$lim$hady19 – the alias has found its place in the Indian poker community in nd his passion for poker in college days and after a few ups & downs in last 3 years, he turned a full-time professional poker player. He bagged some notable scores at the virtual felt including tourney wins and several money-finishes as well as he embarked on his live tournament journey with a 15th place finish in IPC June’15.
Presenting Sahil Chutani in our exclusive column, Gen P- The next generation of Online Poker. Sahil shares his poker journey, his ambitions and plans for future in a chat with OPN India.
| Name | Sahil Chutani |
| Poker Nick Name | $lim$hady19 |
| Fav. Poker Site |
PokerStars |
| Fav. Live Poker Spot |
Goa |
| Fav Poker Game | NL Texas Hold’em |
| Fav Poker Hand | AA |
Q1. Hi Sahil, Thanks for taking out the time to speak with us. To start with, can you tell us when you start playing poker? Basically your poker journey till date…
Sahil – I picked up the game during my college days. I played with play money chips initially and was hooked to the game. It seemed like the coolest thing ever. You could play when u wanted, make money (tons of money) and travel around the world. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
I made my first real deposit back in 2013. Then, busted my bankroll 4 to 5 times and uninstalled PokerStars from my laptop. I had no clue what I was doing! That’s when Abhishek Rathod took me into his guidance and things started progressing. Finally, at the start of 2015, I decided to play poker full time and (fingers crossed) it’s been going well.
Q2. How much poker do you play on an average?
Sahil – I do put in descent volume every week. At an average I play about 35-40 hours each week.
Q3. How does your family feel about you playing Poker?
Sahil – They are ok with it. Initially it was tough, so I moved out. Now I do go home but don’t play poker at home or talk much about it much. They are satisfied to see that I am able to take care of myself- financially.
Q4. Are you working somewhere?<somewhere?
Sahil – Nope. I am planning to move to Europe next year to do my masters.
Q5. How has been you recent association with BBZ Staking?
Sahil – In one word it’s been great. To put it simply its equivalent of joining a football club like Bayern or Real Madrid. You are in the best possible hands and at the best possible place. Also we have have two more Indian guys in the stable (Arsh and Jdsaz) so we have a lot of fun.
Q6. How has been your experience of playing in live tournaments in India?
Sahil – I simply loved playing live. I used to play a lot of sports during my school days and the adrenaline rush you get playing something like tennis is the same it is in Poker. Moreover, you get to meet a lot of people and there is always good table banter.
Q7. Who do you idolize in Poker, both in India and Internationally?
Sahil – I think in India Adi (Aditya Agarwal) is like the godfather of poker. What he has done for the game and the inspiration he provides is unmatchable. I think game wise I like Danish’s game.
Internationally I would say I respect what Daniel Negreanu has done for the game of poker. Game wise I like ben sulsky, Daniel doverrs, and Crownup guy (Fedor Holz).
Q8. What do you do when not playing Poker?
Sahil – Haha that’s a tough one. Probably attending my German class (my German sucks btw), listening to music and catching up with friends. It’s tough to have a social life if u grind as on weekends you just can’t step out of the house. But, I am grateful to what poker has given to me and I love what I do. 🙂
Q9. What is your one Poker dream?
Sahil – I want to be the best poker player I can be. If I am able to fulfill that, I will be happy. (Winning a WSOP Bracelet won’t be bad either)
Q10. What should be done to promote poker in India?
Sahil – I think there is a lot of misinformation regarding the game in India. So for starters we need more awareness about the game. This is where the social media can play a very important role. Also we should introduce the game among youngsters say like in college fests, have regular tournaments (like in chess). Ultimately once a person sees how much money can be made in the game with hard work and dedication (especially given the current job market) they would be attracted to it. Finally a regularization of poker within a legal framework would do wonders here in India.