Day 3 - IPC 20k Freezeout

From a physical perspective, hosting IPC tournaments in Goa ends up causing jet lag. No, Goa hasn't crossed the Atlantic and moved into a different timezone. But entering the casino at 7pm every evening and leaving it at 7am the following morning will take a toll on the body. No wonder they say Poker is a young man's game. And this statement is truer when you think about these young bucks taking part in the tourney after putting in 24 - 48 hour sessions at the cash table. I am primarily a tournament player and like to think I have the patience to sit down for long periods at the table. However just the thought of playing a tourney after such long cash sessions makes me bones squeak in protest! They were right when they said that playing cards is a tough way to make an easy living...
The final day of the India Poker Championship dawned bright and clear. But we wouldn't know anything about it since we were fast asleep! By the time we rolled into the poker room there were about 25 odd players milling around the tables. 

The birthday boy Craig Wildman flanked by the IPC Directo

Given the long sessions that people had been putting in at the tables, we expected maybe 40-45 players for the final game of the Championship. But our players proved us wrong and we eventually cracked the 45 player mark about 30 minutes into the game. When the hour of Alternates came to an end, the final count of players was 51. It would once again be a very healthy prize pool that the players would do battle for. Given the additional number of chips and higher blind levels, action progressed slowly and we had only lost about 6 players 3 hours into the tourney. After that however, players had no choice but to try and make moves as the price of poker went up.
We eventually got our final table at about 4 am in the morning and it looked something like this (chip stacks at the final final table are mentioned alongside the player names):-

1. Seat 1 - Jasven S - 17,500
2. Seat 2 - Sameer R - 25,000
3. Seat 3 - Rajesh G - 60,000
4. Seat 4 - Amit Varma - 24,000
5. Seat 5 - Gaurav B - 50,500
6. Seat 6 - Manish B - 55,000
7. Seat 7 - Girish G - 11,500
8. Seat 8 - Avinash R - 71,000
9. Seat 9 - Manjeet A - 68,000

It was quite the star studded final table in a sense with June's 10k champion Sameer in Seat 2 and our 20k defending champ Rajesh sitting right next to him. Rajesh was hoping to make it back-to-back wins in this particular event of the Championship. And he was well placed to do so with the second biggest stack on the table after Avinash. The first one to get eliminated was Jasven who probably got the sicket beat of the tournament when his KK was crushed by the 78 of Avinash when he spiked a 7 on the flop and another one on the river. Heartbreak for Jasven who has come close in our past tournaments but he was very gracious in his defeat. The next to go was the other short stack Girish followed by Gaurav B. Sameer had pushed with a wired pair of 10s and was called by Gaurav's AJ of diamonds. When the flop was opened, in the window was an A followed by a J but the third card was a brutal 10 giving Sameer trip 10s. With no further help to complete his flush or full house, Gaurav was busted out on the bubble. A commendable performance by Gaurav who says he's an infrequent poker player and that the IPC was only his 4th or 5th tournament and likely the biggest one he has taken part in.

The final table of the IPC 20k tournament

While one man walked away disappointed, a cheer went up by the remaining players as they were now in the money. From the money finishers, the first to get eliminated was Manjeet (6th) followed by Manish in 5th place. Manish in fact was quite unwell and was battling a fever as much as his opponents at the table. The dream of a back-to-back victory for Rajesh was not to be as he was knocked out in 4th place. As always he played an aggressive game which he stepped up on the final table but it wasn't to be. When action began 3-way Sameer was on the short stack and just looking to double up in order to provide some kind of fight to the big stacks of Avinash and Amit. He pushed with 4 3 and after some thought Amit called with 10 4. The 4 on the flop hit both players but in the end Amit's kicker ensured that Sameer would not take any further part in the action. A consistent performance by June's 10k champion who by the way is the only other player to feature twice on the IPC Champions wall along with Keshav S from Kolkata.
Heads up lasted all of 3 hands with both players eventually getting on this hand - Amit pushed As8s and was called Avinash's 9h6h. While Amit had Avinash's hand dominated preflop, two hearts on the flop meant a big sweat. The sweat didn't last for long though as the turn brought another heart and Amit extended his hand to Avinash knowing he was drawing dead no matter what came on the river.

