RummyBaazi. value of 25,000 Crores in verting them into regular com, we’re giving a simuFY24. players. lating experience of playing The 2020 study by FICCI the age-old game anyand EY, on the other hand, The online gaming inwhere, anytime and conindicated a growth rate of necting with friends and 43% over the next 3 years dustry is estimated to be family. With internet peneapproximated to a value of a $1 billion opportunity by next year. Needless tration growing by the min- 18,700 Crores. to say, competition is ute in the country, the pop- In both studies it is apparularity of online rummy is ent that rummy will have an fierce. Despite the competition, what are the only set to grow. Going by important role to play.

RUMMYBAAZI: MELDING THE MARKET

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reasons players keep coming back to RummyBaazi?

It’s simply because we have stayed true to our proposition of being India’s most rewarding online rummy website. We’ve credited bonuses worth 2 Crore in the last 3 months. To top the bonuses, every month, we design exciting promotions that challenge the players to one-up their game and get rewarded accordingly. Our leaderboards have been a massive success compelling us to introduce the second edition of the Cash Dash. People never miss our 1 Lac Sunday Special and the tourney has been going strong for over 27 weeks now. We reciprocate to this patronage by crediting Reward Points to the players’ account, which can be redeemed to claim prizes from our industry-leading loyalty program called the Baazi Rewards.

Over 15 Lac Reward Points have been redeemed to claim prizes worth 85 Lac, which include smartphones, gadgets, paid holiday packages, and much more in the last few months.

The Andhra government recently banned online

CEO Sunit Warraich

Rummy along with other online games. Other state governments are also questioning the existence of online real money gaming. What effect does this have on the business?

Even though the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India have declared online rummy in the RMG space as a game of skills, we duly comply by the law of the land and have taken the necessary actions such as banning all the accounts from Andhra Pradesh and have shut all our marketing activities in the region.

These decisions do affect our business, but nothing is above the law.

Has the ban on Chinese apps impacted India’s online card gaming industry in any way?

The ban and the #VocalForLocal movement has

opened up new avenues for truly Indian apps like ours. Being a proud indigenous platform, it is heartening to see that we are getting our share of limelight and an opportunity to flourish. This move will further encourage people to come up with ideas to re-shape and transform traditional Indian games like rummy and make those relevant in the digital era.

How has your team managed during the lockdown? What are your plans now that the lockdown has relaxed a little?

Ours has always been a close-knit team that likes to sit together, brainstorm and discuss new ways to improve the experience of our audience. But even after the lockdown, we can proudly say that this routine of ours has stayed unaffected. Kudos to the team for making it work.

This was new for us all and we’ve managed to utilize the #WorkFromHome period right as we kept on exploring the strengths of our team and playing to those. We would continue to do so until we find it safe for our team members to be under the same roof, once again.

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33

ESPORTS

THE GAMING MONK GamingMonk, one of India’s leading esports community platforms is trying to popularise competitive gaming in the country. In an interview with co-founder Ashwin Haryani, we find out just how the company is going about it.

DWAYNE FERNANDES mobile gaming population.

Example: PUBG MoAshwin, give us a short bile had the secunderstanding of Esports ond largest user as a whole. base from India Esports is a term used for after China. So for competitive gaming. Just mobile esports, Inlike cricket, football, etc, dia shall play a huge video games too can be role in terms of volume and played on a competitive lev- generating highly talented el. Esports has been in ex- professional players. Today istence for a long time now India has 300 million mobile specially in the USA and gamers, of course including Europe. It has been in India hyper casual gamers. In the for over 8-10 years but was future, a good portion of always limited to a small this will upgrade to playing group, mostly high-end / mid-core esports titles. professional PC Gamers.

Tell us some of the comWhere does India stand mon myths related to the compared to the rest of the word ‘esports’. world in this industry?

Firstly, esports is written the With the massive adoption way I have-not E-sports, of mobile phones, cheap eSports, etc. People don’t 4G prices and improvement currently understand the in quality of mobile games, difference between hyper esports is now included on casual mobile gaming and mobile and that’s where In- esports. Esports is not only dia plays a big role. Esports restricted to PC or Console is still very nascent here Games. It includes mobile and it’s just the beginning games too but the games of this industry. Having said which have a decent skill that, Esports and specially level involved (mid-core Mobile Esports has great games) like PUBG Mobile potential given our large or Free Fire are considered 34

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2020

esports but not Pokemon Go or Bubble Shooter. Esports games require practice and skill with very low or nil luck factor involved.

Tell us about GamingMonk and a brief understanding of what you guys are doing.

