It’s always good to see new talents rising in the Indian poker space and in its efforts to popularise the game of poker, OPN brings such player to the forefront in its exclusive column GenP: The next generation of Poker. This week we caught up with Tanay Hargunaney who got back from IPC Feb’16 wherein he earned his first live tournament cash placing 13th in the 30K Main Event.
To start with, can you tell us about yourself and when did u get started with the game of poker.
Tanay – I am a Hyderabad based Software Engineer, native of Mumbai. I started playing poker on Zynga sometime around 2010, learnt the rules then and played for a few months. Coming to final year of college then got interested in the game again, played small games with friends live.
I made my first visit to the IPC last April 2015 and I played the 5k event, where I obviously didn’t last long enough in the field and also started playing mid stakes cash since. Been less than a year actually started to play seriously and study theory of the game. Played my complete IPC circuit in August 2015 edition, where I won the tournament tickets via online satellites.
You placed 13th in the recently concluded IPC Main Event which is also your first cash finish in live tournaments. Your thoughts on your live game? Will you be playing more live tournaments?
Tanay – Yes, the result is a good start for me in the game, since it was my 2nd attempt at the IPC Big Game 30k Main event. My game has improved drastically as when it was during my 1st IPC visit last April. I will surely be playing more live tournaments in future.
How much poker do you play on a day/in a week/ in a month?
Tanay – I am active online on cash tables and home games, 2-3 hours per day after work on the online tables is what I manage to make time for.
What has been some of your biggest achievement in poker till date? How do you rank them?
Tanay – As of now, I have 1 live cash under my belt in the IPC Main Event, which I would regard as a respectable score. I have also been one of the top 4 finishers to cash in the ‘Spartan Pro Hunt’ during Oct 2014. I have shipped couple of online tourneys on Spartan and Star Poker.
How do you balance your professional and personal life with poker? Any plan of turning full time poker player?
Tanay – I am able to give in 2-3 hours of time online to multi-table after work hours. No, I do not have plans to turn full time poker player. This is as a hobby for me, and I enjoy playing the game, and studying theory on it. I’ve been strong at math, and this is the reason why I’m intrigued by the theory in the game.
Who do you idolize in Poker, both in India and Internationally?
Tanay – I have had the opportunity to play with a few big names at the Indian poker felt and I respect their game styles. I also have had the opportunity to attend one of Abhishek Rathod’s public webinar hosted earlier and the kind of idea’s he puts on the table is something to be learnt from. On the international felt, as a spectator I enjoy watching Daniel ‘KidPoker’ Negreanu’s game.
What is your one poker dream?
Tanay – With poker I want to travel places meet a different set of players and expand my knowledge on the game and develop as a player. As for the places I wish to play at, would be like Macau MPC, Philippines/Manila APT, Europe WPT/WSOPE, Vegas during the WSOP circuit to play other smaller side events as which fit my bankroll. I’ll be planning on some trips and playing the satellites for them respectively.
How do you like spending spare time off the desk and poker felt? What are you hobbies?
Tanay – I love to play chess, I started off as a Chess player, playing online games and live chess tournaments. Very similar tournament structures to what we have in poker tournaments (Blitz chess ~ Turbo/Classical Chess ~ Deep Structure). The similarity in the game, strategy and warfare is also another aspect that got me into poker. I follow the sport and study theory as and when time permits.
What’s your take on rising popularity of poker in India? What do you think should be done to promote this game more?
Tanay – Popularity of Poker in India is on the rise. I see various brands visiting college fests and conducting events, getting more and more young players to get in the game. A lot of promotions already on the Indian online sites are seen today, trying to get the regs more active. The game is being promoted for good, and catches the eye of many people around and good to see such active participation from the audience.