Amit (2nd), Avinash (1st) and Sameer (3rd)

A fantastic end to the tournament weekend and we saw a whole host of new faces along with plenty of old ones. It was great interacting with people during the break and after the tournament got over. In most cases the top 3 posed for pictures and then immediately sat down at the cash tables. Just goes to show just how desperately we crave this wonderful game.
We will be out of sight for the next couple of weeks mostly because we are catching up on some much needed sleep but the prep for the December event will start soon enough. If you wish to remain updated on IPC tournaments in the future, add Daniel Helmuth on Facebook. You can also follow us on our Facebook group and fan pages as well as /Twiiter. The links are given below:-

• Website: http://www.indiapokerchampionship.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IndiaPokerChampionship 
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/IndiaPokerChamp 
• Blog: http://indiapokerchampionship.blogspot.com  
• Email: info@indiapokerchampionship.com 

That's it for the coverage of the India Poker Championship's September edition. As always its been brilliant being able to bring all the action to you and we appreciate the feedback and support of our players. The year ending IPC event in December now awaits us all.
Till then...

Day 2 - IPC 10k Freezeout

Day 2 of the India Poker Championship started off with about 66 registrations. Late registrations were accepted till the first hour of the tournament. By the end of that hour, there were a total of 74 players who took part in the 10k Freezeout.

As in our previous editions, there were 'repeat offenders' from the final of the 5k tournament who eventually made it to the final table of the 10k event. Aside from winning the big one at the end of the night, a good poker player will always take heart and pride in his consistent performances at the felt. And a couple of these players had every right to be proud of their consistent play which got them into the money. Here is what the final table of the IPC 10k Freezeout looked like:-

1. Seat 1 - Sandeep N - 51,000
2. Seat 2 - Yogesh - 34,000
3. Seat 3 - Susmit P - 39,000
4. Seat 4 - Anil D - 4,000
5. Seat 5 - Shreyabha P - 64,000
6. Seat 6 - Nikhil M - 88,000
7. Seat 7 - Sailesh L - 33,000
8. Seat 8 - Rishi - 7,000
9. Seat 9 - Paras K - 51,000

The final table began with chipleader Nikhil M from Delhi holding the big stack and the first of our back-to-back final tablists, Anil holding a tiny stack of 4000 chips. It seemed like Anil would ending up busting first once again on his second final table of the evening. However it was Susmit from Mumbai who made a push and ending up losing the hand bustng out in 9th place. A good performance from Susmit who has proved to be a consistent money-finisher in many of the tournaments he has taken part in. The other short stack at the table Rishi then got eliminated in 8th place which meant that Anil would end up going 2 better than the previous night when he was knocked out in 7th place. The next two players to go were Paras and Yogesh in 6th and 5th place respectively. Yogesh was hanging to his car keys and chip stack for the longest time battling away for his tournament life. It then came down to 4-way action which had our other back-to-back final tablist from last night, Sandeep N wanting to make sure he would take home the big prize of the night. He shoved with 6 6 and was called Nikhil's A 6 which spike an A on the flop and ended up knocking out Sandeep. A rock solid performance from Sandeep ensured that he ended one better by busting out in 4th place.

When it was down to the final 3 players, it was Nikhil who had about 50% of the total chips in play. Shreyabha was in 2nd position with Sailesh having the short stack. Hands were traded back and forth with Nikhil using his stack and position to stamp his authority on the final table. Chips continued to move around the table but the stack remained more or less the same till a big pot won by Sailesh through Nikhil ended up making all three stacks virtually identical. Shreyabha was bleeding chips and decided to make a stand but was done in by Nikhil and then it was time for headsup. Headsup play lasted for about 45 minutes before Sailesh's KJ of clubs busted out Nikhil's hand ensuring that he would be the new IPC 10k Champion. Apparently Sailesh had already put in a 24 hour session at the cash tables before entering the tournament so his achievement is even more commendable given the physical and mental strain the IPC tournament puts the player through.

