Bollywood actress – Minissha Lamba, who joined Adda52 as its first Celebrity Pro last year, has been enjoying her poker journey as well as her stint with India’s largest poker site – Adda52.
Known for films like ‘Yahaan’ (debut film 2005), ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno’ (2008) ‘Kidnap’ (2008), ‘Well Done Abba’ (2009) and ‘Bheja Fry 2’ (2011), Minissha picked the skill of playing poker after some friends came from abroad and explained the game to her around seven years ago. The Delhi girl, who was also a contestant on ‘Bigg Boss 8’ in 2014, learned the game quickly and developed a passion for it.
“A couple of my friends had come down from abroad and they were talking about poker. Of course, one knows there’s a game called poker, but I always thought it’s a bit difficult, and told them, ‘I’m pretty dyslexic with numbers and it sounds complicated.”….”But the more they taught me and explained the game to me, the more I felt I could be attracted to it,” said the actress.
A graduate with English (Hons.) from Delhi University, Minissha, who started her journey around 7 years ago, has come a long way in her poker career. She has made appearances in several big events like Indian Poker Championship (IPC), Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) and World Poker Tour (WPT). Her first international poker tournament was the WPT 500 Aria where she represented Adda52 last year. Most recently, she represented the poker site at the 888poker LIVE London poker festival 2018.
Minissha’s Poker Career Highlights
Minissha got highlighted in 2011 when she finished 4th in INR 15K Weekend Kickoff Tournament at India Poker Championship. Due to her hard work and dedication, the female player has been able to improve her game and it has been showing up in her game. She has been doing pretty well making deep runs across several key DPT and WPT India events. Last year, she won the DPT Ladies Event and made a couple of deep runs across several other DPT tournaments in Goa. So far this year, her journey has been impressive. Early this year in April, she finished runner-up in the DPT Colossus 50K Warm-Up Event and then she followed up that score with a 14th place finish in the DPT High Roller in July. Most recently, she hit headlines for her runner-up finish in the WPT India High Roller Event.
When asked about her recent runner-up finish in the 100K High Roller NLHE at the 2018 WPT India, she said, “Finishing at a good number in a WPT Event feels on top of the world. There is a lotta pressure, especially when one wears a badge, you need to make your game play worthy of that.”
Replying to the question – ‘You have turned into a better player over the years, what do you have to say?’, she said, “It’s definitely been better than before. I’ve analyzed my game, my leaks, weaknesses. Have worked on them. And then again made those same mistakes again.. then learned to have the discipline to NOT make those mistakes again. It’s easy in theory, but not so much when your there in the moment”.
Is Poker A Game Of Skill?
Poker is a hobby as well as passion for Minissha. She considers it as an interesting game of skill.
“Poker is my passion, my hobby…so it’s something I incorporate into the spare time that I have.”
“It’s definitely a game of skill…………as more people are understanding and introducing themselves to poker, the mindset here is changing rapidly to one of great respect for poker as a profession.”
What Makes Poker So Interesting?
When asked about what makes poker so interesting, she said, “It’s a game where you are constantly learning. Every hand can be played differently from game to game, in every position, against a variety of players. That’s the beauty. You’re always on your toes and that’s what so exciting about this game.”
How Does Her Family Look at Poker?
“My family has always been very supportive of my life choices. We discuss everything so that they also understand what it means to be a poker player. For me, it’s another facet of what I do with my life. I feel, in life, it’s great if one can endeavour to have multiple facets,” said Minissha Lamba.
How Has Been Her Experience With Adda52?
“I’m very happy being an Adda52 pro. I only started playing tournament poker when they signed me. And it’s been an adrenaline rush adapting to a new format. I see it as a means to upskill”
What Does She Think of Women Taking To Poker?
The Adda52 Celebrity Pro believes that poker is a male-dominated game but women too can shine in the game if they work harder. In an interview to ‘Darpan Magazine’ last year, she said, “Every field is going to be a little difficult for women. Entering a male-dominated space, they are the ones who get the worst of it, having to prove themselves by working harder. So, what I’ve seen with poker is that it’s happening, but it will take a little while — like everything does. It will happen organically.”
How Does She Look at India’s Poker Industry 2 Years Down The Line?
Poker in India has been fast-catching the nerves of both males and females. Just like any other mind sport, the game is growing in popularity with each passing year. When asked about the growth of Indian poker, Minissha said, “It’s growing yet. But I can’t give a prognosis on the matter.”