Development of poker in India in 2019
Perhaps the most important news for poker in India in 2019 was the presence of Vivek "Psyduck101" Rajkumar in the final table of Triton Million, an event played on August that featured a massive buy-in of £1M. We also have posted a complete FAQ on how to play online poker from India and added 5+ Indian clubs to our PPPoker setup.
Another important factor is the development of live poker events like the India Poker Championship, as it attracts both local and global players to join the tables and know the online poker rooms.
India Poker Championship 2019
The India Poker Championship is the most famous poker series played in India. The first edition was held in 2010, and nowadays is also offered online (India Online Poker Championship) via Spartan Poker, and live in the Big Daddy Casino in Panjim, Goa.
| Date | Event | Buy-in | GTD |
| 11/09/19 | 10k Kick-Off | 10,000 | 25 Lakhs |
| 12/09/19 | 100k High Roller | 1,00,000 | 1 Crore |
| 13/09/19 | 35k Main Event Day 1A | 35,000 | 1.6 Crore |
| 14/09/19 | 35k Main Event Day 1B | 35,000 | |
| 15/09/19 | 15k Headhunter | 15,000 | 17,5 Lakhs |
For the 2019 edition, the India Poker Championship had four scheduled events from September 11 to 15 and 3 Crores guaranteed in total**.
*1 Crore equals 10M Indian Rupees, about $140k
**1 Lakh equals 100,000 Indian Rupees, about $1,4k
Almost 2,000 players took part of the action, including some Indian poker celebrities as Aditya Sushant (WSOP champion), Vineet Kumar, and even the Instagram celebrity Dan Bilzerian joined the tables.
| Event | Winner | Field | Prize | GTD Prize pool | Final prize pool |
| 10k Kick-Off | Siddharth Mundada | 437 players | 8.80 Lakhs | 25 Lakhs | 43,7 Lakhs |
| 100k High Roller | Pranay Chawla | 207 players | 51.66 Lakhs | 1 Crore | 2.07 Crore |
| 35k Main Event Day 1 | Raj Talwar | 777 players | 49.25 Lakhs | 1.6 Crore | 2.71 Crore |
| 15k Headhunter | Raghavendra Hada | 348 players | INR 7,39,000 | 17,5 Lakhs | 34,8 Lakhs + 17,4 Lakhs Bounty |
All the guaranteed prizes-pool were smashed, and the initial 3 Crore converted in over 6 Crore. These results are a clear probe of the massive interest of players in poker events.
Worldpokerdeals offer for Indian poker players
Our offer for Indian poker players includes not only local but also offshore poker rooms that offer many benefits such as avoiding the TDS when processing a withdrawal or access to larger fields.
The best sites to join are BetOnline, Bodog Poker India, and poker apps like PPPoker; our team is ready to assist any Indian grinders looking to add profitable poker rooms.
Worldpokerdeals offer in Indian poker rooms
As a market in the development, the online Indian poker rooms are recognized for having extremely weak lineups, and that's why grinders actively look to add a few tables to their games.
Our offer includes sites with soft action from mid to high-stakes (NL1400, PLO2000) including HU tables. For real grinders, we offer rakeback and an exclusive discount in TDS.
Please contact our manager Juan to get more information about Indian poker rooms for abroad poker players.
Summary
The results of the India Poker Championship 2019 are very encouraging for the development of the industry in the country:
- All events covered (and even doubled in some cases) the guaranteed prize pools;
- Global celebrities traveled to India to play the series;
- Almost 2,000 players took part in the action.
These numbers, combined with an increasing offer of online poker rooms with several promotions, are good signs for grinders; we invite our players to stay updated in our blog for more EV+ poker news from India.
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