Shreyabha (3rd), Sailesh (1st) and Nikhil (2nd)

It was a wonderful end to an evening filled with a lot of action and excitement. A big congratulations to our winner and all our final tablists who made the money. If you wish to follow us online, then find our group on Facebook (India Poker Championship). We are also on Twitter under the handle IndiaPokerChamp
Till tomorrow...

Day 1 - IPC 5k Freezeout

A recording breaking field of players on Day 1 of the India Poker Championship, some truly awful bad beats and the young guns dominating the final table of the IPC 5k tournament feature in this report.

The 3rd edition of the India Poker Championship was expected to show increased numbers and while we were confident of a good turnout, the weather was giving us some cause for worry. It had been pouring away in Mumbai for almost a week non-stop and it seemed like there would be no end. So when Wednesday dawned bright and sunny, it felt like the Rain Gods decided to give us a break. As we were boarding our flight, we felt good and were looking forward to seeing some old faces and several new ones at the event.

Action is underway at one of the tables in the IPC 5k

The evening of Wednesday had us at the venue taking care of last minute details. It was good to catch up with Craig Wildman (Card room Manager) after a long time. If you remember June's report, Craig was unable to be a part of our 2nd edition due to visa issues. After sorting out the prep for the following day, we had a long and interesting chat about the Indian and world poker scene. Craig regaled us with some funny and shocking stories about his life as a pro traveling the circuit and some legendary old Vegas tales. After saying our goodbyes to him, we killed a bit of time at the roulette tables upstairs before finally calling it a night.

The day of the IPC 5k Freezeout dawned cloudy and just a tiny bit rainy. We were awakened by the strains of, "Kya paisa paisa karti hai kyon paise pe tu marti hai". After being suitably pissed for being woken up sooner than required, it struck me that this song has some serious Poker Zen. The essence of being a true champion at the felt is to stop yourself from thinking about the money... not too much anyway. There's no doubt about the fact that the money factor is important but a successful player manages to keep it in perspective and rises above such base (?!?) desires in pursuit of the win.

Day 1 of the IPC had a recording breaking field of 112 players for the 5k event and we're quite pleased at having bested our June number of 103. There were additional tables set up on the 2nd level and the total number of seats on offer was 114. There were a fair number of last minute dropouts else I think 120 players was a very real possibility. Anyway that is something to achieve for the next event. Unlike June's 5k event, the early action was a lot slower this time. In June we were down to 27 players within a 3 hour duration. This time however the eliminations were a lot slower and we were down to about 65 players at the 4 hour mark. There were quite awful beats which took place on some of the tables. Almost all of them ended with horrendous river cards that eliminated a player. AK v. AJ with the underdog rivering the J was seen more than a few times. There were 10 places paid out for the 5k event and when we lost the bubble boy a huge cheer went up as Craig made the announcement that we were now in the money. After losing #10, the final table reconvened with the player stacks looking like this:-

1. Seat 1 - Sandeep V - 118,000
2. Seat 2 - Shravan C - 69,000
3. Seat 3 - Rahul R - 29,000
4. Seat 4 - Raj T - 30,500
5. Seat 5 - Rahul G - 58,500
6. Seat 6 - Nikhil H - 17,000
7. Seat 7 - Sandeep N - 24,500
8. Seat 8 - Anil D - 5,000
9. Seat 9 - Nikhil M - 42,000

As is often seen at many a final table, the small stacks got wiped out pretty soon with Anil and Nikhil H taking 9th and 8th place respectively. They were followed by Rahul G (7th), Raj T (6th) and Sandeep N (5th). Sandeep V who started the final table with a monster stack went out in 4th place and we were then down to 3-way action. Eventually it was Nikhil M who prevailed and was crowned the IPC 5k winner. Shravan who was the 2nd big stack at the start of the final table took 2nd place with Rahul R ending up in 3rd. It was an epic 7 hour 20 minute marathon of a game and you could clearly see the fatigue showing on the faces of the Top 3 as they accepted their prizes and posed for pictures. 

