Playing the cards right

Bangalorean Clawin D'souza, 22, is a diehard online poker fan. So much so that he gave up his job to take up a career in the game. His parents, of course, did not like the idea, but D'souza went ahead with his decision. Though he started a bit slow and made very little money initially, gradually he became an expert at the game. “The experience has been great because I am my own boss. I set my goals and I am very motivated to achieve them. I love what I'm doing and it doesn't feel like a mundane job at all,” said D'souza, who now makes around 190,000 a month playing poker online.
Market sources peg online gambling in India at about $5 billion. “The Indian market has great potential for us and we anticipate more and more companies to begin investing in popularising online poker in India,” said Hannes Hanusch, business unit manager (India) of PokerStrategy.com, one of the largest online poker tutorial web sites in the world. Experts say India has an excellent talent pool and many players are expected to be world class soon.
“Online poker is booming in India, and with so many new players entering the online poker world, I wouldn't be surprised if there are many more players playing poker for a living,” said D'souza. The enthusiasm of these players is infectious, and the kind of money some of them make from the comfort of their homes is stupendous. D'souza says the money he earns through online poker is legal and taxable like any other income.
Social networking sites, say experts, have been instrumental in driving the numbers of online poker players in India. “The numbers are steadily increasing and a lot of this has to do with the Facebook poker application,” said an expert.
Online poker, however, is no child's play. It takes a lot of learning, dedication and skill to compete against international players. “Poker is a strategic, maths-based game. In poker the best player will always be the winner in the long term, but in the short term a bad player can beat a very good player. This comes through the element of luck. Short term, anyone can have success,” said Hanusch.
Professional players, on an average, put in eight hours a day playing poker. “I spend an hour or so on learning new stuff every day. Sites such as pokerstrategy.com have educational stuff in the form of videos and articles,” said D'souza. He started playing poker on the site, which gives a starting capital of $50 to play online to every player who passes an online quiz based on the tutorials on the site. D'souza has a poker coach from the US and he spends an hour a week with him on Skype. The coach regularly evaluates his game and guides him.
Poker players take regular online tutorials, as the strategy of the game keeps on evolving. Online tutorial sites are frequently updated with videos and analytical material on improving skills. Pokerguru.in, a popular web site among Indian poker players, teaches poker rules and advanced poker strategy. Players can have discussions on the web site and find a local game on its forums. “You get to learn every day, which helps you to enhance your skills,” said Aditya Sushant, 22, a professional poker player from Chennai.
While it can be lucrative, poker has an element of volatility. Players say it is impossible to win at a steady rate, and the earnings correspond to the wins. Most professional players, however, are at peace with this uncertainty. “It can be part of any profession,” said a player. “As long as we enjoy the game and keep making money out of it we will continue pursuing it full-time.”

Game on
Poker is a card game played by two or more people who bet on the value of the hands dealt to them. A player wins either by having the highest combination at the showdown or by forcing all opponents to concede without a showing of the hand, sometimes by means of bluff. Online poker is played over the internet on platforms known as cardrooms.
Online gambling is an offence in Maharashtra, but in other states there is no explicit ban.

Playing card game is very interesting if we have good experience of playing it. I love to play card games and have won some game.

Yes, I agree with you. Card games are interesting and enjpyable.

Hey Manne,

Do you have any website where you have shared all your tips and strategies?

Casino Games and Online Gambling Guide by ixgames you will find everything there

Cheers

Thats a great poker guide manne :dirol

Play one's cards right. (idiomatic) To act correctly; to make the right moves. If you play your cards right, you'll get the promotion you've been waiting for....