Poker as a game and profession is finally finding its calling in India. We at Onlinepokernews.in decided to check out the New Crop of Indian Poker which is making inroads in online poker. And in our tryst to bring out the unsung names in Indian poker who burn the midnight oil to follow their poker passion we bring Gen P- The next generation of Online Poker. A fortnightly column where we introduce you to a young, smiling and passionate poker face.
This time we present Sharad Rao, 21 year old student of MIT Manipal, who plays poker in the night and studies by the day. The young and vibrant poker player who has had a consistent run in 2014 after hitting it off with poker last year.
| Name | Sharad Rao |
| Poker Nickname | Keenyle |
| Age | 21 |
| Fav place to play online Poker | PokerStars |
| Fav poker game format | 9 Man Sit n gos |
| Fav poker hand | Any hand that crushes your opponent |
| Poker Earnings | $25,000 |
Q-Hi Sharad, 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…
SR- My poker journey started in September’13. I started playing on Zynga poker and hooked to Zynga and gradually build my way up to here.
Q- How much poker do you play?
SR – I try to clock 60 hours a week which generally means 200 games/day.
Q- How does your family feel about you playing Poker?
SR – They don’t mind anything until I join politics
Q- Are you working somewhere?
SR– No, I’m doing my graduation from MIT Manipal.
Q- Have you ever participated in any live tournaments in India or Internationally?
SR – uh, well not yet. Soon hopefully.
Q- Who are the 3 names, according to you, who can make it big in International Poker Community?
SR- uh well right now I can think of just one. Keenyle. Haha.
Q- What do you do when no playing Poker?
SR– Damn, I sleep
Q- What is your one Poker dream?
SR– To be too big to fail.
Q- What should be done to promote poker in India?
SR– – We have a long way to cover but the way I see it we are headed in the right direction. There has been a boom off late, people are getting to know that it’s possible to play poker for a living. But the social stigma attached with poker needs to be addressed.
The Supreme Court ruling in our favor could be a start.