Many congratulations to the big winner Nikhil and those who made it into the money. They bested a field of more than 100 players which is a tremendous achievement!

Our big winner of the IPC 5k Freezeout - Nikhil M

We could not have asked for a better start for the September edition of the Championship and look forward to welcoming many of the players from Thursday's game at the 10k game tonight. The weather seems like it will hold up and we expect a good turnout this evening. Will be back to post on Day 2 tomorrow at this time again. Till then if you wish to follow us online, then find our group on Facebook (India Poker Championship). We are also on Twitter under the handle - IndiaPokerChamp

Till tomorrow... 

The long wait is almost over!

Well here we are again. It's incredible how quickly time passes between tournaments. It just feels like yesterday when we were at the poker room handing out IPC Winner's Medallions and certificates not to mention the cash to the winners of the June tournament.

The past few days have been depressing and the weather is squarely responsible for that. I haven't seen this much rain pelt the city in quite a few years now. Which of course brings us to the obvious question - what's the weather in Goa like? Fortunately not as bad as here in Mumbai. And the forecast looks pretty good for the weekend too.

The good life  :)

I'm writing all this while waiting for my flight at Mumbai airport. I can see a few vaguely familiar faces. They're rank strangers but I know I've seen them in Goa's casinos. Aah the weekend has already begun for the real degenerate gamblers! :D

So what's the plan for today? Once we touch down, head to the hotel and grab a meal, followed by a visit to the venue later in the evening. With lots of cold beers thrown in the middle :D :D We will put up all the banners and what-not as well as meet up with the card room manager (and our TD) Craig. If you were at our June event you might remember that Craig was not present as he was out of the country at the time. So it will be good to catch up with him again after almost 6 months.

Before the start of play tomorrow, the IPC directors intend to make a few key announcements regarding their next event. So should be an exciting time for the Indian poker scene. Well they're calling my flight now so I'm off. We will be posting on Facebook and Twitter so do follow us there. There will be live updates from the venue as well as a report right here at the end of each tournament.

See you in Goa!

The most important things in poker

Came across the article today and it kind of puts together some of the most important things in poker. I think it is a good read especially for those who are just entering the game and it wouldn't be a bad idea for even regular players to take a look at this...

There has been quite a bit of discussion and subsequent disagreement about what the most important thing in Poker is.

Some suggestions include:

*    Making good decisions

*    Bluffing well

*    Eliminating tells

*    Reading other players well

*    Picking the right tables

*    Picking the right games

*    Playing agressively

*    Trapping players

*    Money management

*    Having a good bankroll

*    Having a positive attitude

*    Playing at the right time

*    Playing the right levels

While these suggestions are all good, is any one of them really the single most important thing in poker?

We think not!  As important as all these suggestions are to winning, we propose another suggestion which we think is probably the most obvious thing in poker; Yet is the most often violated rule for playing poker successfully.

It is the "one rule" you will probably violate more often in each poker game you play.  It is also the one rule that, when violated, will cost you more frequent and larger losses than any other rule.

Our suggestion for the most important rule for success in poker is:   PATIENCE

*    Patience to wait for quality hands to play.

*    Patience to win one pot at a time.

*    Patience to wait for the right game.

*    Patience to wait for the right table.

*    Patience to wait for the right time to play.

*    Patience to wait for the right time to move up in levels.

*    Patience to build up your bankroll before moving up to higher levels.

*    Patience to learn new poker games well before playing.