We’re India’s largest Esports Community Platform with 1.5+ million active users. We focus on 3 verticals — Play - competitive online gaming tournaments across major titles; Watch - our very own video platform with tournament live streams + high quality video for gamers; Discover - ability to find new games, gamers and content across our platform with the help of in-app chat + a user generated content feed. Our focus is to build a large community of esports enthusiasts ranging from casual to professional players, streamers and content creators, and avid gamers.

ESPORTS

Pride of India Sagar ‘LOVESX’ Vyas SAMEER BAIG

S

agar “LOVESX” Vyas still remains the only Indian (post 2012) FIFA player to represent India in the world FIFA ESWC tournament and continues to rank amongst the top 10 FIFA players of the world till date. He started his career in gaming when he was only 17 years old.

He happens to be one of the most popular gamers India has ever seen, and yet he had to quit due to the lack of support for Indian players he faced back in 2015.

Still, Sagar has taken on a different role in esports in India by mentoring young players, helping them with gaming kits when they couldn’t afford it, counseling distressed players, working as business development SPOC for gaming companies and finally as a Project Manager for NODWIN Gaming, Asia’s biggest esports organization.

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How did you get into professional gaming?

I didn’t get into gaming with an idea to become a professional gamer someday. I used to play games like Pacman, Mario, Vice City, etc. There was a local gaming café where we used to play these games and one day FIFA was installed and we all started playing it. I had no idea that I was doing well until people started highlighting that I was playing much better than an average FIFA player and they suggested that I try out for tournaments. One of my friends suggested Zapak’s gaming tournament (Zapak used to organize small tournament on different games and was very popular amongst gamers back in 2007). To my surprise, I reached the finals and realized that I had beaten some of the top players on Zapak. I felt that if I could do well in my first attempt then I could

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definitely do much more if I spent some time practicing and playing other tournaments. I took it very seriously and started playing more than 8 to 9 hours per day in the café. But even that wasn’t enough. So I bought a PC and started playing around 17 hours a day to become better than I was. Through those long hours of dedication and practice, I played the WCG (World Cyber Gaming) tournament and my journey in professional gaming began.

What was your family’s reaction when you got into gaming?

Parents were never really aware or had any understanding of gaming until I

got into it completely and they could see my achievements. In fact, till today only my primary family is aware of gaming as an industry.

My relatives still don’t understand what I have achieved or what industry this is.

What age were you when you became a professional and what sacrifices did you have to make to be where you are today?

I gave up on my studies while I was pursuing 12th grade to make a career in gaming. I personally wasn’t impacted much and for that reason I would call myself lucky, belonging to the 1% of the gaming world who could do well. That is not the case for the majority of the gamers and hence giving up on education is not a best choice, and can be termed as sacrifice.

Another sacrifice would be that I had to quit gaming as a professional FIFA player in 2013 even after being one of the best players in the world as there was lack of support especially in terms of finances to Indian gamers.

The name and fame came at a cost back then.

With the launch of PUBG in India, the gaming industry took a huge leap but by

that time I had already quit gaming.

gamers compared to PC gamers and hence we try to target mobile gaming What is your message for all the events so it’s a for the young professuccess in terms of parsionals who seek gamticipants and prize pool. ing as a career?

Primarily this works well in My message is that if your India because not everyone passion is really strong is able to afford a gaming and there is a desire to PC which costs 1.5+ lacs do something in gaming, I minimum to pursue their would recommend that you passion for gaming. first complete your studies, We wish Sagar the best of get a job and have a stable luck and hope he continincome and develop your ues to reach new heights in game side-by-side. Today esports. there are many options related to the world of QUICK FIRE gaming like graphic designing, 3D modelling, game Major Achievements distribution etc. However, a • Played ESWC Paris stable income is a must. and ranked amongst the world top 10 playYou organise many ers esports tournaments • Defeating the ESWC across India. How Paris champion onedo you decide which on-one as he was in games will feature in the group stage qualithese tournaments? fiers It depends on the new • Joining NODWIN games which are booming and new companies that Stand Out Qualities are tying up with NOD• Hard Work WIN. Counter Strike, Clash • Ambition to play with of Clans, PUBG Mobile, the best Clash Royale, etc., are • Mentoring & counsel games which have pen-ing young players etrated the Indian market • The vast network I and being mobile games, have built across the the target audience is huge industry through compared to PC games. social media and Also there is a higher parevents ticipation level from these GUTSHOT

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ESPORTS

HaD3S and The Megastars

V

SAMEER BAIG

inay “HaD3S” Rao is an Indian PubG Mobile and PubG PC player. He started his gaming career when he was just 15 years old and currently at 20, is working as a coach for one of the world’s top 10 PUBG teams, the MegaStars. Here he gives us the lowdown on his gaming journey and how you can make it into a career.

