2020 is going to be a great time to reflect on the changes we want to or need to make. Here we bring you goals and resolutions made by some of our well-known poker champions on the Indian circuit.
Adda52 Team Pro Kunal Patni
Currently ranked 10th on ‘India All Time Money List’, Patni holds a solid poker resume with $467,175 in live earnings. His best live score came in the 2018 WPT DeepStacks Berlin Main Event where he finished 2nd for $115,819. A poker pro and an adviser to many, Patni has immense knowledge about poker and a lot of youngsters look up to him for tips and advice to improve their game. The poker phenom, who is one of very few players to have won Adda52 Millions three times, started 2019 by finishing 16th for $4,422 in the APT Vietnam Kickoff Championships Event (January 2019) and then went on to make several final table finishes before WSOP where he cashed six tournaments. His last recorded cash was in the BPT Main Event (October 2019) where he finished 51st for INR 117,300.
Patni will be looking to further improve his game in 2020. Here is a quick look at his resolutions:
- To be extra cautious on bankroll management and keep a tight control on number of bullets fired especially sub 20bb rebuys
- To limit overseas live series to 2-3 in a year and focus more on online MTT and cash
- To focus on improving game by spending more time on watching poker videos, hand analysis, etc.
- To spend more time off the table in improving physical fitness as well as mental fitness through Yoga and meditation
WSOP Bracelet Winner Nikita Luther
India’s only female bracelet winner, Nikita Luther has a solid resume with a hefty $338,512 in live earnings. A foodie, a traveller and an inspiration for many women in the country, the new mentor of PSL Teeam – Mumbai Anchors, Luther who made the country by winning a bracelet in 2018 began 2019 on a strong note by winning DPT February 2019 Deep Dive event. She also came close to winning a WPT title in Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas but eventually finished runner-up to Ben Farrel to claim $109,300, which happens to be her best score till date. Her last recorded cash came in the 2019 WPT India Main Event where the talented Delhi girl finished 24th for INR 2.37 Lac. In 2020, Luther wants to keep moving forward, put more volume and stay fit. Here are her resolutions:
- To keep moving forward and improving in the game everyday
- To put more volume as I put in very little volume last year
- To stay mentally, emotionally and physically fit
- To motivate others and help anyone who asks for it
Poker BootCamp Coach Abhishek Goindi
With over half a dozen of live tournament victories and plenty of FT finishes, Goindi is a well-known name on the Indian poker circuit. Known for his High Roller wins in India and abroad, he had a great start to the year 2019 as he won Adda52 65K High Roller at the DPT February 2019 for INR 14,50,000 and then followed up that score with a runner-up finish in the € 1,000 + 100 PLO event at the WPT Barcelona in March 2019. Later, he made a trip to Las Vegas for WSOP and managed two cashes from the world’s most prestigious event. Post his Vegas trip, he then notched up several deep runs in events held in Goa. His last recorded cash was in the WPT India Main Event (79th for INR 79,865).
A creative and content-loving pro, Goindi who won the first Indian Player of the Year (IPOY) award in 2011 has been playing a key role in promoting poker in the country by mentoring new kids and preparing them for the game. Known for his immense poker knowledge, he launched BootCamp in 2019 with the idea of promoting the game further and giving quality poker players to the country.
Sharing his goals for 2020, Goindi said,“I don’t really have resolutions but I have some goals for 2020. I have some personal and some professional goals. On the professional side, I want to grow the poker space through the poker BootCamp and all the coaching plans and workshops that are lined up, and win a WSOP bracelet. On the personal front, I want to get into Yoga this year and learn one new life skill!”
MTT Specialist Rubin Labroo
The Delhi lad Rubin Labroo is a force to reckon with in the major tournaments, both online and live. One of the most consistent online crushers, he has plenty of major wins and final table finishes to his name. He has won big on almost all major Indian poker sites. Some of his notable scores on Adda52 include his win in Mega Suits (won multiple times), Godfather and Big Slick to name few.
When asked about his top poker moments from 2019 and his resolutions for 2020, he said,“The year 2019 started off fine. I had a good first few months. I won Mega Suits in early 2019. I had a stagnant period for a while. Later, I went to Vietnam and came second in the kickoff for 27.5lakh and 16th in the Main Event for 8 lakh. I won online as well there as I came 3rd in Destiny and shipped Summit back-to- back. However, as soon as I was back, I had the hugest downswing where I lost more I had won in Vietnam and it continued for some time. Then, I won a few other tournaments online… I won Godfather, Big slick and Mega Suits again, which was some relief for me.”
Talking about his resolutions for 2020, he said, “The resolution for 2020 would be to study more and play with more control over the game and not let the external factors affect my game.”
Online Crusher Sahil Mahboobani
Born and brought up in Hong Kong, Mahboobani is a respected name in the Indian online MTT circuit. Initially his main grind was PLO cash online though, he later shifted his focus to online MTTs and the journey has been amazing so far.The 2018 WPT India Main Event runner-up finisher has been killing it in online tournament poker and has already picked up plenty of wins, runner-up and FT finishes. Some of his notable scores on adda52.com include his win in Hitman (won twice), Roar, PayCheck and Godfather 6.0 , Mega Suits, Godfather 9.0, The Ballers, and Big Slick to name a few.
Winning 2 Destinys (SSS) and (IOPC) and then coming 1st in Mega Suits, Godfather, and SSS Super High Roller were some of his top poker moments for 2019. Sharing his 2020 resolutions, he said, “I have not studied nor exercised in last 3 years. I plan to bring in the new year with both.”
Adda52 Team Pro Tarun Goyal
One of the most consistent players in the online poker circuit, Adda52 Team Pro Tarun Goyal needs no introduction. The DPT August 2016 Kickoff Event champion has achieved a lot, especially on the online felts with plenty of wins and final table finishes. The winner of the 2016 Adda52 Player of the Year (POY) title and various popular tournaments like Godfather (won multiple times), Roar, Judwaa, Whale (won multiple times), Hitman and other big events, he has been crushing it online for several years now. When asked about his resolutions for 2020, he came out with the following resolutions:
- want to perform well in WSOP overall.
- also put a lot of volume in PLO games.
Online Grinder Abhishek Garg
The 2018 WPT India Kick-Off Final Table finisher – Abhishek Garg is a prominent name on the Indian circuit. One of the most consistent online players, he won several marquee events in 2019 on adda52.com and finished runner-up in various popular events like Blaze, Hitman, The Roar, Judwaa, Whale, Godfather 6.0 and Go Goa to find a spot among the top MTT players of 2019. Eventually, he ended the year in style by winning Adda52’s #1 Poker All-Rounder Leaderboard for 10 Lac cash prize.
We caught-up with the online poker phenom – Garg to know about his 2020 resolutions and he said, “My 2020 resolutions are to study 1 hour daily and secondly, maintain a strict Bankroll discipline. My goals are to put huge volume in this year. My target is 10L cash hands and 1K tournaments.”