*    Patience to learn and read all you can about playing winning poker.

*    Patience enough not to play junk when you just don't get the cards.

*    Patience to play well even when you are losing.

*    Patience to wait for the other players to make mistakes, go on tilt, or just get tired.

As you can see, patience covers a lot of things.  Most likely, there are many more important winning qualities related to poker that you could add to this list.

Just as patience should be your most important objective when playing; It should also be your objective to find players who do not have patience, then  play against them. So, by all means, look for players who lack patience due to:

*    Being tired

*    Being drunk

*    Being on tilt

*    Being low on chips

*    Being nervous

*    Being anxious to play

*    Being short on time

*    Being lucky or unlucky

*    Being there just for fun

*    Being there just to gamble

*    Being there to socialize

*    Being there to lose

Naturally, we expect that if you find yourself Being any of the above, You, by all means, should have the Patience to wait for a better time to play.

Senior Poker Columnist
Janice Carroll
www.headsuppokerchampion.com

This article has been sourced from www.theedgepoker.com 

Meet the 2010 November Nine

Well the November Nine is finally here.

While for the regular non-poker playing Joe, November Nine's significance perhaps lies only in the fact that it is the 313th day of the year (314th in a leap year), for the avid poker player and follower this term takes on different connotations. For the reader who has accidentally stumbled on this IPC blog and has no idea what the term means, the November Nine are the final nine players remaining in the Main Event of the WSOP. The Main Event takes place in July with several thousand player taking part. Play continues till all but nine remain. There is a break of a few months and then these nine will come back in November to determine the winner.  

(L to R) Jason Senti, Joesph Cheong, John Dolan, Johnathon Duhamel, 

Michael Mizrachi, Mathew Jarvis, John Dolan, Filippo Candio & Soi Nguyen

For the November Nine, the next four months of will change their lives. And this is despite the fact that only one from them will be the owner of a Main Event bracelet by the end of it. While many players (and fans) were not in favour of the November Nine concept when it was first introduced in 2008, the concept is now here to stay. From ESPN's perspective, this concept allows them to build on the excitement of the WSOP and in particular the final table. As the years have gone by the WSOP has steadily expanded the number of events offered to players at the WSOP and as a result for the TV audiences as well. From having 7 events in 1973, the WSOP in 2010 had 57 events including the Main Event. Having a break of 3-4 months allows ESPN to broadcast the various events which have taken place in the WSOP with the focus squarely being on the No Limit Hold'em events. It's all about the ratings game anyway in the television business and the WSOP is a big draw for the various brands that choose to associate themselves with the event. These brands are predominantly 'male' and range from beer to automobiles and even beef jerky.

While many pros still feel that the 3 month break messes with the 'purity' of an endurance event like the World Series, most current and past November Niners will beg to differ. Along with life-changing money that they stand to make, this interim period allows them an opportunity to establish themselves on the circuit, score sponsorship deals and become overnight celebrities of the poker world. This is a boon for them all regardless of the eventual winner for whom life will just become some kind of wild poker fantasy for the next 12 months. Eventually of course players must decide what's more important for them. In case of Joe Hachem who is one our favorite pros, the win at the 2005 ensured that he did not have to go back to his day job as a chiropractor and subsequently mortgage/brokerage executive. He is the face of Australian poker and is a great ambassador for the game. Then there is someone like Peter Eastgate who the youngest ever winner (subsequently broken by Joe Cada in '09) of the WSOP Main Event beating Phil Helmuth's almost 20 year old record. This kind of an accomplishment made Eastgate a huge and respected name in poker that year because he had the game to back it up as well. Eastgate just prior to this year's Main Event stated that he would be retiring from poker to pursue other things since his motive was to become financially independent with his poker playing which he managed in a spectacular manner.

The WSOP really is the dream as far as professionals and amateurs are concerned. A chance to win fame and millions of dollars on the one hand and the opportunity to be recognized forever in the annals of the game we all love.