How did you get into professional gaming?

I was 14 and a casual gamer who loved playing games like GTA:Vice City and San Andreas in gaming cafes. I would hear people talking about tournaments, how it is played professionally, and that got me curious. I started 38

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practicing it in the café and one day accidently, there was a team which fell short of a player and they invited me to play as a replacement. Surprisingly we performed so well that we won! Going forward we continued winning quite a few local as well as college tournaments. Through the same team, I entered CS GO (Counter Strike Global Offensive) as a semi-pro player and we continued playing and winning tournaments. Shortly after that PUBG PC released and Shooting Pandas offered me a role in their team as they felt that I had a good ‘Aim’ (something very important for a pro-gun gaming) and all I had to do was switch from CS GO to PUBG. That’s how

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I became a professional esports player.

What were your parents reactions when you got into gaming?

Mom always believed in me and was super supportive. She would get me lunch at the gaming cafes as I would spend more than 7 to 8 hours daily.

Initially my dad was a bit hesitant. But when I started earning well through gaming, he also started realizing that I was doing some serious work and it was doing well for me.

What made you decide to become a coach?

I would always look up to the top esports players in the world and question why Indian players are not doing that well. The more I started digging for an-

ESPORTS

swers, the more I realised that while we have the talent, there is no one to encourage and support the gamers. I didn’t want to move out of the country like SumaiL (one of the top Dota 2 Pakistani players) to accelerate my career. I too had the same option but I wanted to make my country proud somehow. When Fnatic (one of the top CS GO teams) came to India, watching their game and team setup I realized that I have the skills of a coach and I can probably try to push the teams I manage to an extent that they make slots for India in the world championships. As a coach, I will get to even influence people and change their mindset, which I couldn’t have done as a player as I was busy focusing on my own performance.

How much on an average can a gamer/coach earn in terms of money?

If the gamer is highly skilled and is employed by a gaming organization, they can make around INR 50,000/- a month. If the gamer is a freelancer and a solo player, he can make much more or less depending upon the number of games and tournaments

he/she is playing throughout the year.

Do you see coaching as a bright career for future aspirants?

Coaching is a good career and has great scope.

However, in India, gaming is still in its budding stage.

The first step that I would recommend to every future aspirant is to get on the ground and play the game yourself. You need not become the best player in the team to become a coach but have a level of understanding of the game where you know what leads to success and what moves lead to failure.

Know your skillset well.

Believe in whatever you are doing. Trust your instincts and no need to give up on education if you want to get into professional gaming. I did it because I wasn’t that interested in what I was studying. However, having an educational qualification, I personally feel, will always be helpful.

What are you playing apart from PubG for now and what else do you do in the world of gaming?

I have recently started playing Valorant as I believe that it is the new game which has the scope to grow. I have also started my own YouTube casual streaming channel to make the best use of the lockdown and stay in touch with some of my friends.

What is your message for the young professionals who seek gaming as a career?

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QUICK FIRE Major Achievements • Won the ‘Dell community cup’, the first biggest PubG tournament organized in India by Dell • Joined Gabroo esports team (one of the top teams in PubG PC) and won many tournaments • Joined team Mayhem (Secured 2nd position in All Stars 2019 PubG tournament) • Coaching MegaStars team and improving their performance drastically (a team who stood on rank 16 before I joined, moved up the ladder and secured the 3rd position in the next tournament) • Qualified for the world league and was amongst the top 5 teams for PuBG mobile

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39

F E AT U R E S

THE FANTASY FANBOY

MANTHRA KOLIYER

T

aking the world of fantasy sports by storm is a lad from Lucknow. Meet Mayank, the founder of FantasyArena. Mayank aka mayankglt runs a successful YouTube channel with 1,20,000+ subscribers exclusively for fantasy sports. He has created a virtual family of fantasy sports lovers.

Read further to know what actually happens before he picks up a player on his fantasy team.

How did you begin doing this?

Since childhood I have had several hobbies, such as playing cricket, tennis, etc. I was never one among those that had a herd mentality. Back in the 40

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day, when I was in school, I used to get up at 5 am to watch India and Australia test matches.

In the year 2017, I began streaming for the first time.

The average video on YouTube at that time was 3-4 mins, but my video was 18 mins. That was my way of proving that you need to Can a person do this as provide logic to your viewers. a full time job?

If you are into cricket jourWhat is the research nalism, then you can but if that goes into predicyou invest all of your hard tion? earned money then there I have always added value is no assurance that you to what I predict. In cricket will get it back. there are multiple variables such as the pitch, weathHave there always been er, venue, etc. You should legality issues about know that at a specific Dream11? venue, only certain players You give an amateur do well.

