The inaugural 2.6 Crore GTD Series of Legends (SOL) was all the rage on Adda52.com with more than 5,000 players getting into the action from 13th to 19th December 2021 to battle it out with the top MTT pros and legends in pursuit of SOL glory and hefty prizes. The series designed for the players by the players featured 9 thrilling events across 7 days and did well to surpass its GTD, collecting more than INR 2.71 Crores in the prize pool. The culmination of the series on Sunday night (19th December 2021) had a dream ending for the 27-year-old Harsh “harsh1327” Bubna as he championed the showstopper event of the series, 1 Crore GTD Patni Millionaire Finale, to win a career-best INR 16.12 Lac and earn the distinction of becoming the first-ever champion of the mega multi-day event.
With the victory, Harsh crossed INR 2 Crores in online winnings, making the win more special and memorable for him. It is always good to hear the mega victory stories of the legends. When the winner is not a legend, it becomes more inspiring, especially for the up-and-coming players. Living in Kolkata, Harsh is an old hand at the game of poker. Like many others, he also learned the sport from Zynga poker in 2010 and started playing online full-time in 2017. Adda52 holds a special place in his heart as it is where he started his online journey in 2015. His journey was a bit shaky initially but he did not give up, kept working hard on his game and it has paid off handsomely. He has come a long way in his journey, having won 73 tourney titles and raking in more than 2 Crores in online winnings.
Harsh’s run in the Patni Millionaire Finale was undoubtedly the stuff of legends. The man snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat as he came back from a 10:1 chip deficit in heads-up, making the win extra special for him. We caught up with this champion to know about his Patni Millionaire Finale victory, his poker journey, and a lot more. Here are the excerpts of the interview with him:
OPN: Hi Harsh, Congratulations on winning the 1 Cr. GTD Patni Millionaire Finale and thank you for speaking with us. How does it feel to be crowned as the first-ever Patni Millionaire champion?
Harsh: Hi, Thanks a lot. It feels very good! Coming back from a 10:1 chip deficit in heads-up makes it extra special for me.
OPN: Before diving into details, tell us a little about yourself, how and when did you pick up the sport? And how has been your poker journey so far?
Harsh: I am a 27-year-old living in Kolkata. Like many others, I learned the sport from Zynga poker in 2010. I started playing online full-time in 2017. My journey has been good so far. Initially, it started badly but as I got to learn more about the sport, it improved.
OPN: What’s your playing schedule like? How and when did you start playing on Adda52.com? How has been the experience so far?
Harsh: I play from 7 pm to 2-4 am normally but on Sundays and whenever any big series is going on I start from 2 pm. Adda52 is the first website where I made my poker account in 2015 after hearing about it from a friend. Experience has been good especially after the TDS policy change it brought in last year.
OPN: How was your Patni Millionaire experience? Your view on the turnout and structure?
Harsh: The experience was pretty amazing playing with all the top players in our country. The structure was very good and deep, and at no point, it felt like it was a shove fest.
OPN: Please share your Patni Millionaire journey. Any key hands or takeaways?
Harsh: I qualified for Day 2 from the last flight after playing multiple flights. There were multiple key hands, one of which was in the final 2 tables against the chip leader where I folded 66 on the KK644 board, Villain bet all 3 streets.
OPN: How was the pressure on the FT with such massive prizes at stake?
Harsh: FT ICM Pressure was immense because one person had most of the chips and there were 4-5 people with similar stacks.
OPN: How did you prepare yourself for the Patni Millionaire?
Harsh: I didn’t do anything extra and it was a normal Sunday grind routine for me. When I was in the final 2 tables, my focus shifted solely on this tournament.
OPN: Did you have any particular strategy for this tournament?
Harsh: I wanted to play my best game and not let other tables affect my game in this tournament.
OPN: At which point in the tournament did you believe you could win?
Harsh: At FT, I was looking to ladder up as the stack differences between chip leader and others was massive. In heads up after the stacks became close to equal, I believed now I can win as the villain was playing pretty lose.
OPN: Top 3 reasons why MTT lovers should play this tournament?
Harsh: MTT lovers should play this tournament because the structure is very good and it offers very good value,.1 crore GTD in INR 5500 buy-in happens only on a couple of sites.
OPN: Tell us your views on the Series of Legends (SOL). Did you play the full schedule? How was your overall experience?
Harsh: The series was very well-conducted and the first of its kind named after the best Indian poker players. I played most of the tournaments missing 1 or 2. I would have loved it more if there was some more leaderboard prize involved.
OPN: Any advice for players looking to be the next Patni Millionaire champion?
Harsh: No specific advice, just that we should not give up and value our stack at all times despite the odds being against us.
Looking at how far he has come in the last 3-4 years of his journey, Harsh is undoubtedly one of the shining stars of Indian poker. Cheers to him and we love his passion for the game. Wishing him all the best ahead! Keep reading Online Poker News (OPN) for more such inspiring stories!