The India Poker Championship's 3rd edition will take place from 2nd - 4th September in Goa. 

For information and to register, log onto www.indiapokerchampionship.com

World Series, India Poker Championship update

Well its that time of the year again folks. The cards are in the air and everyone who is a poker fanatic is glued to the television to get a taste of the action. I am of course talking about the this year's Main Event at the World Series of Poker which is taking place right now... literally. 

 The ballroom at the Rio where the WSOP takes place

Now us poor deprived poker fans in India have no way of catching all the action on television seeing as ESPN here is more than content to keep showing classic cricket matches from decades ago which, let's be honest, gets tiresome after a while. Don't get me wrong... I like my cricket (but am definitely not one of those hardcore painted-face types who scream their guts out) and wouldn't mind watching the classics occasionally but it seems quite silly to me that ESPN in India would rather show the Home Run Derby over some poker coverage which Indian audiences would lap up as compared to baseball. I caught the Derby a couple of nights back at a really late hour and if you wanted to fill up some slots why not put in some poker. Hey if not the current year's, even old episodes from past WSOP events would do... throw us a bone here guys.
Fortunately Internet zindabad! And due thanks to our equally nutty fellow poker enthusiasts across the world who are able to see the WSOP on tv and then are kind enough to upload it to torrent sites. Not to mention a site like PokerTube which is just awesome for the kind of varied content they put up. There are some videos of tournaments which you've never even heard before. Oh by the way to any of our readers who might be in the US or visiting there soon, here is the TV schedule.

2009 was the year for the pros finishing really deep. Many fans were delighted with this as was I because it seemed off late that just any dude with 10k and a monster hot streak could swing by and take home the biggest prize in poker (cases in point Jamie Gold & Jerry Yang). Of course a lot of that delight was a result of Phil Ivey's incredible run to the final table. Our good friend Girish Shahane who is a huge Phil Ivey fan wrote about him on his blog last year and it was a heart-breaker for him and us to see Ivey bust out in 7th place. 2010 thus far looks like an even mix of pros and amateurs although that could change really quickly. I had started writing this post about yesterday and what a difference 24 hours makes. A decent sized paragraph was to be dedicated to the two former champions still left in the fray but unfortunately my inbox was screaming with news reports of both Scotty Nguyen and Johnny Chan having been eliminated from the Main Event. So the dream is over for a repeat or 3-peat as the case may be...
On a side note, here's an interesting read about the best performers in the game after the poker boom back in '03. 

Closer to home the India Poker Championship has opened up its registrations for its 3rd edition in September and if you still haven't registered, here is the LINK. Players are excited about the event and so they should be as things have only gotten bigger and better. The IPC might be only 2 events old but with every event we strive to provide Indian poker players with the best experience they can get. The best thing about this is that we can actually see the poker scene in India picking up momentum. It's high time that the game here in India gets its due and is legalised. It must enjoy the status that a game like bridge does because I personally believe this is a sport which involves a huge amount of skill and it's something which can be seen as plain-as-day by anyone who has played poker for even a short while. Fortunately there are people like Girish and Amit Varma who are big fans of the game and whose opinions and columns are read by many thousands and perhaps even lakhs of people. Hopefully information about the game from people like them and other forms of media will filter through to the general public and the resulting greater awareness will lead to some changes being made to the laws regarding poker in this country.
After all, haven't we always been a nation of gamblers?! From Sunday mornings long past I quote Duryodhan, "Mamashree... 6!"

And since it is dealer's (or blogger's) choice here on the IPC Blog, I choose poker over faaaaarrrkin teen patti.
Peace Out


Update: Shortly after this post was put up, the final nine participants or the November Nine as they are more popularly known, have come through. The most well-known pro amongst the lot is Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi who stands a good chance of doing a massive double, having earlier taken home the Winner's bracelet and over $1.5 million in the Tournament of Champions event.