Dream11, they will surely say that it is gambling. But

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“Diversify your investment�

according to me, if you go into the legality aspect then betting is more luck and less skill. You definitely need to know what players are doing. You cannot expect to hit the jackpot on the first day.

If you win above 10K you have to give 31.8% as tax.

• I am not a team provider, I only give ideas why someone should choose and not choose a player.

• Credit points need to be paid attention to.

Apply logic before you pool in money. When you diversify the number of applications you How has IPL changed stake on, you get to the game for fantasy self and helping know about better opsports in India? others? portunities. The day you Since the time IPL began, I feel that many users feel you’re losing, think fantasy games have taken from GLTFAMILY trust of other options where over. Fantasy applications me and hence there is you can pool in and have familiarized cricket a sense of responsibiliplay. players to a larger audience. ty towards them. If I am • If you’re a content cresuggesting, I have to be ator, then always have What is the future of cautious. There is a sepa backup of the content Fantasy sports in arate section for risky as that you put up. My India? well as safe players. When facebook page was the India is a cricket loving I play for myself, I know I highest rated fantasy nation and as long as can take the risk because page and it was taken we have cricket, fantaI know there are many down for violating their sy sports is here to last. more matches. policies. Facebook reinNowadays several states stated my page a year conduct fantasy premier Tell us about your collater and informed me leagues. That itself is laborations ? that it was taken down progress.

I was the first ever Indiby mistake. an YouTuber to write as What are some of your an analyst for Dream11.

Mayank is an engineer biggest wins?

Few other brands that I by profession and YouI have won 1.2 Lakhs in have collaborated with Tuber by choice. He has Grand League contests in the last 2-3 years are a BTech in Food Techseveral times and more Halaplay, BalleBaazi, Ga- nology and an MBA in than 8-10 Lakhs in a day. mezy, MPL, Fanfight and Operations. He has an My total winnings have Playerzpot.

Android App named crossed 1 Crore by now.

FantasyArena.

Any advice that you want What is the difference to give potential fantasy Check out his YouTube between playing yoursports investors? & Telegram channel.

“Fantasy sports is not the place to get greedy”

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41

FA N TA SY S P O R T S

It’s Time To Celebrate Our Fantasy Sports Heroes!

DWAYNE FERNANDES

A

mong the many rising gaming verticals in India is Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS). Just like you’d say there’s a lot of math, probability, patience and analytical abilities involved in card games like poker and rummy, there’s plenty of skill involved in fantasy sports too. In fact, fantasy sports also has all the legal nods from governments, which has been the biggest catalyst for its rapid growth.

Who has a good record at a particular ground, which players fare well against a certain team, how good form someone is in, whether he/she had a positive body language in recent games, which players have more exposure and thus better chances of getting you points... All these factors go into building a fantasy sports team, and thus, there’s plenty of logic and reasoning behind every selection.

But have you ever asked yourself, “Why do people play fantasy sports?”

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Sure, winning cash prizes is the biggest reason because who wouldn’t want to win INR 1 Crore with an investment of just INR 49?! But there are many other reasons people play this game, one being the bragging rights. For a couple of decades, Fantasy Premier league (FPL) has seen players creating their own private leagues to play fantasy football, only to prove who the ultimate sports guru is among a circle of friends or colleagues or acquaintances.

A couple of times, I’ve used all my extensive cricketing knowledge to create spectacular fantasy teams during IPL 2020 and yet, I haven’t managed to secure a ranking higher than 10,000 out of

NOVEMBER 2020

the 50+ Lakh teams that participate in every game.

Your captain (2x points) needs to be spot on, your vice-captain (1.5x points) needs to be spot on and every other player in your team also needs to contribute well.

A little bit of praying and hoping that your players do well on the field helps too but coming first from among these lakhs of players from across the country is no mean feat.

And that’s why we feel fantasy sports winners need to be celebrated more, even felicitated maybe. So, who do you think will be the first brand to host a ‘Fantasy League Awards’ for the top performers in India?!

FUN SECTION

Poker players tell you what’s the first thing that they want to do post the pandemic.

Goonjan Mall

Harshit Sanghi

Richard Haridasoham

Suited Connectors

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NOVEMBER 2020

43

FUN SECTION

WORDSEARCH

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Take a look, fill the blanks and stand a chance to win free goodies!

Email at: contact@gutshotmagazine.com

FUNNIEST STORY

Tell us your poker stories, funny ones of course and wait for our next e-magazine to see the best ones featured! Email : contact@gutshotmagazine.com

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NOVEMBER 2020